Buon Ma Thuot (or Buon Me Thuot) is the capital city of Đak Lak Province, in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
Despite being one of the biggest towns in the Central Highlands, Buon Ma Thuot is only visited by a few tourists because it is off the beaten track. However, this town can serve as a starting point for those who want to see the attractions in the area. Buon Ma Thuot is a small but busy place. With a population of about 300,000, it is home to ethnic minorities like the Jarai and Rhade peoples. Nowadays, the place is very well known for its coffee.
Buon Ma Thuot experiences a tropical monsoon climate with two different seasons. The rainy season begins in May and ends in October (Average Temp: 290C to 350C); the dry season begins in November and ends in April (Average temp: 260C to 320C). The best time to visit is during the dry season.
Visitors can take a direct flight from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh to Buon Me Thuot. Also, the place can be reached after a short three-hour drive from Nha Trang and the trip affords passengers a view of beautiful landscapes. It can also be reached from Dalat after 4-hour driving, but the road is rather bumpy. Some travelers love to take a motorbike trip from Dalat to buon Me Thuot with a stop at Lak Lake to enjoy the beautiful landscapes and have more chance to interact with local people.
There are some attractions in Buon Me Thuot such as: beautiful waterfalls Gia Long, Dray Nur and Dray Sap Waterfall which can be found in a stunning rainforest. Another must-visit attraction is the Yok Don National Park which is considered the largest nature reserve in Vietnam and here visitors can find rare animals and birds, as well as endangered species. However, ethnic tribes such as the Ede and M'nong live here as well and they are known to domesticate wild elephants. Other attractions accessible through Buon Ma Thuot are the Ban Don Village and the Lak Lake. The former is a village notable for its tribal architecture, while the latter provides an idyllic scene where one can witness the slow pace of rural living. On the shore of the lake is Jun Village, where people live in thatched-roof houses on stilts.
There are several activities that can keep a visitor preoccupied in this town. However, at the top of the list is elephant riding. In Ban Don Village, there are guides who can take a visitor into the Yok Don National Park and across the Serepok River by riding an elephant. Visitors will find that the huge creatures are actually quite gentle, and that the elephants love playing in the water. The M'nong people, who live in the park, are the ones who take care of the elephants. Visitors can also head on over to the Dak Lak Province Museum and check out the Ethnographic Exhibit where you can learn a lot about the history, culture, customs and traditions of hill tribes in Buon Ma Thuot. However, if visitors want to cool down after a long day, they can go and enjoy the Dak Lak Waterpark.
Recently, there are also some coffee tours available. Travelers will have chance to visit coffee plantation and local factories to learn more about the procedure to have a cup of coffee.
