A challenging waterfall awaits discovery

The waters cascade down rocks that look as though they have been deliberately placed at different levels. It looks like a scene out of a fairy tale.

The Seven-Storey Waterfall is deep inside the Pu Hoat Forest in the central province of Nghe An. It is a place favoured by adventurous tourists who like to take challenging routes to a destination.

To reach this place, tourists have to trek 10km with local guides, taking care not to slip and hurt themselves on slippery rocks.

Further down, visitors can walk in the stream, and try their hand at catching fish and crabs. In some parts the stream forms pools with clean water to bathe in.

One attractive feature of this waterfall is the possibility of sliding down rocks into the pool. A natural waterpark.

Nguyen Duc Trung, member of the management of the Pu Hoat Natural Reserve, said the Seven-Storey Waterfall is one of the most beautiful and spectacular ones that he has seen.

He said its location in the heart of the forest near the Viet Nam-Laos border made it a “sleeping beauty,” with not many people knowing about it.

“Only a few backpackers and adventurous travellers have discovered the site,” he said.

The most ideal time to visit the waterfall is between March and July, because the weather is sunny, with no rain or storms.

Visitors can stay overnight in neighbouring villages and visit Pu Hoat Natural Reserve the next day.

The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development established the Pu Hoat Nature Reserve in 2013 to protect the ecosystem, biodiversity, genetic resources, historical sites, cultural landscapes and forest environment in the province.

Covering a total area of more than 90,000 ha, it is home to 763 species of plants with more than 30 species listed in the Red Book of Viet Nam; as well as 176 species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.