Tay Nguyen Vietnam Travel Guide – A 4 day Tay Nguyen Vietnam roadtrip itinerary in 2023

A Tay Nguyen tour will take you to the majestic highland land full of sunshine and wind. This place not only owns a wild and spectacular natural environment of old forests, white waterfalls, but also attracts by the impressive national culture. Moreover, the Tay Nguyen is currently considered as one of the cheapest domestic tourist destinations, more economical than other major cities in Vietnam.

Tay Nguyen includes 5 provinces of Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong and Lam Dong. Traveling to the Tay Nguyen provinces, you not only visit beautiful landscapes but also experience the life of ethnic minorities such as Ba Na, Gia Rai, Ede, Co Ho, Ma, Xo Dang, Mo Farm… and enjoy the unique local dishes. In addition, the cool and temperate climate and friendly people here will hold visitors’ footsteps and look forward to coming back again.

Tay Nguyen Vietnam Travel Guide

How to get Tay Nguyen ?

From Hanoi, you can take a plane of Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air from Noi Bai airport to Pleiku airport, Buon Ma Thuot airport, Da Lat airport or you can take Minh Vuong, Nam Dung bus from the bus station Giap Bat to Duc Long Gia Lai or Buon Ma Thuot bus station, Da Lat bus station. In addition, you can also travel by personal vehicle.

From Ho Chi Minh City you can take a plane of Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Jetstar from Tan Son Nhat airport to Pleiku airport, Buon Ma Thuot airport, Da Lat airport or you can take Anh Khoa, Hung bus. Thinh, Mai Linh from Mien Dong bus station to Duc Long Gia Lai or Buon Ma Thuot bus station, Da Lat bus station.
To actively move in the province or move to other provinces of the Tay Nguyen, you can rent a motorbike.

The best time to visit Tay Nguyen ?

You should come to the Tay Nguyen in the period from November to April. In which, December and the end of February and the beginning of March are the most beautiful times in the Tay Nguyen. December is not only the season of wild sunflowers blooming on the roads of the Tay Nguyen, but also the time when coffee gardens in the harvest season, ripe red coffee fruit in a corner of the sky.

That wonderful sight, once seen, will never be forgotten. March and March is the time when the Tay Nguyenis described as “white coffee sky”, because this is the time when coffee flowers begin to bloom in the whole Tay Nguyen. Having to witness this pure beauty with your own eyes, you will see a Tay Nguyen that is completely different from your imagination.

Hotels – Where to stay  ?

You should rent a hotel in big cities like Buon Ma Thuot, Gia Lai, Kon Tum for convenient sightseeing.

Some hotels you can refer to are:

• Kon Tum: Indochine Hotel Kon Tum and Kon Tum Provincial Party Committee Guest House, Family Kon Tum Hotel, Binh Minh Hotel
• Buon Ma Thuot: Bach Ma Hotel, Eden Hotel, Cao Nguyen Hotel
• Pleiku, Gia Lai: Duc Long Hotel, Queen Hotel
• Da Lat: Mai Vang hotel, Nice Dream, Rum Vang, Le Petit Paris

In addition, you can stay at a homestay in cultural villages such as Kon K’lor cultural village, the price is about 40k VND/ person. If you go in a large group, contacting to stay in the village is the most fun.

And here is my 4 day Tay Nguyen Vietnam roadtrip itinerary

⏰ Schedule:

Because I want to explore all 4 provinces (Gia Lai, Kontum, Daklak, DangNong), I booked a plane ticket going to Pleiku airport (Gia Lai), returning from Buon Ma Thuot airport (Dak Lak).

🎈Day 1: Pleiku (Gia Lai) – Pleiku lake – Hundreds of years old pine – Tea lake 🌲

• Ticket price for Pleiku lake is 10k VND / 1 person, beautiful scenery with mountains, pine forests, green lake, if you get lost here, you don’t want to go out.
• Hundreds of years old pine, tea lake right next to each other, romantic road, watching the sunset is also very interesting.

🎈Day 2: Kon Tum – Wooden church – Bishop’s house – Rong house – Kon Klor suspension bridge.

The above attractions are all typical cultural and architectural features, free to visit, no need to buy tickets.

🎈Day 3: Dak Lak – Dak Nong – Coffee World Museum – Dray Nur Waterfall – Dray Sap Waterfall – Mother Elephant Rock 🍁

• Ticket price for the World Coffee Museum: 149K VND / 1 person is given a small cup of coffee. The architecture here is very beautiful and there are many places to take beautiful photos.
• Ticket price to visit Dray Nur waterfall is 30k VND / 1 person, Dray Sap waterfall I went through, I did not see the person selling tickets, so I did not have to buy. Dray Nur waterfall in Dak Lak province, Dray Sap waterfall in Dak Nong province, the two waterfalls are about 1km apart by walking through suspension bridge and forest trail.
• Mother Elephant Rock Mountain: You can watch the beautiful sunset, the ticket price is 10k VND / 1 person.

🎈Day 4: Sac Tu Khai Doan Pagoda

On the last day, I stayed at the hotel to rest until noon to go to the pagoda, have lunch and sit at a coffee shop until it was time to go to the airport.

🚖 Moving:

• I booked a 4-seater car with a driver to visit the tour destinations every day.
• Going out in the city I ordered Grab was available in both Pleiku and Buon Ma Thuot
• I booked a limousine from Rang Dong from Pleiku to Buon Ma Thuot

🏕 Accommodation

• In Pleiku, I stayed at Paksong Farmstay Gia Lai for 1 night. This homestay was recommended by my friend, it’s quite pretty, lots of trees, friendly staff. I ordered BBQ here and it was quite delicious.
• In Buon Ma Thuot, I stayed at Muong Thanh hotel for 2 nights, It is located in the center, spacious room, breakfast has many dishes.

🍧 Eating and drinking:

There are a few restaurants that I feel good about, such as:

• Chicken hot pot with é leaves: 111A Wuu, Pleiku.
• KAP Bistro: 46 Hung Vuong, Pleiku. Cozy classic European style dining restaurant.
• Beef dipped in tamarind Ca Te restaurant: 140 Le Thanh Tong, Buon Ma Thuot.
• Land fish hotpot at Northwest restaurant: 28 Hoang Minh Thao, BMT. The restaurant has a nice view, is spacious, the price is higher than the common ground, suitable for large groups, very diverse dishes.
• SOUL Roastery BMT: 87 Nguyen Khuyen, BMT.
• 420 Pub 20/2 Ngo Quyen, BMT. Light atmosphere, good music, reasonably priced drinks.

💰Total cost: About 6 million/1 person. (There are 3 people in my group)

Notes :

The climate in the Tay Nguyen is divided into two seasons: the rainy season from May to the end of October and the dry season from November to April, in which March and April are the two hottest and driest months.
Before entering the house of the ethnic people, you should ask about the customs of the owner, do not break into the wooden house because there are separate taboo customs of the local people.

🌹 My overall feeling is very satisfied with this trip. Thanks to the weather for supporting all 4 days out, it was sunny, pleasant weather, fresh air, friendly people. The food is quite suitable for me, the price is reasonable, the spending is quite cheap compared to other tourist destinations.

All photos by Huyen Thu Mai. You can follow her at : https://www.facebook.com/jetsherry.mai

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