An intricate topography of slithering lakes, interlocking mountain chains, ribbon-like roads zigzag the slopes, connecting the dotted villages, some 1,500 meters above sea level on the Langbian Plateau in the south-central Vietnamese highlands. The surrounding hill stations appeal holiday atmosphere and French-colonial echoes, while backpacker magnets lure with their blissed-out vibe and mountain beauty in Vietnam’s honeymoon capital, Da Lat.
A four-and-a-half-hour bus drive from Mui Ne concluded with dramatic views of beguiling clusters of winding streets, alleyways, crumbling Byzantine churches and bounteous vegetable gardens at the mountain folds of the Langbian Plateau. The quaint colonial curio is an incredible place to chill out, literally and metaphorically; the weather is spring-like instead of tropical hot and has made Dalat the outdoor adventure capital of southern Vietnam. From canyoning, mountain biking, rock-climbing, white-water rafting and treks into minority villages and the surrounding hills, if it can be done in the mountains, it can be done in Dalat.
During my 3-day stay, our beautiful tiny home was surrounded by farms that cultivated strawberries, coffee and flowers in place of rice.
As a writer, I arrived Dalat without a story-line or a grand plot to immortalize, but I was anxious to explore the hill-town to work its charm. The next morning I woke up with the first light of the day: trying to decide whether I will rent a motorbike and go solo or hire an easy-rider. Tortured by visions of an accident scene from the previous day, I made up my mind to hire an easy-rider, but didn’t know any. Guzzling down a cup of coffee for all the motivation I needed to begin my day, I started searching for “Dalat easy riders” on Facebook and the results results turned up several profiles of easy-riders in Dalat. I read a couple of reviews and began privately messaging to see their availability and price. One of them was quite prompt at getting back to me and answering my queries on Facebook messenger, we agreed on a price and I was told that I would be picked in an hour. Fifty minutes later, Boo, my guide and easy-rider for the day trip arrived in a huge motorbike, the bike‘s engine whirred quietly as we twist the throttle and took off on our little adventure!
Robin Hill Cable Car
Our first stop was the site of the 4-kilometer cable car that linked Robin Hill, which had a café and a souvenir shop, to Truc Lam Pagoda and Tuyen Lam Lake – both were definitely worth the visit. I bought a single journey ticket for 50,000 VND, and an attendant escorted me into one of the cars, the automated doors shut as I entered and it gently descended down the pines. As the car slid down the cable, I could hear the roosters crowing below, and see the patchwork farms that stretched along the countryside and the mountains fold atop one another in the far horizon.
I was being very careful while sticking out my mobile phone and Gopro to capture a few amazing shots out the small window in the cable car.
Tuyen Lam Lake
Our next stop was 6-kilometres to the south of Dalat city center at the banks of Tuyen Lam, an artificial reservoir that offered a slice of wilderness bliss. It is surrounded by vast pine forests that enveloped the hills that intensified the vibrant waters of the lake. Although nobody knows who and why the lake was named Tuyen Lam, “tuyen” means stream and “lam” means forest. The lake has long become one of the most ideal attractions for local and foreign visitors in Dalat with its peaceful setting and romantic natural landscape surroundings.
Tuyen Lam Lake has an area of area of 360 hectares and is an ideal venue for sports activities such as hiking, boating or fishing.
Datanla Falls
We took a right turn passing 200m off Tuyen Lam Lake to our next attraction, Datanla falls. It is not the most impressive fall around Dalat, but is certainly the most crowded and closest to Dalat, this is due to its proximity, and there were hordes of tourists and dozens of Russian tour groups. It is a nature amusement park of sorts, that had several activities besides sightseeing such as a roller-coaster, cable car, abseiling, rafting, and ‘free jumping’. The entrance ticket was 10,000VNĐ and everyone had to pay separately for any other activities they wished to do. The waterfall had multiple ‘levels’, each of which offered a different attraction and activity. The falls are decent and the trek downward was quite picturesque, the air was fresh, abundant pines created a sea of green that surrounded and stretched out into the distance made the trip memorable.
The downward trek was scenic, and the abundant pines created a sea of green that stretched out into the distance.
I also took the self-controlled rollercoaster car (VND 35,000 one way and VND 45,000 for a return trip) through a narrow opening to reach a relatively isolated pocket of wilderness and cascade.
The ride brought back so much childhood memory and a slice of adrenaline rush.
Me and Boo emerged from the quiet back streets to join the steady flow of traffic for a few minutes before cafés, restaurants and bars disappeared from view as we zip past.
Pongour Waterfalls (Thác Pongour)
Passing the Trung village (on the Chai mountain side), we took a right turn and rode another 8-kilometeres before arriving at Pongour waterfall in Ninh Gia village, Duc Trong district. It was about 50-kilometres from southeast of Dalat city center. The entrance ticket was 10,000VNĐ and eco-tourism attracts a million visitors annually, and tops the list of the most amazing waterfalls in Vietnam and the most populous in Lam Dong Province.
The path that leads to the poetic and mysterious fall is surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens.
Any single chunk from this cascade could be the most stunning fall in a country, and if together, it is the most incredible fall I’ve ever seen!
The immense series of cascading falls displayed an impressive wall of water at an astounding height of 40 meters and stretched over 100 meters through the terraced stones, bordered by 25,000 square meters of lush green land. It attracts visitors not only with its own glory but also with a plethora of activities that reflect the characteristics of ethnic minorities, customs and traditions.
We stopped to see a farmer guiding a herd of cattle being led to go about a day’s work in the rice fields.
Elephant Waterfalls (Thac Voi)
Fifty-five minutes later, at 1:24 p.m., we arrived at the Elephant Waterfalls in Nam Ban village, a heavily farmed valley at the bottom of a mountain pass, 30 kilometers southwest of Dalat. The entrance ticket was 20,000VNĐ and it is named after an enormous rock that apparently resembles an elephant’s head (I wasn’t able to figure out the similarity though). We parked the bike at a small parking area around the entrance, and instantly heard the roar of the deluge. I slowly walked towards the direction of the sound and saw a cloud of mist rising and a series of rickety stairs through a steep ascent to reach the powerful curved fall along uneven and slippery stone steps with intermittent railings.
I felt the damp air and got myself doused with bracing spray.
On our way to the next stop, we passed by this giant statue of a Lady Buddha. Have you ever seen a Lady Buddha?
Hoa Son Dien Trang
Our last stop was at an ecotourism garden nestled in an area of 38 hectares covered by primeval forest, about 8 kilometers from Da Lat city center. It had gibbons, more than 2000 bird species, many ancient trees, but the most visible feature was the 4,000 Japanese cherry blossom trees that were planted from the seed were beginning to blossom.
This is the only pristine forest in Dalat city, often covered by fog, not to forget that I was attracted by this giant hand!
I would certainly recommend Boo in a heartbeat, a hundred times over if you are searching for an easy rider in Dalat.
Thank you Dalat Motorbike Ventures for making my day unforgettable on such short notice. You guy are amazing!
No Comments