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Traveling to Da Lat may not be new to many, but sticking to familiar places can sometimes become dull. Let's try planning a weekend itinerary with Mytour for the mountain town with plenty of new experiences!
Discover an exciting weekend itinerary for exploring Da Lat for those who love adventure.
Friday Evening: Traveling from Saigon to Da Lat
You can opt for Phuong Trang or Thanh Buoi sleeper buses with fares of 210,000 VND per person per way. The travel time is from 6 to 7 hours. Departing from Saigon at 11:00 PM, you can have a night's sleep on the bus and arrive in Da Lat around 5 or 6 in the morning.
Iris Hotel, Dạ Lan, or Trinh Gia Homestay all offer good prices and are popular choices among travelers when visiting Da Lat.
Saturday: Mê Linh Coffee Garden – Elephant Waterfall – Linh Ẩn Pagoda
Upon arrival, you can take a shuttle to your pre-booked hotel for early check-in or luggage drop-off, then rent a motorbike and start exploring Da Lat.
Starting off a day of exploration in Da Lat, Mytour suggests the unique coffee shop named Mê Linh Coffee Garden. Mê Linh is a small plantation in the mountainous countryside near Da Lat. This place is well-known for Robusta and Moka coffee varieties. But more special than that is pure civet coffee. The coffee shop is designed to be open, ensuring you a panoramic view of Da Lat 360 degrees. Below Mê Linh Coffee Garden is a small coffee farm, with Cam Ly Dam in front. Enjoying a cup of authentic coffee amidst the cool green space is incomparable.
To get here, from the city center, you have to cross Tà Nung Pass, with a 20km stretch on Provincial Road 725. The road is not too short nor too long, but enough for you to admire beautiful scenery along the way, with thousands of pine forests filling your sight. Not only a place for those who want to enjoy peaceful space, Mê Linh Coffee Garden is also a must-visit for young groups when traveling to Da Lat.
After enjoying coffee and taking endless photos, continue your journey towards QL27 to reach Elephant Waterfall, also known as Lieng Rơwoa Waterfall. The waterfall is 40m wide and over 30m high, one of the few waterfalls that still retains the pristine beauty of the Central Highlands. Arriving at the Elephant Waterfall tourist area at the parking gate, buy tickets (20,000 VND) and start exploring. With no tour guide, you're entirely on your own. Although there are directional signs, you must be extremely careful as the entire path is covered with mossy rocks, making it very slippery. The waterfall rushes from a distance of over 30m, the water mist spreads everywhere, soothing all the fatigue from the journey here. You can stand and admire the waterfall from afar for photos.
Then, you move on to Cave 10. The path is not difficult but quite slippery. Besides this cave, you can also explore Bat Cave. After traversing moss-covered rocky paths, you'll reach a narrow, dark, and root-filled mountain wall, just enough for one person. You have to cling to the roots to pass through the wall to get to the cave. A mysterious rock cave hides behind the waterfall, the water mist makes everything surreal... like those caves in American movies. Although it's called water mist, within less than 5 minutes, you'll be soaked because a lot of water sprays into the cave. Be careful not to go too close to the mouth of the cave where the water flow is very strong. After enjoying freely, you can return to the old direction and sit outside to drink water, eat ice cream... to relax.
On the way back to the city, if you have time, you can stop by two famous pagodas: Linh Ẩn Pagoda – Truc Lam Zen Monastery, the second of Da Lat, and Van Duc Pagoda.
Evenings in Da Lat are bustling, especially on weekends or holidays. You can choose to enjoy the famous stuffed snails along Hai Ba Trung Street or any crowded barbecue stall. Da Lat will confuse you with its diverse, delicious, and affordable cuisine. After satisfying your hunger, you can swing by Lam Vien Square to take Instagram-worthy photos with the giant wild sunflowers.
This is also a suitable time for you to sip on a hot soy milk along Tang Bat Ho Street or take a stroll around Xuan Huong Lake. Enjoy the cold and peaceful atmosphere of the mountain town, something rarely found in Saigon, before returning to your hotel for a good night's sleep.
Sunday: Bidoup National Park – Thiên Thai Waterfall
You should have a hearty breakfast to start your journey to explore Bidoup National Park – Mount Ba. Check out of your hotel and leave your luggage there. Move to Bidoup National Park, which is 50km from the city. As one of the largest conservation areas in Vietnam, Bidoup National Park – Mount Ba is attracting many adventurous travelers who seek the grandeur of the mountainous forests.
Since you only have one day for sightseeing, you should choose a short route like Thiên Thai Waterfall. If you have more time, you can opt for conquering Mount Ba or Lang Biang Peak for a 2-day 1-night adventure with more thrilling experiences.
Considered the dwelling place of the Water deities highly revered by the K’Ho people, the journey to conquer Thiên Thai Waterfall starts from the heart of the national park. After being introduced by local guides about the importance of environmental protection and the longstanding bond of the indigenous people here, you'll traverse the iconic three-leaf pine hills of the 'land of fog', the famous coffee plantations of the highlands, and the streams where the Da Nhim River originates.
Thiên Thai Waterfall, with its multiple tiers blending with the natural forest scenery, is truly magnificent for exploration and camping. Along the way, you can visit, buy salmon, or purchase beautiful fresh flowers as gifts or decorations for your family.
The dense evergreen forest is also one of the highlights of this tour, boasting a rich vegetation with various species of trees and climbers, including some large yew trees. The Red Pine, a highly valued medicinal plant, also appears here and can only be seen firsthand, easily touched in the Bidoup – Mount Ba area. Additionally, there are herbal species like rattan, centella, Dalat ginseng, golden eye grass,... with the indigenous knowledge of the locals that will help travelers recognize and understand more deeply.
This tour starts at 8:30 in the morning and ends around 3:00 in the afternoon, with a trekking distance of less than 4km, so you won't exert too much energy and is suitable for many types of tourists. Afterward, you return to the city, have a light meal, rest, and catch the night bus back to Saigon.
By Như Ý
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Reference: Mytour Travel Handbook
MytourSeptember 1, 2017
