Extreme Canyoning In Dalat

After spending time at the beach in Mui Ne and exploring Ta Cu mountain, it was time to move on and the next stop was the mountain town of Dalat. It is inland from the beach and is about a 5 hour bus ride from Mui Ne.

As with most places that I visit, I learn about popular things to do by asking fellow travelers and online resources such as trip advisor and general google searches.

The first day in Dalat, I visited local Pagodas, a lake, and the crazy house. I met another traveler at the crazy house whom had done a canyoneering trip in Dalat and raved about it. It became quite clear that I would have to add that to the list of things to do in Dalat.

Choosing The Best Canyoning Tour Company

Choosing The Best Canyoning Tour Company

After talking to several travelers and looking at online resources, canyoning in Dalat sounded very popular. It sounded very intriguing to me and my girlfriend and we wanted to sign up. We proceeded by price checking with travel agents and contacting different companies.

Most of the companies offer the same experience on the same section of river/canyon. The general services provided include, hotel pick-up and drop-off, guides, safety equipment, lunch, and photos posted to facebook. The cost between companies range from $20-$30 USD per person.

We ended up booking with Highland Holiday Tours because of their solid trip advisor ratings, low instructor to student ratio (6-1), and cheapest price. I am really glad that we went with them as they were great!

Canyoneering Tour Schedule

The day started early with the tour bus picking us up at our hotel at 8am. We continued to pick-up other travelers that had signed up for the day. In total we had 12 people in our group with two instructors.

After having a full bus, we drove to the canyon which is several miles outside of town. The main highway to Dalat goes along the river/canyon that we were going to descend into. After getting dropped off, we got equipped with a helmet, climbing harness, and PFD.

We had to hike down a steep trail to our first stop which was a short section of trail to practice abseiling also known as rappelling. This is where you are connected to two ropes, one rope that you have control of and the other that the instructor has control of. Therefore, it is redundant, and if you let go of your rope, the instructor still has you so you do not fall.

Basically, the first section is an opportunity to gain confidence in your abseiling ability and allows the instructor to observe you before you are going over waterfalls.

Next, you hike a little further to the next abseiling station and repel roughly 6meters or 18ft. Following, you have to get wet by wading across a section of river that is about waist height depending on your height, of course.

The rest of the day is a combination of abseiling, river crossings, cliff jumping, rock sliding, hiking, and swimming. There are two more noteworthy repels which include a 25meter waterfall with a 14meter jump and a 16meter repel into the, “Washing Machine.”

“The Washing Machine!”

The last repel made me feel the least comfortable as you descend into a tight space with a lot of water falling on you and then you have to swim a short distance to some rocks and get out.

You finish by doing a 30 minute hike back to the main road and the van takes you back to your accommodation. Overall, it was a fantastic day trip and a highlight of my trip in Vietnam. I would highly recommend doing a canyoning trip in Dalat with Highland Holiday Tours.

Group Shot With Highland Holiday Tours