Motorbike Tour: The Central Highlands in Vietnam

As I was travelling down Vietnam, I had made it to the city of Da Lat. Known for its beautiful views, the mounter coaster, canyoneering, and some interesting architecture. While staying at Tigon Hostel, my friend and I signed up for a one day motorbike tour around the countryside. The tour included a flower farm, coffee/tea plantation, rice wine making, the Elephant Waterfalls, Linh An Pagoda, and lunch at the K’Ho Village with a local family. As well as a real test of my amateur driving skills (sorry mum…)

We had an absolute blast zooming around the stunning countryside. So much so that we were very interested when an offer to do a 3-4 day tour came up. I’d never heard anything about the central highlands of Vietnam, and had never considered getting off the beaten path in this area. But that sounds the like the perfect formula for an adventure to me.

So we signed up! Myself, my friend Natalie who I had met in Laos a month prior, and three others who joined the trip. We really didn’t know much about the stops, the accomodation along the way, or how the roads would be. But that’s what made it all the more exciting.

Day 1 included a tour of a mushroom farm, trying fresh dragonfruit picked straight from the plant, picking peppercorns from the trees, and a dip in a lake. The first nights accomodation was probably the most stunning lake view I’ve ever seen. Immediately I knew I was going to wake up for sunset (which I really never do), and it did not disappoint. Every night we had a big shared dinner, in classic Vietnamese style. I particularly loved how veggie friendly all the meals were; they even made sure the chopsticks didn’t get mixed up in meat and veg.

Day 2 started at sunrise, followed by breakfast at a local families home. Our guides then walked us around the village, explaining the structure of all the homes that people had all built themselves. This area in particular were struggling quite a bit financially, and it also creates mixed feelings being shown their homes. I was very conscious of being respectful and thankful for being invited in. A highlight of the trip was at this village; two little boys were playing with a soccer ball, and invited us to join in for a while. It always brings me joy to see kids find such joy in the simplest of things. Eventually our guides pulled us away to get back on the road. We wandered through rice fields, swam in a beautiful waterfall, had lunch at a very local market cooked by the amazing women of the village, and had a hot chocolate at sunset at our next accomodation. Once again realised I was going to get up for sunset, this time for the valley view our cabins looked over.

Day 3 we left quite early in an attempt to get to Nha Trang before dark (spoiler alert: that did not happen). We stopped at a pineapple farm and drank fresh juice, visited a local factory making bricks from scratch, another stunning waterfall dip, played jump rope with rubber straight from the tree, and had a dark, windy drive at peak hour traffic to finish our tour in Nha Trang. We arrived incredibly dirty and smelly, ready for a shower and a good feed.

I would really recommend a tour around the central highlands of Vietnam. I’m sure there are many other areas of Vietnam, or other parts of South East Asia, that would bring similar opportunities and experiences. Eating at villages, speaking to local farmers, the beautiful landscapes and views, and a great opportunity to bond with other travellers.