Central Highlands of Vietnam: coffee, elephants and waterfalls in 2026

The Central Highlands (Tây Nguyên) are the opposite of coastal Vietnam. No beaches, no resort bustle. People come here for the cool air, coffee, nature and the culture of the mountain peoples. The region rarely makes the standard guidebooks, though it sits three hours from Nha Trang and an hour's flight from Ho Chi Minh City.

Prices are current as of May 2026. Rate: ~25,000 VND = $1.

• World Coffee Museum (Bảo tàng Thế giới Cà phê): Museum of coffee culture — Entry 60,000 VND (~$2.40)
• Dray Sap Falls (Thác Đray Sáp): 100 m wide — Entry 80,000 VND (~$3.20)
• Dray Nur Falls (Thác Đray Nur): 250 m wide — Largest falls in the region
• Yok Don National Park (Vườn quốc gia Yok Đôn): 115,500 ha, wild elephants — Elephant-friendly tours from ~$50
• Lak Lake (Hồ Lắk): Vietnam's 2nd-largest freshwater lake — M'nong villages
• Da Lat (Đà Lạt): City of eternal spring, 1,500 m — Arabica and weasel coffee

Five provinces above the clouds

The Central Highlands are five provinces: Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and Lam Dong. The terrain is plateau, extinct volcanoes and basalt soils. More than 40 ethnic groups live here — the Ede, M'nong, Bana and Jarai — each with its own language and architecture.

At 500–1,000 m the daytime temperature holds at 22–28 °C year-round. In Da Lat, at 1,500 m, it can drop to 15 °C — a jacket helps. Two seasons: dry (November–April) and wet (May–October). The waterfalls run stronger in the wet, the plantations are greener — and the roads are muddier.

Tourists are a rarity here. On an ordinary day in Buon Ma Thuot you might spot a dozen foreigners in the whole town. That is both a plus (lower prices, more authenticity) and a minus (less infrastructure, English is patchy).

Coffee capital of Vietnam

Buon Ma Thuot and robusta

Vietnam is the world's second-largest coffee exporter after Brazil. 90% of the beans are grown in the Central Highlands, and the epicentre is Dak Lak province and its capital Buôn Ma Thuột. Robusta ripens in the shade of rubber trees and pepper vines on volcanic red earth — that soil is exactly what gives the bean its punchy strength.

Buon Ma Thuot's coffee festival runs every two years. The ninth festival (March 2025) drew thousands: tastings, barista competitions, exhibitions. In 2024 UNESCO recognised the "knowledge of growing and processing coffee in Dak Lak" as intangible cultural heritage.

Cafés are on every corner in town. A cup of Vietnamese coffee is 15,000–25,000 VND (~$0.60–1). Try cà phê sữa đá (coffee with condensed milk over ice) — the local classic.

World Coffee Museum

Right in Buon Ma Thuot. The exhibits cover coffee cultures around the world, the history of Vietnamese coffee and a tasting hall. Entry is 60,000 VND (~$2.40). On the grounds: coffee trees, a roasting area and a shop selling beans from local farmers.

Da Lat and arabica

Da Lat is the other pole of the coffee highlands. At 1,500 m the crop is arabica — softer and pricier than robusta. The coffee farms run tours with tastings: from 100,000 VND (~$4) for a guided visit.

This is also where they produce weasel coffee — the beans that have passed through the digestive tract of a civet. Genuine weasel coffee (not the farmed kind) runs from 3,000,000 VND (~$120) a kilo. On the farms you can taste it for 50,000–100,000 VND a cup.

💬 "The ninth coffee festival drew thousands of visitors — tastings, barista competitions and plantation tours. Buon Ma Thuot lives on coffee in the most literal sense." — VnExpress, March 2025

More on Vietnamese coffee in our coffee guide.

Elephants of Buon Don

Dak Lak province is the land of the M'nong people, who for centuries caught and tamed wild elephants. The village of Buôn Đôn was the centre of that tradition; from here elephants were sold across Southeast Asia.

Today things are different. Since 2023 Buon Don has fully ended elephant riding. Instead there is elephant-friendly tourism: you watch the elephants in their natural setting, feed them bananas and cane, and bathe them in the river. No saddles, no hooks. Two years in, the model is paying off — the elephants are calmer and the visitors keep coming.

Yok Don National Park

Vườn quốc gia Yok Đônis the largest national park in Vietnam: 115,500 hectares of dry tropical forest. It shelters the country's last wild elephants (the exact number is not disclosed), along with gaur, bears and dozens of bird species.

Elephant-watching tours run from ~$50 for a half-day. The park also offers trekking, overnight stays in M'nong community houses and cycling routes.

Lak Lake

Vietnam's second-largest freshwater lake, 55 km from Buon Ma Thuot. On its shores are M'nong villages with their traditional stilted longhouses. The morning mist over the lake is one of the most photogenic scenes in the highlands.

A boat trip is 50,000–100,000 VND (~$2–4). A night in a longhouse is from 200,000 VND (~$8).

Waterfalls of the highlands

The rivers of the Central Highlands drop off basalt plateaus, producing waterfalls that in the rainy season roar loud enough to hear a kilometre off.

Dray Nur and Dray Sap sit on the Krông Ana river, on the Dak Lak–Dak Nong provincial border. Buy one ticket and you see both. It is a 15-minute walk between them along a riverside trail.

Best time: May–October (the rainy season). The falls run full and hit harder. In the dry season (November–April) Dray Nur shrinks to a modest stream — not worth the trip.

Prices are current as of April 2026.

Ethnic villages and gong culture

The Central Highlands are the one place in Vietnam where the mountain peoples have kept their way of life almost unchanged. Ede longhouses hold several generations of a family. The M'nong are matriarchal: the house belongs to the woman, and the husband moves in with his wife.

Akô Dhông village sits right by Buon Ma Thuot. Traditional Ede houses, weaving workshops, rice wine from clay jars. Entry is free, but a small donation is customary.

The villages by Lak Lakeare M'nong longhouses where you can stay overnight. In the evening there are ritual dances and gongs.

The gong culture of the Central Highlands is on the UNESCO heritage list. Bronze gongs feature in rituals: birth, marriage, funeral, harvest. In the beliefs of the mountain peoples, the sound of the gong links the living to the spirits of their ancestors.

Getting there and around

By air

VietJet and Bamboo Airways tickets start at 500,000 VND (~$20) one-way.

By bus

• Ho Chi Minh City → Buon Ma Thuot: 6–7 hours, from 250,000 VND (~$10)
• Nha Trang → Da Lat: 3–4 hours, from 120,000 VND (~$4.80)
• Da Lat → Buon Ma Thuot: 4–5 hours, from 180,000 VND (~$7.20)

Around the region

The motorbike is the main way to get around. Rental is 150,000–200,000 VND a day (~$6–8). The roads between towns are good and the mountain passes are scenic, but they take some experience. Grab works in Buon Ma Thuot and Da Lat; out of town it's a motorbike or a private driver.

Practical tips

Weather: 5–10 degrees cooler than the coast. Da Lat can hit 15 °C in the evening — bring a light jacket. The rains (May–October) come as short downpours, usually after lunch.

Money: ATMs are in Buon Ma Thuot and Da Lat. In the villages and national parks it is cash only. Cards are taken at hotels and larger cafés.

Language: English is understood less than on the coast. Google Translate with Vietnamese is a lifesaver. In the villages, communication is gestures and smiles.

Safety: the region is calm. The main risk is the mountain roads on a motorbike, especially in the rain.

The highlands suit anyone into nature, coffee and ethnography. If you're after a beach and nightlife, this is not your place — there is none of that here at all.

Frequently asked questions

What are the Central Highlands of Vietnam?

A mountain region of five provinces at 500–1,500 m. It grows 90% of Vietnam's coffee, is home to more than 40 ethnic groups, and holds the country's largest national park (Yok Don) and its most powerful waterfalls. The climate is cooler than the coast: 22–28 °C by day.

How do you get to Buon Ma Thuot?

By plane from Ho Chi Minh City it is 1 h 15 min, from 500,000 VND (~$20). By bus from Ho Chi Minh City it is 6–7 hours, from 250,000 VND (~$10). From Da Lat to Buon Ma Thuot is 4–5 hours by bus. From Nha Trang it is easier via Da Lat.

Can you ride elephants in Vietnam?

Since 2023 Buon Don (Dak Lak) has ended elephant riding. Instead there are elephant-friendly tours: watching, feeding and bathing the elephants, with no saddles. It is kinder and, by many accounts, more interesting — the elephants behave naturally. A half-day tour is from ~$50.

Which waterfalls should you visit in the highlands?

Dray Nur (250 m wide) and Dray Sap — two falls on one ticket for 80,000 VND, 39 km from Buon Ma Thuot. Come in the rainy season (May–October), when the flow is strong. Near Da Lat you have Pongour Falls (7 tiers) and Elephant Falls (easy access). More on the attractions of Da Lat.

Where is the best coffee in the Central Highlands?

In Buon Ma Thuot, robusta is on every corner from 15,000 VND a cup. The World Coffee Museum is worth it for the deep dive (entry 60,000 VND). In Da Lat you get arabica and weasel coffee on farms with tastings. More on Vietnamese coffee in our guide.

How many days do you need for the Central Highlands?

At least three days: Buon Ma Thuot (coffee + waterfalls) for 2 days, Da Lat for 1 (or the other way round). A week is ideal, to add Pleiku, the ethnic villages and Yok Don. Between the towns run beautiful mountain roads that are worth the trip in themselves.

Data current as of May 2026. Prices and conditions can change — check official sources before you travel.