BACH MA

Bach Ma’s mountain hikes & steep waterfalls make great stop-off between Hoi An & Hue

Worth It? Yes, if you can afford a day between Hoi An and Hue
What to Do Take in the cool weather, and hike up for huge views and picnic spots atop big waterfalls
Best Time to Go March to September
How Long? Half a day or so
Gateway The park entrance is off Hwy 1, about 40km south of Hue and 65km north of Danang
Fact The French developed Bach Ma as a summer retreat in the 1930s. Many of the 139 original villas still stand – some as so-so hotels, others as ruins. It reopened to visitors in 1998.

Jutting way up over the coast, north of Hai Van Pass, green Bach Ma Mountain (1437m) is the visible core of a thrilling 22,000-hectare national park that makes for a great stop-off between Hue and Danang, or as an overnighter in old French villas scattered atop the mountain. Hikes go to 300m-drop waterfalls through forest home to over 300 bird species, 83 mammals (including newly discovered saola and muntjac) and 1400 types of plants. Even a three- or four-hour stop can get you to the top and a super hike along the Five Lakes/Rhododendron Falls loop.