Considered one of the most beautiful trekking routes in Vietnam, the Ta Nang - Phan Dung trekking route starts from the highlands of Ta Nang commune (Duc Trong district, Lam Dong province) to the coastal area of Phan Dung commune (Tuy Phong, Binh Thuan province), more than 35 km long. With the main seasons of the year in this area, backpackers of the Ta Nang - Phan Dung route have their own names, corresponding to the characteristics of the grass hills in Ta Nang: green grass season (rainy season) and burnt grass season (dry season); and Phan Dung is just like a place name... accompanying it. It seems that Ta Nang has "embraced" all the beauty of this route.
But is that true? Try exploring Phan Dung road with our group in the “burnt grass season”, you may be surprised by the beauty of the dry season forest - especially on the branch of the road passing Yavly waterfall.
Our Phan Dung trekking group, with a duration of 3 days 2 nights.
Grass burning season in Ta Nang
The rainy season in this area usually starts at the end of April and ends at the end of November. When the rain has just stopped, the grass hills in Ta Nang are still green for a while before they start to turn yellow, and from about January of the following year it is really the "burnt grass season", when the grass gradually dies after a long period of lack of water, under the scorching sun of the dry season.
From the top of the hill where the stainless steel peak of Ta Nang - Phan Dung is located, there are many ways to go down to Phan Dung, in which the two main routes that trekking groups often take are: "Yavly waterfall" direction and "soldier hill" direction.
Trails around the stainless steel peak hill of Ta Nang - Phan Dung
Towards the "soldier hill" on the right side of the photo, towards the "Yavly waterfall" turn left right at the corner of the green bushes on the left side of the photo.
The “soldier hill” route is chosen by many groups because it only takes 2 days and 1 night, quite convenient for office workers who have 2 days off on weekends. This route passes through only one small stream that only has water during the rainy season, and in the dry season, you can’t swim.
The direction through Yavly waterfall takes more time, because the road is about 15 km further than the direction of the soldier hill. This direction requires crossing the stream many times, especially in the rainy season, it can be quite dangerous when the water is high or there are flash floods due to rain. However, in the second half of the dry season, going this way will allow you to admire the enchanting beauty of Phan Dung forest - which is hard to compare if you go in the direction of the soldier hill.
Yavly Falls in the dry season
The 3-day, 2-night Ta Nang - Phan Dung journey in the direction of Yavly waterfall, from the morning of the second day of the journey, we had to cross the stream twice to reach Yavly waterfall around noon. Although it was the middle of the dry season, the stream and waterfall still had water, just less than in the dry season. Because of the little water, crossing the streams was very easy and safe.
Yavly Falls has little water in the dry season.
...but still cool enough after a tiring journey
After a relaxing swim in the waterfall and lunch at the waterfall area, we walked a few more kilometers along the stream, crossed the stream a few times and camped for the second night on the stream bank, right next to the house of old man Le - a Raglei man. This place used to be a stream bed in the rainy season, but in the dry season, it was a small, flat sand and gravel beach, enough space to set up a few tents.
The second night campsite was right next to the stream.
The beauty of Phan Dung forest in the dry season
Those who have traveled this route in the rainy season, when the forest is green, will probably find the last day of this journey the most boring, because the road is long, flat and the scenery is the same with the forest as normal as any other sparse forest. But at the end of the dry season - it is a different story.
Phan Dung Forest in the dry season has a completely different appearance from the green forest in the rainy season. Yellow leaves cover the ground of the entire forest, just like autumn in temperate forests.
Phan Dung forest landscape in dry season
The different types of trees in the forest shed their leaves and start to sprout at different times, so the ground is a carpet of dry yellow leaves, while above ground there are beautiful patches of color.
There were trees that still had the green color of their old leaves. There were trees that were wearing a golden cloak, or a bright red color in the sunlight. There were trees that were only bare branches, and there were trees that had already sprouted new green shoots.
Just like that, the last day of the journey, with the fatigue and hardship of climbing mountains and wading streams two days before, suddenly passed by without anyone noticing. Everyone was absorbed in the beautiful scenery of Phan Dung forest in the dry season, forgetting about time and fatigue.
