Things to do in Dalat in 2022

We arrived at Dalat bus station around 7am. The first thing we noticed was the temperature. And that was because, shockingly it was quite chilly. A feeling we had not felt for the last 2 months. Dalat has a cooler climate due to the altitude and situation of the city. This means the average temperature there is around 21 degrees. It was quite funny to see all the locals wearing big winter jackets and it was even weirder for us to feel like we wanted to be wearing one too! Maybe we have adjusted to the South East Asian climate after all!

From the bus station we got a taxi to a hostel, where we dropped off our bags and headed out for some breakfast. We noticed right away that it is clearly a busy town with a very lively atmosphere.

Crazy House

Whilst we waited for our hostel room to be ready, we walked to the Crazy House, which certainly lives up to its name. The best way to describe it is by saying it is like an adult’s playground. Endless amounts of stairs will lead you around the site where you can look at strange sculptures, visit their aquarium room and climb to the top of the towers to see some amazing views. There is also a coffee shop there if you would like to get your caffeine fix, in a very weird, but wonderful location.

Maze Bar

Another very bizarre place to visit in Dalat is the Maze Bar. We were recommended to go here by our hostel owner, who told us we will definitely get lost. We were intrigued so headed there at around 5:30pm. When you walk into the bar you are met with the first bar in there, where you need to order a drink to be able to get inside.

Once you have your drink you are directed to head down the stairs to enter the maze, and a maze it surely was. We were shocked at both how large it was, but also how many different ways there was to go. At certain points you can climb through holes and squeeze through gaps to go through different routes. There are also many tables and seating areas throughout, where you can stop and have your drink. We recommend you wait until you are able to find the outside area though to have your drink as the views are stunning. The outside maze is another marvel in itself. Head to the top for a great view of the city.

Canyoning

Dalat is very well known for its Canyoning, so we definitely wanted to try that out. We booked onto it via our hostel. We were picked up from our hostel at around 8:30 in the morning where we got to meet the rest of the people on the tour. They drove us to the waterfall site and gave us wetsuits, harnesses, helmets, and ropes.

You first practice abseiling on a dry hill to make sure you have a grip on how to do it. You then head to the course where you abseil 3 waterfalls, zipline, jump off a 7-metre cliff and trek through the jungle. The trek was quite tough at some points, so ensure that you are physically fit before signing up to this.

If you don’t want to do any of the sections of the tour, you are able to sit out. Unfortunately, the safety procedures weren’t the best on this course and Dan ended up hurting himself because of a stupid mistake. On one of the parts where you abseil, you need to jump 4 metres down into a pool of water. Unfortunately, when he jumped, his rope got caught in the safety line, meaning he ended up slamming into the wall.

Dan is luckily quite tough, so was able to continue even though his knees were all cut and bruised, and his back was in pain. Even though this did happen, we are very glad we went on the course and got to experience the canyoning, however we still wanted to be real and share our experience.

Cable Car

The cable car in Dalat runs from Robin Hill to the Truc Lam Monastery and was built by an Austrian company. The ride covers 2.3km, and has 50 brightly painted cabins spanning the distance. The panoramic views of Dalat are worth the effort.

Linh Phuoc Pagoda

The Linh Phuoc pagoda was opened in 1952 and took four years to complete. It is mainly made from fragments of porcelain, glass, and pottery. The temple is very large and there is lots to explore. The architecture is very impressive and definitely a fantastic site to see.