Buon Ma Thuot
Attractions and distractions
Attractions and distractions
Vast, tranquil and fringed by rolling hills, Lak Lake is the Central Highland’s largest natural freshwater lake. It is home to the Mnong, a tribe that relies on the lake for their livelihood and they can be seen fishing in traditional dugout canoes. Fifty-two kilometres south of Buon Ma Thuot, on the road to Da Lat, Lak Lake is a fantastic daytrip but the peaceful atmosphere and homestay ... Read more about Lak Lake .
Fed by the Srepock River, a major tributary of the Mekong River that flows from the Central Highlands into northeastern Cambodia, Dray Nur and Dray Sap waterfalls are worth the trip out from Buon Ma Thuot. As the bird flies, Dray Nur and Dray Sap waterfalls are almost side by side but because of a broken bridge unlikely to be repaired any time soon, you have to travel 23 kilometres nearly full ... Read more about Dray Nur and Dray Sap .
Vietnam’s biggest and most biodiverse protected area, Yok Don National Park encompasses 115,000 hectares of dry deciduous dipterocarp forest, a resilient type of wet rainforest trees that can grow to exceptional sizes and is coveted for timber. Declared a national park in 1992, Yok Don is home to more than to 858 species of trees, 200 bird species, many reptiles, insects and 93 types of animal ... Read more about Yok Don National Park .
The entrance to Yok Don National Park and tourist village of Ban Don is located 40 kilometres northwest of Buon Ma Thuot city in Buon Don district. While the majority of visitors are funnelled to the tourist trap Buon Don Tourist Centre, close by there are other ethnic villages and a cemetery worth taking a look at, as well as activities offered through the national park ... Read more about Ban Don .
Located within the same leafy grounds as Bao Dai Villa, the Ethnographic Museum is a great resource for those visiting Buon Ma Thuot and the Central Highlands. If you are travelling the Central Highlands independently, an hour or two in the museum is an essential primer about the region and it will give you insight to what you will most likely see in the villages. The museum also preserves ... Read more about Ethnographic Museum .
If you’ve ever dug into Vietnamese spring rolls, banh trang nuong or popular nem finger food-style dishes, then you’ll be familiar with banh trang, the rice paper that holds all the delicious ingredients. Ever wonder how it’s made? Five kilometres southwest of Buon Ma Thuot, one village still makes rice paper the old way by hand and it’s possible to visit and watch. Head out of the ... Read more about Rice paper village .
Sent every Monday, our newsletter is full of travel advice, news & special deals. Read past issues.