CENTRAL HIGHLANDS © LonelyPlanetPublications 316 immersion inalife farfromthemaddingcrowd. respite foraweekend’s perfect from theheat,rest ofthehighlandsforaweek-long War, thenbyslash-and-burnagriculture, nowbyexpandingfarmsand dams. landscape, it’sbeautifulbutinsomeplacesmarred –firstbyAgent OrangeintheAmerican instancesofill-treatmentgroups continuetoreport ofethnicminorities. As forthenatural crimination againstMontagnards. Whilethingsseemquietnow,international human-rights tothegovernment’shighlands, objecting resettlement andlandpoliciesallegeddis- if you’re roving aboutonyourown. in thevicinityare simple,rusticaffairs. Mostdon’trate asmust-sees, justpleasantpitstops track youtravel, themore unspoiledanexistence thenaturalattractions you’llfind.Likewise are stillquite ararity. andwindingroads,exceptattheformerFrenchwaterfalls hillstationofDalat,foreigners fers anintriguingrefuge fortravellers. There’s aruggedcharmtoitsvillagesandvalleys, undulating landscapethatoncesheltered Trailnowof- VCsoldiersdowntheHoChiMinh The beautyofthecentralhighlandsisthatthere’s plentyofspacetodisappear into. The Highlands Central „ Despite itsfraughthistory,thecentralhighlandsare safe andeasytotravel. Dalatis In 2001and2004protests ofthe erupted inBuonMaThuot, Pleikuandotherparts offthebeatenMost peoplecomehere tovisitMontagnard(hill-tribe)villages;thefurther

„ „ „ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS ELEVATION: 200–2598M Getfoggy as youapproachthethundering rate withanadventure Challengeyour heart andhitthetwists Hoponamotorbike Enjoythefresh airand French flairof Learn abouttheMontagnardwayoflife inthe Dray SapandNurFalls trip inthehills turns ofthe ( opposite ), ’s mountainresort villages around Ho ChiMinhTrail around Dalat ( p339) (p320) (p333) (p334) Dalat „ BESTTIME TOVISIT: NOV–MAR Dray NurFalls Dray Sap& Ho ChiMinhTrail Kon Tum Dalat CENTRAL HIGHLANDS 317 063 / pop 189,523 / elev 1475m But don’t let the Disneyfied feel stop you stop you But don’t let the Disneyfied feel Dalat is a big draw for domestic tourists – The French came first, fleeing the heat of fleeing the heat of came first, The French By road you can access Dalat via Hwy 20 can access Dalat via Hwy By road you it’s Le Petit Paris, the honeymoon capital and Paris, it’s Le Petit temperatures Spring (daily Eternal the City of between 15°C and 24°C) all rolled into hover to come in summer, while the They tend one. best is the dry season (December to March) swanning around in berets. The Vietnamese swanning around in berets. to, shall we little touches adding couldn’t resist say, enhance Dalat’s natural beauty. Whether the radio tower, it’s the Eiffel Tower–shaped or the zealously colour- carriages horse-drawn Love, of ful heart-shaped cut-outs at the Valley seri- romance very this is a town that takes kitsch. of ously – yea, unto the full extent scenery and pretty from enjoying the very town. This used to be hunt- charming utterly too, described in the 1950s as ing territory ‘abounding in deer, roe, peacocks, pheasants, wild boar, black bear, wild caws, panthers, and elephants’. Unfortunately gaurs tigers, so efficient that only taxi- were hunters in the local dermied specimens remain, museum. DALAT DALAT % call Dalat Bizarro Vietnam – it’s You could tropical hot, the of cool instead spring-like with elegant French-colonial town is dotted squat socialist architecture, of villas instead with strawber- thick and the farms around are a highland resort As not rice. ries and flowers, it’s been welcoming tourists for a century, and it has all the attractions – natural and tricked- it. prove out – to Saigon. They left behind not only their holiday a European town homes but also the vibe of for predilection artists’ and the local bohemian Getting There & Away Away There & Getting Ma Dalat, Buon airports at has The region flights from Pleiku; all have Thuot and no are There and Danang. HCMC, this region. trains servicing Rang. Phan or Hwy 14 is the from HCMC passing through route, main north–south Tum. Pleiku Thuot, Pleiku and Kon Buon Ma to the coast by Hwy 19, which is connected Similarly, Buon hits Hwy 1A near Quy Nhon. from Ninh Hoa, just reached Thuot can be Ma are There , by Hwy 26. north of buses on all these but only frequent routes, buses.open-tour Dalat is served by Dan Nhim Lake Nhon NINH (65km) To Quy THUAN Pagoda Ngoan (110km) 26 19 Linh Phuoc Muc Pass NGAI Tiger QUANG Falls Bong Krong Trai Mat To Nha Trang BINH A Yun Pa Lat THUAN Dalat Gougah Falls Mountain 7 Lang Bian Falls Tra Bong Son Ha Ankroët Krong Pach Falls

Ban

Nam Ana Lien Son Yang Lak Lake Mang 27 Duc Trong Lang Dinh An Pongour 14 GIA LAI Airport Tra My (Chicken Village) Chu Se Kon Plong Lak Ako Tur

Krong No Dhong

Krong Buk Krong 00 50 km 30 miles Ea H'Leo Lien Khuong Lake Di Linh Pleiku Sea Lake Dong Tam Bo Bla Kon Tum Tuyen Lam Waterfall KON TUM A Na Krong 14 Thuot CENTRAL HIGHLANDS •• Dalat 19 Buon Ma National Park Entrance DAC LAC Tan Canh Dak To Dambri Falls

Danang (100km) River Falls To Hoi An (70km); Yaly QUANG NAM Falls Bao Loc Gia Long 20 Ban Don Dak Glei LAM DONG Dak Nong 14 Park

Dray Sap & M o u n t a i n s n i a t n u o M Mil Dak 14

Sa Thay Son Dray Nur Falls

National Yok Don Da T r u o n g S o n o S g n o u r T Duc Co City (140km) To Ho Chi Minh Phuoc To Banlung (64km) Ya Liao Chu Pah National Huoai Park Serepok Cat Tien Bo Y Le Thanh Cat Tien Da Teh

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS CENTRAL To Attapeu (119km); Pakse (309km) To LAOS (220km) lonelyplanet.com