The key waterfalls are all to the south of Buon Ma Thuot, and a visit makes for a good day trip. Take note: all of these waterfalls are much less impressive in the dry season. The pretty pictures you see of these falls were taken towards the end of the rainy season, and that's the best time to go.

Trinh Nu
The Trinh Nu waterfall is pretty tiny -- the huge limestone boulders that line the river shore are far more impressive than the falls themselves. Nevertheless, an attempt is ongoing to turn it into a resort. Some decent accommodation, including longhouse homestays, are available. There are two restaurants on site, including one on a hill overlooking the water -- sort of. It's not a bad out-of-the-way place to hole up, and is in good proximity to the Gia Long and Dray Sap falls to the south.

Dray Sap and Dray Nur
Dray Sap is the star attraction -- where a collection of rivers and streams cascade over the cliff. The main river is fairly massive, if a little brown, and the surrounding streams and backwaters aren't so tempting for swimming. There are two paths leading to the right -- the one at the bottom of the steps offers better views. The path winds along the falls and up to the top, about 2km all up. You can't quite get all the way across the top of the falls -- some of the smaller streams are navigable, but the big one can't be forded, even in dry season. Along the path, before you reach the falls, there's a suspension bridge that leads over to the sister falls, Dray Nur, which are dwarfed in comparison. There's a cafe on site here.

 

More details

How to get there: Getting to the falls by public transport is a bit tricky, but possible. Buses leave from Le Hong Phong St right in front of the San Van Dong Stadium, but they can only let you off at the fork along route 14, 22km from Buon Ma Thuot. From there it's 5km to the entrance of the falls -- Dray Sap and Dray Nur is within walking distance. You can pick up a xe-om at the crossroads if you're not up for that much hiking, and you'll probably save a bit of money as compared to hiring a guide directly from Buon Ma Thuot.

To get there with your own transport, starting at the roundabout, head south on Le Duan (route 14) for 22km. There's a fork there -- bear left. Trinh Nu is just a kilometre down the road on the left. Five kilometres further down is the entrance to Dray Sap and Dray Nur waterfalls. One km into the park there's a well-marked left-hand turn to Dray Sap and Dray Nur.