From $165
If there are places on Earth where life has stopped at the turn of the centuries, where to this day the lifestyle, traditions, and customs of centuries past are preserved, it is the Vietnamese province of Dak Lak.
This is precisely the place where people still live as they did a hundred, or even two hundred, years ago. The local residents, the majority of whom belong to the Mnong ethnic group (mountain Khmers), are kind and welcoming like children.
They are an ancient, brave, and very wise people. Many of them still adhere to ancient traditions and beliefs, engaging in the same activities as their ancestors - farming and hunting elephants.
Traditionally, this ethnic group adheres to matriarchal principles and practices animism (belief in spirits). Like their ancestors, the Mnong tribes live in villages, in long wooden houses (longhouses).
Most of these villages are quite small - about ten to twenty houses, built on stilts. This is because these villages are flooded annually during the rainy season. The residents then move around in boats, while all the livestock is simply herded into the house.
But the most interesting thing is that the Mnong people still preserve their main tradition - elephant hunting. They capture wild elephants in the forest, tame them, and then use them as helpers in agriculture: elephants perform various physical tasks, as well as transport goods and people.
True elephant hunters have always been respected in the Mnong tribes, although there are very few left today. However, the method of capturing wild elephants is not much different from that used by their ancestors: hunters mount tamed elephants and venture into the jungle in search of prey. Upon finding a target, they surround it with domestic elephants from both sides, throw a loop around its leg, and then, by using injections in pain points, force it to submit and follow them to the village. The subsequent taming process of a wild elephant lasts about three months.
However, Dak Lak is not only the "land" of the Mnong and elephants. Its main attractions are the picturesque Lak Lake, on the shores of which the Mnong tribes live in their villages, as well as two waterfalls - Dray Sap and Dray Nur. They are located in the protected jungles and have a height of about 20 meters and a length of over 200 meters.
During a two-day trip to Dak Lak province, we will visit coffee and rubber plantations, as well as Vietnam's largest waterfalls - Dray Sap and Dray Nur, where you can swim and relax. By the evening of the first day, we will arrive in the vicinity of the small town of Lien Son and stay overnight in an authentic comfortable hotel right on the shore of Lak Lake. The next day awaits you with an introduction to the life and customs of the Mnong people, as well as an unforgettable elephant ride around Lak Lake.
Tour itinerary:
First day
1. "Central Highlands" - Tay Nguyen, where you will see incredibly beautiful landscapes, cashew nut, pepper, sugarcane, rubber, and coffee plantations.
2. Elephant ride through the village and Ho Lak Lake.
3. Mnong village, the most populous ethnicity in the province.
4. Traditional dugout boat ride on the lake at sunset.
5. Musical and dance show around the fire by the Mnong tribe, rice wine tasting.
6. Check-in at the hotel.
Second day
1. Ethnographic Museum of Dak Lak province (about 10 thousand exhibits).
2. Dray Nur Waterfall.
3. Villa of the last emperor of Vietnam, Bao Dai.
4. Visit to Hai Doan Temple.
5. Return to Nha Trang.
The tour price includes: all entrance tickets as per the program, lunch, dinner on the first day, breakfast and lunch on the second day, accommodation in a 3* hotel, Russian-speaking guide, insurance, transfer from and to the hotel.
Don't forget to bring:
1. Comfortable shoes.
2. Warm clothing (sweater, hoodie, or windbreaker).
3. Clothing for temple visits (shoulders and knees must be covered).
4. Money for personal expenses and animal feed.
5. Passport or a copy for hotel check-in.
Excursion duration from 6:15 to 20:00 (2 days)
Bring along: warm clothes, camera, money for personal expenses, swimwear.