That underrated Dalat, Vietnam

I never really planned on going to Dalat, except only that one of the waterfalls I found through Google Maps was very close to it. At the same time, it does not really seem to be a top destination for Vietnam from the travel guides and reviews.

I arrived in Dalat from a night bus from Ho Chi Minh city, and it was around 6am when we arrived in town. The check in time is at 12noon, so we had the morning to explore the nearby places. 

We first walked around the lake, and my travel bud recalls reading about a flower garden around the lake. We walked further and spotted a number of tourist buses parked at some entrance very early in that morning. It was a flower garden indeed, and the place seems to be a favorite destination for local
tourists.

After the flower garden, we felt a little tired, and so walked back to the guesthouse to take a nap.

As we were so tired, we didn't wake up until it was evening. We settled on dinner at the nearby vegetarian restaurant, and a beer around the night market.

The following morning, we set to go to pongour waterfalls. It was a heck because of the bike tires to get to the waterfall, but its abundance was just too much too bother about its distance from city center and what it took to get there.

On the way back to city, thought about checking out the silk factory but was too late in the afternooon that the factory is closing, so decided to get back the following day.

Then, before heading back to town, we thought of checking out the cable cart. Unfortunately, it was too late as well to get a ride; So, instead of riding the carts, we drove to the other end, where we are looking to see the monastery.

Then again, the monastery was also closed. We drove around the hill, and at the back was a tranquil lake. We saw a restaurant with stilt setup, so we had some coffee and beer for a while.

The following day, we hit back the same dirt road to see the silk factory.

Then, there was a coffee shop that had a lake view, and asked my travel pals if we can stop in there even for just 15mins; But with the view, and it's relaxing seating, We ended up sitting for while, perhaps almost an hour.

After Me Linh Coffee Garden, we rushed back to the city to check out the Crazy House.

The following day, I left Dalat and moved to Nha Trang. 

I went to Da Lat, more out of curiousity on what is around, and it seems, this place is poorly reviewed, and probably because, as it seems, not much of the visitors to this place make the effort to see Pongour Waterfalls. More than the flower garden and the city itself, i think Da Lat is best with this waterfall, and the view along the way.

There were some waterfalls too near the town, but they are nowhere close to the beauty that's there in Pongour.

Admission Fees for Flower Garden is 20,000 Dong; Pongour Waterfalls is 10,000 plus 5,000 parking; Silk Factory is 10,000 (no parking charge).


This post is part of the #limbonisASIA trip. See link for more stories, detailed expenses and itinerary