**Update July 4th, 2016- There is a new fence across the main access road to this falls. A local farmer has cleared and claimed a section of land for a farm and has strung a 3-wire barbed wire fence around it, right across the road in two places. So at this point a new road has been hacked through the forest around the outside of this land. The road is rough but it isn't too long, just take it slow and you will make it through.
Here is a good example of how persistence can pay off and offer a reward in the end. This waterfall, set in a narrow gorge on a tributary of the Cu De River, eluded me for several years as I made my way up and down the Cu De Valley. I knew by looking at maps and Google Earth that there was a serious pinch point, and gradient loss, not far up this creek from the bottom of the valley. But every time I attempted to make it up into canyon, I couldn't seem to navigate the mess of roads and trails, and I never made it up. However, I finally decided I was going to see what was up there, come hell or high water. So, in April 2016, we found the right network of roads and paths, and found exactly what I figured would be there all along: an impressive gorge with a serious drop inside. While it wasn't much of a secret place, (the locals have left many beer cans and trash piles), it was definitely refreshing to know my instincts were on point. The following is a brief guide and narrative on the area, and how to get there so you may enjoy it yourself. I don't feel bad about giving up the info on this one, because some foreigners visitors aren't going to trash it any more than the locals have already done.
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Part I - The Drive
First, we had to the get to the general area of the falls, so we headed northwest to the Song Cu De Valley, opting to the take the North Valley Road to reach the right canyon. After seven or eight beautiful kilometers on this road, we turned off to the right, just before the bridge over the Khe Ram itself. This road is concrete for a short distance. At the end of the concrete is where I always got confused; the road itself ends at a farm, and there is only a tiny, rocky trail that takes off to the right of the property, which certainly doesn't look like the main route. However, we drove along, and other than one with washout that was kind of zesty the dirt track was in pretty damn good shape all the way to it's end. After the farms we wrapped in and out of some small glades of trees and open areas. Eventually the track turned into a trail so we parked the bike and continued on foot.
Part II - The Hike
The track abruptly goes from a flat, gentle path to a rocky, exciting trail. You pretty much gotta lose the bike here. The first bit of the trail is fairly easy; the plants don't close in too much, and the trail's surface, while rocky, is easy to navigate. Eventually, after about 500 meters, the bushes start to close in and the trail becomes more exciting. Sometimes its necessary to drop to all fours and scoot underneath low hanging branches. Those with backpacks with catch them consistently. There are lots of ants on the branches so expect to end up with a few on you after you're done. It's important to be aware of a turn: when you reach the large boulder where you can drop under it and go left, or go up and across it and go right, you have a choice. Going left and down will drop you on the creek in the middle of some small waterfalls, with less seating but no trash, and going right will take you to the big falls and the gorge. The trail is the most exciting in the last 100 meters but eventually it will open up to some boulders and the river bed.
If you go down and left at the big boulder, you can end up on some polished bedrock with some small waterfalls both above and below. At the base of the waterfall on the left there is a sweet rock to sit on. It's a great waterfall chair. The water here is impressively clear and chilly.
Above & Below: Shots from the falls below the Lower Pool.
Part III - The Falls
Of course, we had no idea what was upstream as none of us had been here before. So, we splashed around a while, hanging out and enjoying the clear water and small falls, until we finally got our shit together and decided to go see what was further up. We had gone scarcely 15 meters when we climbed up level with a large pool, with a bit of trash next to it. The trail was also visible in the background, and we realized it must have been the fork at the boulder that we didn't take. It was here that we met up with a pack of high school kids from nearby Lien Chieu diistrict. We followed them up, turned a corner, and climbed a large boulder. Behind it was a beautiful pool, surrounded on three sides by sheer rock walls. At the head of this box was a beautiful high-angle sliding waterfall of perhaps 5-6 meters.
After hanging out and jumping and swimming for a while, we headed down to the lower pool to give it a go and see how it was. The seating options were a little better here, and with a quick anchor of webbing built we found a good jump ledge to make lots of laps on. The weather was warm but the water was cool and made a great break from the heat. We hung out and jumped for about an hour before deciding it was time to head out and call it a day.
Over coffee after we hit the main road, we talked about our new find. Yes, it was trashed out. Yes, it was a bit of a shitshow to get to. But, was it worth it? Absolutely. This is just one of those places in Vietnam where you must be ok with the trash in order to enjoy someplace great. While I don't know if I would go back all the time, certainly a couple times of year would be fun. In the future I may take a couple of trash bags, and spend a few minutes picking up some trash. Even just a little bit might make quite a difference.
Over coffee after we hit the main road, we talked about our new find. Yes, it was trashed out. Yes, it was a bit of a shitshow to get to. But, was it worth it? Absolutely. This is just one of those places in Vietnam where you must be ok with the trash in order to enjoy someplace great. While I don't know if I would go back all the time, certainly a couple times of year would be fun. In the future I may take a couple of trash bags, and spend a few minutes picking up some trash. Even just a little bit might make quite a difference.
All photos and videos copyright Kit Davidson.
Maps created with and copyright by Google MyMaps.
Maps created with and copyright by Google MyMaps.