Three Da Lat waterfalls: on your own or with a tour
The standard three-waterfall run — Datanla, Pongour and Elephant Falls — costs 550,000₫ to 1.3M₫ a head with an operator, a two-and-a-half-fold spread for the same road. On your own the same three stops come to 250,000–350,000₫ per bike, but that is a hundred kilometres of riding and a full day. Here is what the price covers and when a tour genuinely wins.
Which three waterfalls
- Datanla — 7–10 km from the centre, fifteen minutes down the Prenn road. Entry 50,000–80,000₫, open 07:15–17:00. The draw is not the fall itself but the kilometre-long alpine coaster through the pines; at weekends the queue for it reaches forty-five minutes.
- Pongour — 45–50 km south, about an hour each way. Entry 20,000–30,000₫, open 07:00–17:00. Seven tiers and a hundred metres across: the most photogenic fall in the province and the only one worth an hour of road.
- Elephant Falls — on the Nam Ban road, next to the silk factory and the pagoda that usually come with the same trip. The descent to the base is a steep, wet staircase without railings; flip-flops are a bad idea.
Who runs it and for how much
Prices from operator sites as of 23 August 2026. The route is the same everywhere; the difference is group size, lunch and whether tickets are included.
- Highland Sport Travel — $21, about 550,000₫. The cheapest in town, and from an operator with 2,246 Tripadvisor reviews at 5.0.
- Dalat Tours — from 580,000₫ on a group departure. Group means a fixed route and however long the guide decides at each stop.
- Highland Holiday Tours — $50, about 1.3M₫. Twice the price; the operator holds an international tour licence from 2011 and works in English and Korean.
On your own: what it comes to
- A bike for the day is 100,000–160,000₫, petrol for a hundred kilometres about 50,000₫. For two people that already beats any tour.
- Tickets: Datanla 50,000–80,000₫, Pongour 20,000–30,000₫, Elephant Falls has its own gate. All in, 250,000–350,000₫ a head including the bike.
- It takes as long as the tour: leave at eight, back by five. Reverse the usual order — distant Pongour first, then Elephant Falls, and leave Datanla for last since it is fifteen minutes from town.
When the tour honestly wins If you do not ride, book the tour: a hundred kilometres by taxi costs more than any excursion. In the rainy season, May to October, the afternoon is almost guaranteed wet — a tour leaves early and gets round before the downpour, while a solo trip often ends waiting it out under a roof. And third: someone breaks an arm on those wet staircases every year, and with a group there is at least somebody to call for help.
Entry fees and hours come from our place cards, checked in August 2026. Tour prices are from the operators' own sites as of 23 August 2026 — their list, not our receipt: we have not ridden with these groups ourselves.
Options and prices
Lâm Viên (phường 12 cũ), cách trung tâm 9 km về đông bắc
miễn phí
entry · khoảng
Điểm săn mây chính gần Đà Lạt: cao 1 709 mét, biển mây đọng ngay dưới đỉnh. Từ trung tâm đi xe máy 20–25 phút, sau đó đi bộ 20–30 phút — đoạn ngắn nhưng trong bóng tối và đường đất.
Cần biết trước. Khởi hành 4h15–4h40, muộn hơn thì mặt trời mọc khi còn đang leo. Đường đi: từ hồ Xuân Hương qua ga, theo đường Huỳnh Tấn Phát, xuyên làng hoa Thái Phiên tới khu cắm trại Hòn Bồ. Trên đỉnh trước bình minh 10–15 độ, cần áo khoác. Vào cửa miễn phí, thuê xe máy 120–150 nghìn ₫, tour có hướng dẫn 450–600 nghìn ₫.
entry · coaster 247–300k · đã kiểm chứng
Máng trượt dài một cây số lao xuống giữa rừng thông — hoạt động được đặt nhiều nhất ở Đà Lạt, và xứng đáng.
Cần biết trước. Expect 45-minute queues at weekends. Children ride tandem with an adult.
Pongour Falls gợi ý
45–50 km south, ~1 hour · 07:00–17:00
20–30k₫
$0.75–1.15
entry · đã kiểm chứng
Bảy tầng thác, rộng cả trăm mét — thác đẹp nhất tỉnh, hơn hẳn phần còn lại. Một tiếng đường mỗi chiều là đáng.
25–30 km southwest, 45 min · 07:00–17:00
20–50k₫
$0.75–1.90
falls · pagoda free · khoảng
Bức tường nước cao ba mươi mét gầm vang, đi được ra phía sau, cách cổng hai mươi mét là tượng Phật Di Lặc cao 24 mét.
Cẩn thận. The rock stairs down to the base are steep, unrailed and genuinely dangerous when wet. In rainy season, look from the top.
12 km north, 30 min · 07:00–17:00
50k₫
$1.90
entry · jeep 100–120k · đã kiểm chứng
Ngọn núi mà cả thành phố nhìn lên. Lên đỉnh Radar là 2,5 km đường mòn, khoảng một tiếng rưỡi; đỉnh thật 2 167 mét thì 7 km và 4–5 tiếng.
Cẩn thận. The hiking window officially closes at 13:00 because of afternoon fog. Treat that as the rule for every mountain road here.
entry · cable car 80–100k · đã kiểm chứng
Thiền viện đang hoạt động phía trên hồ Tuyền Lâm, vườn đẹp nhất Đà Lạt. Cáp treo 2,3 km bay trên rừng thông đưa thẳng tới cổng trong mười hai phút.
Cần biết trước. Shoulders and knees covered. Historically the cable car pauses over lunch, roughly 11:30–13:30.
B9 Phu Dong Thien Vuong, Lam Vien
1.37M₫
$52
a day of canyoning · khoảng
The operator with the biggest pile of reviews in town: 2,246 on Tripadvisor at 5.0, of which 2,210 are «excellent» (checked 23 August 2026). They run canyoning at Datanla, SUP on Tuyen Lam lake, trekking and overnight camping. Cheaper than most: a canyoning day is $52, the extended version with more descents $73.
Cần biết trước. Prices from the site as of 23 August 2026, in dollars as the operator lists them: canyoning 52, canyoning with the full set of descents 73, three waterfalls tour 21, half-day SUP 21, SUP with trekking 44, trekking with picnic, SUP and camping 75, canyoning with sunset SUP and a night out 70, two-day combo 110, a campsite pitch 4. The office is in Lam Vien; the phone opens under the «Get contact» button.
Cẩn thận. We have not been out with them: this card rests on public reviews and the operator's own price list, which is why the price is marked approximate. Canyoning carries real risk — ask about insurance, the state of the gear and how many guides per group before you pay, not at the water.
109 Nguyen Van Troi, Xuan Huong
2.16M₫
$82
a day of canyoning · khoảng
The oldest adventure outfitter in Vietnam and the first to bring canyoning to Da Lat; 765 reviews on Tripadvisor (checked 23 August 2026). The range is wider than anyone's: besides canyoning there is mountain biking, overnight trekking and multi-day rides to the coast, to Nha Trang and Hoi An. Roughly half again as expensive as the competition, deliberately: own gear, English-speaking guides, insurance.
Cần biết trước. Prices from the site as of 23 August 2026, per person: canyoning at Datanla $82, Razorback trekking 45, Jungle Boogie 50, mountain biking 45–52, hiking and kayaking on Tuyen Lam 57, the Da Lat–Nha Trang ride 86, Da Lat–Mui Ne 90. The office is on Nguyen Van Troi; the company also has a branch in Hoi An, so state that you mean Da Lat when you write.
Cẩn thận. We have not been out with them: the card is built from public reviews and the operator's price list. The price sits above the local average — compare not just the sum but what it includes: transfer, lunch, photos, insurance.
Da Lat, pick-up from the centre
1.39M₫
$53
a day of canyoning · khoảng
Canyoning at Datanla for 1,390,000₫ a head, with hotel pick-up in the centre and a ride back. Groups run 2–12 people with two to five guides — the ratio worth asking any operator about: it, not the price, decides how long you queue at each descent. Gear, lunch, water, entrance fees and photos are included.
Cần biết trước. Price from the site as of 23 August 2026. Group discounts: 5% from four people, 7% from seven, 10% from eleven — worth counting in if you go as a group. Guides are internationally certified and speak English; promotions come and go, so ask for the current price.
Cẩn thận. We have not been out with them; the card comes from the operator's price list and reviews. Promo prices last weeks rather than months: confirm the sum before you go rather than from this card.
Da Lat, hotel pick-up
A small outfit grown out of Phat Tire: some of the guides came from there. On Tripadvisor it rates 4.7 across 213 reviews (checked 23 August 2026) — fewer than the big names, but consistent. They run mountain biking, rafting, the Langbiang summit, canyoning and multi-day rides to the coast.
Cần biết trước. There are no prices on the site — they are quoted in correspondence, hence the «ask» mark on this card. For scale: a canyoning day in Da Lat runs 1.39–2.21M₫, a biking day from 1.2M. The office is central, the phone is a landline.
Cẩn thận. No prices and no first-hand experience: this card rests on public reviews. Before paying, ask about group size and what the price covers — with small operators that varies more than with the big ones.
Da Lat, group and private departures
500–1215k₫
$19–46
a day tour · khoảng
For when you want the city rather than adrenaline: sightseeing tours with an open price list that separates group departures from private ones. Group tours cost about half; private ones run to your plan — a walk through the French architecture, coffee and flower farms, Langbiang, Pongour falls, the Valley.
Cần biết trước. Prices from the site as of 23 August 2026, in thousands of ₫. Group: countryside 500, gong show 300, three waterfalls from 580, canyoning 2,214. Private: city and architecture tours 675 each, coffee, farms and flowers 675, trekking to Heaven's Gate and Langbiang from 540, Pongour from 810, the Valley from 1,215, the high-rope park 729.
Cẩn thận. We have not taken these tours ourselves — the prices come from the site, hence the «approx.» mark. The gap between a group and a private tour is not only money: on a group tour the route is fixed and you stay at each stop as long as the guide decided.
59 Nguyen Huu Canh, Lam Vien
1.18–1.45M₫
$45–55
a day tour · khoảng
An operator holding an international tour licence issued in 2011 — a rare case where the licence number is printed on the site. They run both sightseeing and active trips: the city with the cable car and the old station, the countryside with a silk factory and a coffee plantation, three waterfalls, cycling days and a motorbike tour. They answer in English, Korean and on Zalo.
Cần biết trước. Prices from the site as of 23 August 2026, per person: city tour $45, countryside 50, three waterfalls 50, a cycling day around town 55, a 100 km motorbike tour 45, trekking to Tiger Falls 45, the ride to Mui Ne or Nha Trang 85. Canyoning has no price on the site — ask. Every tour is advertised with a discount for large groups.
Cẩn thận. We have not been out with them. The company has noticeably fewer Tripadvisor reviews than Highland Sport Travel or Phat Tire — that does not mean worse, but it is harder to verify, so ask about gear and insurance in more detail.
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