Solo travel isn’t easy. In fact, solo travel can be really hard. Some say that experience goes with recklessness, tho. When it comes to the time of choosing between solo travel and sitting at home, “youth” will live life to the fullest because “not all those who wander are lost”.
08:00AM
Buon Me Thuoc Airport
It’s about 45 minutes taking flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Buon Me Thuot City. The main transportation in Buon Me Thuot is taxi. I have to say that it’s a great experience being on the taxi without air conditioner yet with the opened windows, you could get some fresh air from the outside.
9:30AM
Buon Me Thuot City Center
An hour after check-in, my stomach started growling, so I decided to walk around finding something for breakfast, I left the hotel and didn’t forget taking a bottle of water and the travel itinerary.
I was so excited yet nervous. Having a well-prepared itinerary didn’t make me feel more confident, however, I’d kindly advise you do not hesitate to ask the local people for more information, such as places to go or rental motorbike shop, ect. The local people are very friendly and always ready to help.
As a “real adventurer”, you might found the city has nothing very especial, hold on, because I am pretty sure that you can’t help but will immerse yourself in the nature and fall in love with the scent of wildness outside the city.
The 2nd day in Buon Don & Thac
I headed to Le Hong Phong street from the city and took the pink-bus to Buon Don. The one-way ticket fee was 25.000 VNĐ/person.
This cute bus went straight to the main entrance of the resort. Once the bus reached the entrance, the ticker collector noticed to the tourists, then I headed to the counter and bought an entry ticket.
I shall introduce you another transportation to Buon Don, those are: taxi and xe ôm (motorbike taxi).
- Buon Don entry fare: 50.000vnd/person
- Elephant riding fare: 300.000vnd/time
If anyone asks me what made Buon Don a special place, I would say the experience of walking on the bamboo bridges hanged over the streams flowing strongly and a must-thing to do at the last state is crossing the Serepok river by riding on elephants. This was I felt as everything in my body was turning up and down with every step of the elephants.
Ko Tam Resort
Ko Tam resort is about 8 km from Buon Ma Thuot City center, located right on the highway 26 Pham Van Dong, Tan Hoa ward, Buon Ma Thuot City. When visiting Ko Tam, you would be told about the Highlands culture that brings the diversity and many identities to the Vietnam Culture.
Especially, all the architectural works in this resort were built of bamboo and wood. This makes Ko Tam a greatly impressed and fancy.
Ea Kao Lake
Located about 12km toward the southeast from the city, the lake is in the territory of Ea Kao commune, formed by blocking Ea Knin and Ea Kao streams.
It was used for hydraulic engineering construction served for watering the rice crops and coffee plants. Interestingly, although the hydraulic engineering has been operating since 1983, the wildness of the lake stands still.
The lake does have a diverse lake ecosystem with many species of freshwater fish and shrimp under it and impressive mountain ranges and rich flora with the ancient forests around.
Dray Nur and Dray Sap Waterfall (also called Husband waterfall and Wife waterfall)
The waterfall is located about 25km away from Buon Ma Thuot city, following the National Road 14, and about 3km from Buon Kop (Buôn Kốp) hydroelectric. This is a spectacular waterfall that the Mother Nature has bestowed on Dak Lak.
Dray Nur means female waterfall. So, this waterfall also has a common name as Wife waterfall (Thác Vợ). Dray Nur is located next to Dray Sap (aka Husband Waterfall – Thác Chồng) and is just a piece of suspension bridge crossing Serepok River. Both are beautiful and majestic waterfalls.
Yok Don National Park
Yok Don National Park is located in 3 districts: Buon Don district, Ea Sup district (Dak Lak province) and Cu Jut district (Dak Nong province). Yok Don is one of the largest special-use forests in Vietnam. located on a relatively flat area with two small mountains in the south of the Serepok river. Yok Don is the only National Park in Vietnam that preserves this particular forest.
Tourists coming here will enjoy typical types of ecotourism such as elephant riding, walking, and mountain biking in primitive forests. Especially, at night, tourists could go to see wild animals. During the day, they could take a canoe to go down the romantic Serepok River, to visit villages of the indigenous people in Central Highlands, drinking Can (Cần) Wine, and enjoy the sound of legendary orchestra of gongs.
Chu Yang Sin National Park
Chu Yang Sin National Park is located in Lak and Krong Bong districts of Dak Lak province, 60 km toward the East of Buon Ma Thuot city. If you want to find an attractive ecotourism place, Chu Yang Sin would be the perfect choice. Cycling terrain, seeing the pine forest, learning about wild birds or sailing dugout canoes on the river and going picnic are interesting experiences that you can not miss when coming here.
Reference cost in 3 days for those who love discover forests and wild natural landscapes in Buon Me Thuot, Vietnam is about 150 $ /person.