Waterfalls south of Dalat: Datanla, Elephant Falls and Pongour

A day chasing water through the highlands, from a forest cascade with a mountain coaster to a broad, seven-step fall that pours over black rock like a curtain.

Area

Dalat & highlands

Start from

Dalat

Distance

about 50 km to Pongour; Datanla is 5 km

Time needed

1 day

Best season

June – November for full falls; December – April for easier paths

Difficulty

Moderate

Transport

Car or motorbike

Tickets & rules

Entry tickets at each waterfall

Why go

The hills around Dalat are full of waterfalls, and a day spent driving between three of them shows off the variety of the plateau. Datanla, just outside town, drops through pine forest; you can walk down to it or ride an alpine coaster that rattles down the slope.

Further south-west, Elephant Falls tumbles over huge dark boulders into a misty pool. It’s wild and loud, with steep, slippery steps down to the base, and next to it the Linh An pagoda holds a giant laughing Buddha that looks out over the valley.

The finale, Pongour, is the most beautiful. The river spreads across a wide series of rock shelves and drops in seven broad steps, making a vast curtain of falling water. In the rainy season it thunders; in the dry season it becomes a series of gentle pools.

The story

Datanla’s name is often said to come from the local Lat language, meaning ‘water under the leaves’. Legend has it that a band of fairies once bathed in the pool beneath the falls, hidden by the foliage.

Elephant Falls is said to take its name from the elephant herds that once roamed these hills, and from the shape of the rocks around it.

Pongour is the subject of a local legend about a woman chieftain, Ka Nai, who tamed wild animals to help her people; when she died, the animals mourned and the waterfall formed in her memory. The steps of the falls are said to be the seats of her animals. Pongour has a traditional festival in early spring, when people come to the falls to celebrate.

These falls are fed by the rivers that drain the plateau, and their volume changes dramatically with the season: in the dry months parts of the riverbed are exposed and easy to walk, while in the wet months it’s a rush of brown water.

Getting there

Datanla is just off the Prenn pass road, about 5 km south of Dalat. Elephant Falls is near Nam Ban, about 25 km south-west. Pongour is about 45–50 km from Dalat, off the highway near Duc Trong.

A car with driver makes the loop easy; riders can do it by motorbike.

A suggested plan

1. 8:00Datanla: walk or take the coaster down to the falls.
2. 10:00Drive to Elephant Falls and the Linh An pagoda.
3. 12:00Lunch at a roadside place near Nam Ban.
4. 2:00 pmPongour: walk across the rock shelves and swim if it’s calm.
5. 5:00Drive back to Dalat.

Where to stay

Dalat is the base for this day; the falls are an easy loop.

Good to know

• Wear shoes with good grip; the rocks are slippery.
• Bring a towel if you plan to swim at Pongour in the dry season.
• The coaster at Datanla is fun, but check the queue.
• Combine with a coffee farm or silk factory near Nam Ban.