Taken for a ride at a Da Lat waterfall
20:26 04/03/2009

  Tourists slide down to Datanla Waterfall   Instead of walking down to Datanla Waterfall in Da Lat, visitors can now take toboggans on rails from the top of the cliff.

Situated in the middle of Prenn Pass four kilometers from Da Lat, Datanla Waterfall is one of the most-visited sites in the “City of Flowers and Pine Trees”.

It has been attracting even more tourists since a toboggan system on rails was installed from the top of the falls to the foot in May last year.

Recently, a performance of cong chieng, or “gong”, by ethnic K’Ho artists has been added to make it even more appealing.

The K’Ho is the largest ethnic community in the city.

The falls are surrounded by a forest of pines which has given rise to many romantic legends.

According to one K’Ho legend, there was a stream winding beneath the green trees, and fairies often stopped there to bathe and play.

The locals called the stream Da Tam n’nha, meaning “there is water under the leaves” in the K’Ho language.

Over time, this was shortened to Datania and then Datanla.

The only access to the falls used to be through the winding roads and sheer rocks of the forest.

Later, steps were built down to the falls to make access easier.

Technology has now made it easier than ever — visitors can slide down from the top of the fall on rail lines stretching more than a kilometer.

It wends its way through the ancient pine trees to the foot of the waterfall.

Dinh Tien, director of the Lam Dong Tourist Company which operates the toboggan, said the system was designed and installed by Germans.

It has 48 small “cars”, each capable of carrying two people, with the person in back controlling the speed through an easy lever-braking system. It has a maximum speed of around 40 km.

The descent is breathtaking as mountain air rushes past the silent coasters that are propelled by gravity without the benefit of any machinery or electricity.

In terms of safety, the system fully meets European standards.

The coasters are routinely checked and maintained to ensure the maximum safety to users.

Signs throughout the ride remind passengers to keep a safe distance between cars, regulated at 25 meters.

At the bottom of the track are the beautiful falls.

After exploring the area and crossing a wooden foot-bridge, visitors are deposited back to the top of the cliff by a cable system attached to the coasters.

The first such tourism facility in Vietnam, the toboggan system was luring a large number of local and international tourists, especially youths, Dang Hong Tieu, who manages the sliding cars, said.

“Many young people make the trip down as many as ten times an hour,” he said.

Gong performances

Visiting Datanla and enjoying the gong performances at night is becoming popular with visitors to Da Lat.

The trip also offers them a chance to enjoy ruou can, a traditional beer made by the ethnic people from sticky rice, corn, or cassava.

It is served in terra-cotta jars and drunk by sipping through long curved reeds.

Then there is the chance to dance with young K’Ho women.

Says a Japanese tourist, “I've come to Vietnam many times but this was the first time I enjoyed a gong performance beside a beautiful, sparkling waterfall at night.”

Many visitors from Ho Chi Minh City say they like to slide down the waterfall at night to experience the wilderness and the murmur of the pine trees and the waterfall.

The ride costs VND30,000 (US$1.87) per person for a round trip.

For more information, contact Lam Dong Tourist Co. at (063) 832 238.

Reported by Ngan Thong

Source : thanhniennews.com