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Riding Elephant at Lak Lake
Country: Vietnam
Province: Dak Lak
District: Buon Ma Thuot

Buon Ma Thuot Holiday Weather today


Date/time of update: March 19, 2024, 2:07 am, Timezone: GMT+7
Few Clouds

Temperature: 28.23°C
Temperature feels like: 27.8°C
Minimum Temperature: 28.23°C
Maximum Temperature: 28.23°C
Atmospheric pressure: 1015hPa
Humidity:39%
Visibility: 10000m
Wind speed: 2.84m/sec
Wind Direction: 100 degrees
Cloudiness: 21%
Sunrise: 2024-03-18 10:52:36
Sunset: 2024-03-19 10:58:31

Buon Ma Thuot or Ban Me Thuat is located deep in the Central Highlands, about 360 km from Sai Gon. Buon Ma Thuot is the capital city of Dak Lak Province of Vietnam and the "capital city of the Vietnamese coffee". Buon Ma Thuot by far is relatively off-the-tourist track. But the area is certainly worth the trip.

Overview

Buon Ma Thuot offers the travelers fresh nature beauty characterized by temperate climate, waterfalls, rivers, lakes and national parks. Buon Ma Thuot is home the a some 44 ethnic minorities of which the century-old traditions are well kept. Traveling in this area the visitor should not miss a memorable night sharing the traditional dance with a local ethnic group by the fire.

Buon Ma Thuot City
The center of Buon Ma Thuot City

You can have a trekking trip through the ethnic villages which are surrounded by peaceful and fresh nature. You can also visit Ban Don Village where wild elephants are still being domesticated and enjoy an adventure with an elephant ride through the green forest.

Buon Ma Thuot is where you can find the best coffee in Vietnam. You may want to enhance your experience of this coffee town with some peaceful moments at a local garden cafe.

Buon Ma Thuot Travel Guide, Tourist Attractions around Buon Ma Thuot

1/ Ban Don

The village is 45 km north-west of Buon Ma Thuot straddling the Serepok River, Don Village for long has been famous for domesticating wild elephants. Visiting Ban Don you'll learn a lot about their century-old tradition of taming wild elephants and legends of the elephant-training King. Adventurous enough, you can get a dug-out canoe and drift along the Serepok River to visit the 7-branched waterfalls. There's also an option of riding elephant through the wild of Yok Don National Park.

2/ Tur Village

This is an Ede Village, located 13 km from Buon Ma Thuot. The village still preserves many of the Ede century-old customs.

3/ Ako Dhong Village

The village is 2km north of Buon Ma Thuot City, home to a number of ethnic groups including: Mnong, Ede...The village is the richest one in the region.

4/ Lak Lake

The lake is 56km south-east of Buon Ma Thuot City, on the way from Buon Ma Thuot to Da Lat. The lake covers an area of 500ha with elevation of 500m.

Elephant at Lak Lake Buon Ma Thuot
Elephant ride at the Lak Lake

5/ Jun Village

This is home to the M'nong Rlam People who live in long houses. The village is located by the Lak Lake, actually it's like a peninsula in the lake. The travellers to the village have the options of riding elephant, rowing in dug-out boats and staying with a local family overnight.

A long house at Jun Village
A long house at Jun Village (Buon Jun) of the M'nong People

6/ M'Lieng Village

This is another village of the M'Nong People. Nestled in the shadows of the mountains and decorated with the Lak Lake and Kron Ana River, M'Lieng still preserves most of its untouched traditions and customs. M'Lieng can only be reached by a dug-out boat trip or an elephant ride from Jun Village.

7/ Dray Sap Waterfall

The waterfall is 27 km south of Buon Ma Thuot. The name of the waterfall means “Waterfall of Mist” which is just how the fall looks like when you face it. The waterfall can be heard from far away.

8/ Dray Nur Waterfall

The waterfall is close to Dray Sap Waterfall. Dray Nur is of 250m in length and 30m in height. The waterfall is created by the water of Krong Ana and Krong No Rivers. There's a cave underneath the waterfall that brings exotic experience to the adventure travellers.

9/ Gia Long Waterfall

The waterfall is 7km from Dray Sap & Dray Nur. Gia Long Waterfall also offers stunning beauty of nature.

Dray Sap Waterfall
Dray Sap Waterfall

Things to do and Tours at Buon Me Thuot

By far, Buon Ma Thuot is well off the tourist track; those making trips to Buon Ma Thuot are mostly adventurous travelers. Around Buon Ma Thuot, the traveler can have a day trekking in Yok Don National Park, a day to explore the stunning waterfalls and another day by the serene Lak Lake. Whitewater rafting is also possible if planned carefully.

Paradissa has got a number of discovery adventure tours for you to discover the secrets of the Central Highlands and Buon Ma Thuot which include waterfall visits, learning about the domestication of wild elephants, learning about the ethnic cultures, about different types of local coffee. For cycling enthusiasts, Paradissa can tailor a bike tour at Buon Ma Thuot or which can also include major attractions in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Please contact us for further details.

Accommodations, Hotels at Buon Ma Thuot

There are many hotels in Buon Ma Thuot City ranging from standard to 4-star standards. Nowadays Buon Ma Thuot does offer a limited range of luxury travel services to the visitors. Given the cool temperature, the pristine natural settings and scenic nature and given that the city is off the tourist track, Buon Ma Thuot could also be a good choice for luxury romantic holidays.

For adventure travellers who wish to have close communion with locals on your vacation, you may like to stay at one of the ethnic villages and take part in some social activities and sharing of culture with the villagers.

Getting there and away

By air: There are daily direct flights between Ho Chi Minh City – Buon Ma Thuot, Da Nang – Buon Ma Thuot, and Hanoi – Buon Ma Thuot. The direct flight time is about 1 hour.

By road: Buon Ma Thuot is 190 km from Nha Trang, 210 km northwest of Da Lat, 197 km from Pleiku, 350km from Ho Chi Minh City and 230km southwest of Quy Nhon.

Buon Ma Thuot Average Monthly Rainfall and Temperatures


Vietnam Travel Guide