Da Lat, Vietnam
Canyoning and cliff jumping in Da Lat
The lowdown
Da Lat is not as popular as many other destinations in Vietnam, but it was one of our favorite places we visited! Located in the Central Highlands and originally founded as a French colonial resort town, Da Lat is a naturally beautiful spot. It also has an awesome lineup of adventure activities to boot – no wonder it was one of our favorites. We had a blast canyoning (our first and definitely not our last time) and motorbiking through the countryside (also our first and definitely not our last time)
For our three nights in Da Lat, we stayed at the MayMay Apartments. Though our accommodation was conveniently located across the street from a delicious banh mi stand (we ate there three times), MayMay was a little bit overpriced for what it offered. It did have a laundry machine in the basement which was well-needed after our days of activity
Day 1: Canyoning and crushing Tigers
We love to do activities, especially when they involve any sort of adrenaline and/or new adventure. When we decided to spend a few days in Da Lat, we (Jessie) immediately knew that we would spend a day canyoning. Though it’s one of the pricier things we’ve done ($80 pp), it was more than worth every penny and has officially become one of our favorite activities.
We got picked up in a van where we were welcomed by one of our guides, Roy. We think he learned his English from British rap videos based on the way he pronounced words (notably “bruv”). We stopped to pick up the others joining us, who, much to our delight, were a fabulous American family of four traveling the world for a year! We became fast friends with Liz and Matt and their two awesome kids Hudson and Stella.
Our day of canyoning was full of new activities and adventure – rappelling down waterfalls, zip lining, cliff jumping, and even sliding down natural waterfalls. After suiting up into wetsuits, gloves, and borrowed shoes, we spent most of the day smiling and yelling “this is awesome” while excitedly participating in each activity and getting to know our new friends.
There were six main parts of the canyoning day:
- Waterfall and swim: Our first go at canyoning, this rappel down a waterfall was a great first taste of the day. We excitedly rappelled down a steep waterfall until we ended up in freezing cold water. We couldn’t see the finish from on top of the waterfall, so the swim was a surprise for us all! We spent a significant portion of our day in the water, so it was no big deal
- Waterfall and zipline: With newfound confidence and enthusiasm, we seamlessly rappelled down the next waterfall which was much higher than the first. At the end of the rappel, we let go of the rope and ziplined for a few seconds before hitting the water. It was awesome
- Natural waterslide (x2): We didn’t know that (safe) natural water slides really existed, but they certainly do. These slides were similar to a drop slide at a water park where the guide propelled us, we slid down the slide, and then dropped into the water. The ride down on the first one was a bit bumpy, but so fun! We did the next one in tandem – Doug went backwards and Jessie went forwards while “locked together” through our legs
- Waterfall and jump: For our next adventure, we rappelled down the steepest waterfall yet while getting weighty water splashed in our faces and then jumped from a few meters up into the water. Jessie didn’t fully understand the instructions, so was a little shocked when she jumped and the rope didn’t catch her, landing hard into the water below. It was still good fun!
- Cliff jump: 36-foot cliff jump? Hell yeah! It was Jessie’s first and Doug’s second cliff jump ever and it couldn’t have been more fun. So much so that we did it twice!
- The washing machine: “Are you ready for the washing machine?” Roy asked ominously. “YA!!!” We all yelled back in excitement. After the best day of adventure, our canyoning had come to an end with the washing machine as our finale. The washing machine was a steep rappel into a waterfall that sucked us in, doused us in water, dunked us under water, and spit us out after few seconds and many feet under water. It was a little shocking at first, but so fun that Jessie and her new best friend, Stella, opted to go for a second time
The last step in our adventure was a steep hike out of the jungle and back to the main road where our van was waiting to take us back to “base camp.” Back at base camp, we had an awesome DIY banh mi lunch with tons of fresh veggies and herbs, laughing cow cheese, and fresh baguettes. Just what we needed after a full day of activity! After the best day, we said goodbye to our friends and promised to keep in touch. We’re now on the prowl for canyoning around the world…
As if the day couldn’t get any more fun or eventful, we had an unexpectedly awesome evening. We debated skipping dinner (we were wiped), but decided to walk to a close-ish vegetarian restaurant only to find out it was closed for Tet (SMH Google). On the way, we passed a bunch of awesome looking spots, so we thought we’d just try one of those.
As we were looking at the menu for a place next door, a friendly-looking man tapped us, held up his beer, and motioned for us to sit down. We protested as he was sitting with what appeared to be eight of his family members, but he insisted! We ended up sitting, chatting, eating, and drinking (too much) with Son and his family for hours – easily one of our favorite evenings on our trip.
Son and his family were so kind and generous. They kept filling up our beers and served us the food they had ordered and brought with them (rice crackers, octopus cooked at the table, hedgehog, frogs, fried rice, fruits). Though none of them spoke English, we used Google Translate to chat about all things in life and really enjoyed each other’s company. Son’s family was his pride and joy and he welcomed us into it for the night, showing us true Vietnamese culture and hospitality.
Relying on Google Translate to communicate did lead to a few funny mix-ups – one in particular about the nature of the meat. When asking what was in the dish Son tried to serve us, we tried to say “Doug eats meat, Jessie doesn’t eat meat.” Son read the text and shook his head vehemently. “I assure you there is no dog meat in this”, he typed back frantically. We all had a laugh when we tried to restate, Doug, not dog!
After objectively too many “Mot, Hai, Ba, Dzos” (cheers in Vietnamese) and Tiger beers, we said our thank yous and farewells and walked back to our place with happy hearts. Most of the food had meat in it, so Jessie needed a little more sustenance. We happily stopped at our favorite banh mi stall just across the way from our spot. What a day!
Day 2: Motorbiking around the countryside
Ever since arriving in Asia, we were both dying to get on a motorbike. Thanks to the sound wisdom of Doug and a few friends we mentioned this desire to, we decided wait until we had a chance to ride in a more controlled setting (read: not anywhere in India or the busy streets of SE Asian cities). In Da Lat, our time to ride (on the backs of) motorbikes finally came!
Though we were a little sluggish from our previous evening, we enthusiastically met our EasyRider guides outside of our place and hopped on the backs of their bikes. Riding on their bikes was the best thing ever – neither of us could stop smiling during the ride through Da Lat. It was the most liberating, weightless feeling! And the wind also helped with our hangovers 🙂
We rode all around the Da Lat countryside, making stops at interesting places along the way. Our first stop was the Ha Than flower village. Here, Phan taught us about the history of Da Lat. The city was originally founded by a French colonialist in the 1890s as a resort village for Europeans in Indochina. The first and second world wars disrupted this plan, so Da Lat became a place that French colonialists in Vietnam would come to cool off and spend time in the highlands. After the Vietnam/American war, the Vietnamese government wanted to incentivize people to move from north to south (and bring northern communism with them). As such, the government encouraged many families to move to Da Lat and they brought their livelihoods with them – flowers included!
After learning about the history of Da Lat and exploring the colorful greenhouses with all sorts of flowers, we hopped back on our bikes and rode to Midori Coffee Farm. We learned about the origins of coffee, how coffee came to Vietnam (French colonialism), and Vietnam’s journey to becoming the second largest coffee exporter in the world. We took a walk around the premises, ordered a cup of moka butter coffee (moka beans roasted in butter…) straight from the source, and sat down to enjoy beautiful views of the valley and our freshly brewed coffee. The coffee gave us a much needed boost!
Our next stop was a cricket and rice wine farm. We learned about each step in the cricket farming process – a very sustainable and circular process on this tiny farm. After learning about crickets, it was time to try them. Many Vietnamese eat crickets as a cheap and nutritious form of protein – often over a beer. They tasted like fried chips with an aftertaste that was reminiscent of Quevos! The rice wine was a great way to wash them down.
We hopped back on the bikes feeling even bolder after the rice wine (not that it mattered, we weren’t driving). Next up was the Cuong Han Silk Factory where we learned about silk production (a nice refresh from our reading on Uzbekistan) and got to see a silk factory first-hand. Though we had read a lot about silk production, we had never seen the factory that takes it from silk cocoon to finished product. It was super neat to see and different from any of the handicrafts we’ve learned about during our trip.
Following the silk factory stop, we went to the Linh An pagoda (a beautiful spot to walk around) and then lunch. Lunch was surprisingly one of our favorite meals in Vietnam! We had bun chay, spring rolls, and grilled pork banh cuon – way too much food! Each dish was accompanied by fresh herbs and savory sauces. We chatted with Phan over lunch and enjoyed getting to know more about his background, love of motorbiking, and family. When (not if) we come back to Vietnam, we’ll definitely reach out to him for a long motorbike extravaganza.
After lunch, we made four more stops – Pongour waterfall (a massive waterfall that reminded us of Dynjandi in the Westfjords of Iceland), mushroom farms in a local village, Chicken Village, and Paradise Lake. Chicken Village was our favorite of the last few stops because of the story that came with it. We learned that it was home to one of Da Lat’s ethnic minority groups that is matriarchal (society is ruled by women). Back in the day, a young woman from a well-off family wanted to marry a boy from one of the poorest families in the village. Her family said they would agree to the marriage if the boy was able to find a chicken that the family placed in the nearby jungle. The boy went into the jungle in search of the chicken. When the boy hadn’t returned in a few days, the girl went after him. Neither of them was ever seen again and it was a real tragedy for the village. After that, the village decided that parents were not to intervene in their children’s marriages. To remember this lesson, they renamed the village to chicken village and erected a massive wooden chicken in the town’s center (later was replaced with a concrete chicken). Pretty unique story if you ask us!
We were wiped after the full day of motorbiking and the previous evening’s events, so we had a chill night back at our apartment. Now, we can’t help but smile whenever we think of or talk about Da Lat – we had the best time there!
