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THE COFFEE CULTURE
My third day in Buon
Ma Thuot was memorable
thanks to a journey to the
beautiful - Dray Srap wa-
terfall in Dak Min, Krong
No district, 30km from
Buon Ma Thuot City. The
name Dray Sap is actually
used to refer to a system of
three waterfalls; the other
two are called Dray Nur
and Gia Long. Dray Nur
can be found just across
a long wooden bridge,
100m from Dray Sap. The Gia Long Falls
are a further 3km away.
The beautiful waterfalls can be
reached only by walking over rough,
uneven ground, but it is worth the ef-
fort.This is a very scenic spot that is
popular with local people for wedding
shots. The water that flows over the
three falls is supplied by two rivers:
the Krong No, which means river of
the husband in the M’Nong ethnic lan-
guage, and the Krong A, the river of
the wife.
There are usually legendary stories
associated with famous landscapes in
Vietnam and Dray Srap is no exception,
with its tragic love story of a beautiful
E De couple.
The area has been set out for local
tourists, with a small restaurant, walk-
ways, and benches. There is a short walk
around the base of the waterfall and
to the one behind it. There are also el-
ephant and horse rides on offer.
On the last day I headed to Lak
Lake, 56km south of Buon Ma Thuot, in
Lien Son town, Lak district. This is one
of the largest natural freshwater lakes in
Vietnam; an immense body of water, it
is hemmed in by mountains. It is home
to many kinds of wading birds, rare
and beautiful fauna and flora. Besides
exploring the natural beauty, riding an
elephant around villages, rowing a dug-
out canoe and watching the locals fish,
there are many more wonderful activi-
ties here.
At the end of my trip, I bought
some packs of ground coffee to make
sure I can keep the memories of my
trip alive with the unique aroma and
flavours of Buon Ma Thuot
TO GET THERE:
Dak Lak is 183km from Nha
Trang (by National Highway No.
26), 180km from Pleiku (by Na-
tional Highway No. 14), 352km
from Ho Chi Minh City (by Nation-
al Highway No. 14), 200km from
Dalat (by National Highway No.
27), and 1,390km from Hanoi.
There are daily flights by Viet-
nam Airlines and VietJetAir from
Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh
City. Buses from Nha Trang take
about 3 hours 30 minutes