The 4 best mountain biking tours in Dalat
2Traveling to Dalat, an adventurer cannot miss Dalat mountain biking tours. The hilly landscape offers an incredible view everywhere you go. You can choose the level of difficulties from easy to hard grades; you can either select cycle on paved paths or challenge yourself on impressive single trails. There's an option for both amateur or professional cyclist. You'll pedal through untouched pine forests, winding mountain passes, crossing the rivers and streams to the more popular attractions or entirely off the beaten path. Everywhere you go, you will feel fantastic as you have got over yourself and enjoy the immense and majestic nature. Besides, you will have an opportunity to learn about the cultural features, customs of indigenous people.
1. The Northern loop: Lang Biang mountain and Love valley.
The reasonably popular biking tour for beginners is the route to the North of Dalat towards the well-known Valley of Love. This cycling tour is a long half-day tour that ends after 3 to 5 hours of cycling. There are different loops for you to choose from if you decide to cycle shorter or longer. The first trails of the journey are quite easy as you cycle through the flat paths through the farmlands. As you reach the Victory Lake, the trail leads to pine forest, and you'll enter the dirt road single trail under the jungle canopy. The scenery along the trails is stunning, including views of Lang Biang Mountain, the highest mountain in Dalat with a height of 2169 meters. After making a circle loop, you'll reach the scenic "Valley of Love" that is also the end of the tour.
2. Cycling Elephant and Pongour Waterfall loops
Another easy level of the trail, but with the longer ride of road, is riding to Elephant Falls and Pongour Waterfall. It is the most popular cycling tour in Dalat. The entire journey is 30 kilometers that offer a chance to admire the countryside life and some famous local attractions in Dalat. Riding through small to big hills and penetrate the pine forests will be an enjoyable experience. You will have a stop at the K'ho ethnic tribe and enjoy their coffee plantations and vegetable farms. After taking a rest in Ta Nung village, you will pass through a cricket farm, a rice-wine making factory, and a local silk farm before reaching the Elephant Falls. After lunch in the fall, you will walk down the waterfalls, take photos, and enjoy your own time in the magnificent waterfall. On the way back to the city, you will have an opportunity to explore Pongour waterfall. The famous "seven-story waterfall" waterfall flows over seven levels of rock, creating an enormous and impressive fall. Below the waterfall is an immense and peaceful lake with many rocks undulating in the middle of the water.
3. Tiger Falls loop
If you want to challenge yourself in a higher level of riding, you can choose the 33-kilometer lopsided road tour. From the start, the road is mild and easy to go, from the city center of Dalat to the East past Xuan Huong. Then, you will continue to ride through the tough hills and steep descents. Let's start riding and immerse yourself in the lakes, pine forests, and farms.
The Tiger Fall mountain biking route is a perfect option for serious cyclists. The entire ride covers 30 kilometers riding up and down the hills, mostly on single tracks. You are either going up and down during the whole journey. This full-day biking from Dalat city offers spectacular sceneries of the lush forest throughout the ride. You'll also have a chance to visit the vegetable farms and the remote minority villages during the trip.
4. One day cycling tour from Dalat to the coast.
Dalat, together with Nha Trang and Mui Ne, create a famous triangle for all travelers visiting Vietnam. A full day cycling from the hill-station city to the lively beach city of Nha Trang or secluded beach village of Mui Ne is an excellent choice for bikers.
One day cycling from Dalat to Nha Trang is 5 hours pedaling on the road, including some vehicle transfer to go out of Dalat city and get into Nha Trang city. It is a relatively attractive moderate cycling option (level 5 out of 10).
One day cycling from Dalat to Mui Ne is also a great option for bikers who go on a North-South route to reach Saigon. You'll get over 950 meters of descent on this 70+ km ride to Mui Ne as you wind through pine and jungle forested valleys into the tropical climate below. It's 5 hours fully supported cycling tour with most of the time going downhill (level 5 out of 10).