From Da Nang or Hoi An: Bach Ma National Park Trek & Lunch

This one-day hike into the Bach Ma mountain range was much more than I expected. The area has a deep military history (agent orange, underground tunnels, camouflaged storage sites for military goods, helicopter landing pad, to name a few). There were also a handful of original villas dating back to the 1920s and 30s. Bach Ma was a summer retreat for French officials and wealthy Vietnamese. Many of the properties unfortunately eviscerated by bombs in the war. The walking was very doable even if you have average fitness. On the slightly trickier parts of the walk (alongside the chain of waterfalls), there were ropes for support and we were supplied walking sticks. The last part of the excursion was walking to the summit, the highest point of the mountain range with 360 views from Hue to Da Nang on a clear day. An unexpected treat was getting up close to a group of endangered Red Shanked Douc monkeys. The perfect end to an awesome day trip. Recommend!

This is a really good day trip. Bach Ma is stunning. The views from the top of the mountain over the lagoon are amazing. And the chance to swim in the lakes and the waterfall was well worth it. There’s also the opportunity to climb down to the bottom of the waterfall or to go ziplining but I really wanted to swim and rest so did that instead. Lunch is great - they were able to accommodate for vegan/vegetarian and made up really nice lunch boxes for everyone. I had tofu, rice and vegetables along with a seaweed-mushroom soup. They also provide crackers and an orange. The group was really friendly and Lin was a great guide, very knowledgeable and confident - she helped us over slippery and hard parts and gave us edible leaves to try and told us where we could drink the clean lake water. There were some really tricky parts of the climb however, so would consider carefully if you have something like dypraxia/hypermobility or any kind of coordination or physical or fitness challenges