Đắk Lắk, a beautiful province located in the Central Highlands, welcomes tourists with its rich landscapes and natural resources that make it a bucket-list destination for any nature lover. The province charms visitors with its vast forests, poetic waterfalls, tranquil lakes and secluded coffee and cacao farms. The peacefulness of the mountainous locality impressed me when I first set foot here after a 1.5-hour flight from Hà Nội. The tree-lined streets of Đắk Lắk’s capital Buôn Ma Thuột, and the fresh air amazed me, a city-dweller.
Buôn Ma Thuột is among cities with the highest rate of tree coverage in Việt Nam. Taking a walk around the city, visitors encounter leafy parks or forests that provide shade for the whole city all year round, like the luxuriant forest growing on both sides of Nguyễn Lương Bằng Street connecting the city centre to Buôn Ma Thuột Airport, or Ea Kao Forest Park around Ea Kao Lake.
Planning tip: The best time to visit is from September to the end of December, when the region is in full swing for the harvest season.
Land of waterfalls
Land of waterfalls Known as the 'Coffee Capital' of Việt Nam, Đắk Lắk also takes pride in its numerous picturesque waterfalls, many of which have been recognised as national scenic spots. Dray Nur is the Central Highlands' most magical waterfalls. It is located in Krông Ana, about 25km from Buôn Ma Thuột. The beautiful waterfalls, which is 250m long and 30m high, have become a symbol of the wild beauty of the highlands.
Yang Tao Elephant Rocks
A must-see destination in Đắk Lắk is Yang Tao Elephant Rocks, about 40km from the centre of Buôn Ma Thuột.
This is a pair of giant monolithic rocks shaped like two elephants. The larger one is near the foot of a mountain called Đá voi mẹ (Mother Elephant Rock); and the smaller one called Đá voi cha (Father Elephant Rock), is about 5km away in the middle of a field. It took us about 15 minutes to reach the top of Mother Elephant Rock. The climb is not too tough, but climbers have to get over some gentle slopes. Standing on its summit, we took in a panoramic view of the surrounding majestic nature such as Yang Reh Lake and Chu Yang Sin Forest, the roof of the Central Highlands.
Lắk Lake
Driving along Highway 27 about 55km from central Buôn Ma Thuột, we reached Lắk Lake on what was a beautiful sunny day. It is the largest freshwater lake in the Central Highlands, covering an area of over 6 square kilometres at an altitude of over 500 metres above sea level. It is also the second-largest natural freshwater lake in Việt Nam, after Ba Bể Lake in the northern province of Bắc Kạn. The lake is surrounded by large mountains with primeval forests and vast wet rice fields interspersed with the villages of the M'nông ethnic people who have lived there for generations and maintain the beauty of the land.
Cacao farm
Lurking on bustling Y Ngông Street in downtown Buôn Ma Thuột City is surprisingly a large cacao farm, owned by Phạm Hồng Đức Phước, a cacao expert. Cacao is grown in three regions in the country: the Central Highlands, the Mekong Delta, and the southeastern region, but Đắk Lắk is said to have the most ideal soil and weather conditions for it. The province has the largest area of cacao trees in the region. At the farm, we had the chance to try our hands at picking cacao fruit at the farm and look into the process of producing cocoa powder.
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