The Lak Lake, Dak Lak

Buon Ma Thuot Holiday Weather today


Date/time of update: March 19, 2024, 5:27 am, Timezone: GMT+7
Few Clouds

Temperature: 34.77°C
Temperature feels like: 32.91°C
Minimum Temperature: 34.77°C
Maximum Temperature: 34.77°C
Atmospheric pressure: 1012hPa
Humidity:21%
Visibility: 10000m
Wind speed: 4.61m/sec
Wind Direction: 68 degrees
Cloudiness: 14%
Sunrise: 2024-03-18 10:52:36
Sunset: 2024-03-19 10:58:31

Dak Lak is in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, 352km from Saigon and 200km from either Gia Lai Province or Da Lat City. The capital city of Dak Lak Province is Buon Ma Thuot.

What to expect from a trip to Dak Lak?

Dak Lak has picturesque natural landscapes, rich cultural traditions, and plenty of choices for outdoor activities as well as adventure activities. If you're an adventure traveler looking for great experiences, Dak Lak certainly has a lot to offer to you. There are a number of sublime waterfalls in the province that it's worthwhile to spend a few days hiking around, taking on white-water rafting adventures, or cycling through the breathtaking scenery.

Dray Nur Waterfall - Daklak Vietnam
Dray Nur Waterfall - Daklak Vietnam

Apart from scenic natural landscape, Dak Lak is well-known for its high quality coffee, black pepper and cashew nuts. Also, there are a number of ethnic groups inhabiting in the province including the Mnong, Ede, King...Visiting these communities, you can learn a lot about their traditional culture as well as learning more about the diversity of the Vietnamese culture. Dak Lak is famous for traditional villages specializing in taming elephants.

Dray Sap Waterfall - Daklak Vietnam
Dray Sap Waterfall

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit Dak Lak Province is from December to April when the weather is dry and comfortable for sightseeing and adventure activities. During the rainy season from May to November, the region experiences heavy rainfall, and the trails can become muddy and slippery. Taking nature tours or adventure tours to the national parks or nature reserves in Dak Lak is not advised during the rainy times.

Elephant Ride - Daklak Vietnam
Elephant Ride - Daklak Vietnam

Tourist Attractions, Things to do

1/ Explore the Yok Don National Park

This park is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, including elephants, bears, gibbons, and over 305 bird species. You can take a guided trekking tour to explore the national park and its wildlife, or taking part in an amazing bird watching tour to discover the avifauna of this amazing place.

You can combine a trip to Yok Don with a visit to the Don Village which specialized in domesticating elephants for centuries. Learning about the village traditional business as well as their current daily life offer quite some insights into their culture.

Daklak Vietnam
Dak Lak Vietnam

2/ Visit Lak Lake

Lak Lake is the largest natural lake in Dak Lak Province and is surrounded by picturesque scenery. You can go kayaking, canoeing on a piroque, fishing, or take a boat trip to explore the lake. There are several ethnic M’nong villages around the Lak Lake that you can also visit and learn about their life and culture. Staying overnight with a local ethnic family can be an option for adventure travelers.

Lak Lake in Daklak Vietnam
Lak Lake in Daklak Vietnam

3/ Experience the local cultures

Dak Lak Province is home to various ethnic minority communities, including the Ede, M'nong, and Jarai, Thai, Tay, Nung.... You can visit their villages to learn about their cultural traditions, dress, and local crafts.

4/ Trekking in the Chu Yang Sin National Park

The Chu Yang Sin National Park has the total area of nearly 60,000 hectares with several high mountain peaks ranging from 850m to 2442m above sea level. The name of the national park originates from the eponymous highest mountain peak. Unlike the Yok Don National Park, forests at the Chu Yang Sin National Park are tropical forest and rain forest which are evergreen all year round.

Chu Yang Sin National Park is known for its stunning landscapes and offers excellent trekking opportunities. You can take a guided trek to explore the national park untouched natural beauty.

5/ Ride an Elephant

As of 2023, riding elephants is not an option in Dak Lak Province. Once the province was the only place in Vietnam when visitors could have elephant riding tours. As the elephant number in the province shrink critically, the provincial authority of Dak Lak as well as responsible local communities decided to stop elephant riding trips in the province. This was a very responsible decision. AdventureGreen hope travelers to Dak Lak contribute to the protection of the elephants as well as the wildlife.

6/ Coffee Tour

Dak Lak Province is the coffee capital of Vietnam, and you can take a coffee tour to learn about the local coffee culture, taste different varieties of coffee, and visit coffee plantations. AdventureGreen offers half a day or full day tours to learn about the coffee business as well as to taste the amazing coffee in the province.

Where to Stay, Accommodation

Dak Lak Province has various accommodation options ranging from basic homestays, budget hotels to luxury hotels. If you're an adventure traveler, you can choose to stay in a homestay at the villages, or camp in the national parks or nature reserves. Alternatively, you can choose to stay in comfortable hotel or resort which can easily be found in Buon Ma Thuot or around the Lak Lake.

How to get there

Dak Lak Province is located about 352 kilometers northeast of Ho Chi Minh City, 200km northwest of Nha Trang. You can get to Dak Lak Province by plane or bus.

The nearest airport is Buon Ma Thuot Airport, which is served by Vietnam Airlines and other domestic airlines. There are daily flights between Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City/ Da Nang – Buon Ma Thuot. It takes 15 minutes to travel from Buon Ma Thuot Airport to Buon Ma Thuot City.

Alternatively, you can take a bus from Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Da Nang or Hanoi.


Buon Ma Thuot Average Monthly Rainfalls and Temperatures


Vietnam Adventure Travel