Ta Nung Pass — a scenic mountain road with plenty to stop for
Ta Nung Pass begins on the western edge of Dalat, just past Van Thanh Flower Village, where the road tips downward and starts its long descent toward the Nam Ban valley. The full pass section runs about 30 kilometers along DT725, a provincial road that connects Dalat city with Nam Ban town at the bottom.
The road itself is well-paved and accessible year-round. It winds through pine forests, past flower greenhouses and small farming villages, with open valley views appearing regularly between the trees. At higher elevations, mist often sits in the valleys below — one of the more atmospheric stretches of road around Dalat. Traffic is lighter than the main roads into the city, though farm trucks and tour groups do appear, particularly on weekends.
What sets Ta Nung Pass apart from other scenic drives around Dalat is the range of stops along it. Within 30 kilometers, the road passes flower farms, a nature park with a luge kart track, a Buddhist pagoda, and one of the most powerful waterfalls in the Central Highlands. The stops suit different types of travelers — there is something here for those interested in nature, culture, and activities alike. None of them require a long detour; everything sits directly on or just off DT725.
What to see and do along Ta Nung Pass
The stops below follow the natural order of the route, starting from the Dalat side and moving down toward Nam Ban. The sequence matters practically — if you are driving the pass in one direction, this is the order you will encounter them. What is worth stopping for depends on what kind of traveler you are. Those drawn to nature will find the waterfall at the bottom the highlight. Families and active travelers will likely enjoy the luge kart stop most. Those interested in culture have a pagoda worth the time. The pass has enough variety that most travelers will find at least two or three stops genuinely worth making.
1. Van Thanh Flower Village
Van Thanh Flower Village sits at the Dalat end of the pass, just before the road begins its descent. It is not an attraction in the traditional sense — there is no entrance gate or ticket. What you see from the road is row after row of glass greenhouses lining both sides, growing gerberas, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, and other cut flowers at commercial scale. Dalat supplies a large share of Vietnam’s cut flowers, and Van Thanh is where much of that production happens.
It is worth slowing down here, but not necessarily stopping for long. The village gives a clear sense of how seriously flowers are taken in this part of Dalat — the greenhouses stretch further than most visitors expect. If you want to step inside one of the gardens, ask permission first; most owners are fine with it.
2. Hoa Son Dien Trang
About 7–9 kilometers from the city center, on the left side of the road as you descend, Hoa Son Dien Trang is a private ecotourism site set inside a pine forest. The setting is genuinely pleasant — old trees, flower gardens, small waterfalls, and mist that lingers in the mornings. The site has added a number of structures over the years, including a giant Buddha hand sculpture, imported Japanese cherry blossom trees, tree houses, and various photo installations.
It caters heavily to Vietnamese visitors who come specifically for the photo spots. Foreign travelers with that interest will find it worthwhile; those who prefer undeveloped nature may find the man-made elements overdone. Overnight stays in wooden bungalows are available for those who want to spend a night on the pass rather than returning to Dalat.
Opening hours are 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Entrance is around 50,000 VND for adults.
3. Dalat Flower Plateau (Cao Nguyen Hoa) — the luge kart stop
Cao Nguyen Hoa, commonly called Dalat Flower Plateau, sits around 10 kilometers from the city center at the upper section of the pass. Most travelers know it by a different name: Mario Kart Dalat. The official name for the activity is Luge Kart — a gravity-powered cart on a dedicated track through the hillside — but the Mario Kart nickname has stuck because it describes the experience well enough.
There are two tracks. A standard ticket covers one run on each. The full visit, including both runs, a stop at the swing platform overlooking the valley, and a walk through the flower gardens, takes around 90 minutes. The luge kart is the reason most people come, and it delivers — the track winds through pine trees with open views and enough corners to make it genuinely fun rather than just scenic.
The park also has an infinity pool, cafes, and garden areas with flower displays. These are secondary to the track, but they round out the visit for those who want to take their time. It is a good stop for families, couples, and anyone who wants to do something active on the pass rather than just drive through it.
4. Mongo Land
Mongo Land is a social-media-driven ecotourism park on the pass, built around a Mongolian steppe aesthetic — open grassland, yurt-style structures, and wide skies that look different from the pine-covered hillsides elsewhere on the route. The main draw is the rainbow slide, a dry slide that has become one of the more photographed spots in the Dalat area.
It is a fun stop rather than a meaningful one. The visit is short — most people spend 30 to 45 minutes here — and the experience is built around photo opportunities and the slide itself. It is popular with Vietnamese families and younger domestic tourists. Foreign travelers tend to enjoy it for what it is, without expecting more.
If Mongo Land is crowded or closed, Dapa Hill Dalat is a quieter alternative with a similar rainbow slide.
5. Dalat Gods’ Valley
Dalat Gods’ Valley is a fantasy-themed sculpture park set into a valley on the pass. The installations are large — towering dragons, mythological figures, oversized tree-face sculptures, hobbit-style structures — and designed entirely for visual impact and photography. It is not a natural attraction. The park is theatrical by design, and that is exactly what draws people to it.
For travelers who enjoy that kind of creative, over-the-top environment, it is more interesting than it sounds. The scale of the sculptures is genuinely impressive, and the pine forest backdrop gives it a different feel from similar parks elsewhere in Vietnam. For those who prefer natural or cultural stops, it is easy to skip.
Opening hours are 7:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
6. Linh An Pagoda
Linh An Pagoda sits near the bottom of the pass, close to Elephant Waterfall, and is worth a stop for anyone with an interest in Vietnamese Buddhist architecture. A large white standing Buddha is visible from the road. The grounds are peaceful and well-maintained, with the surrounding forest adding to the atmosphere.
Entry is free. It pairs naturally with Elephant Waterfall — both are in the same area, and most travelers visit them together. Unlike the ecotourism parks higher up the pass, Linh An is a functioning religious site rather than a commercial attraction. Dress modestly if you plan to enter the main hall.
7. Elephant Waterfall
Elephant Waterfall is the most significant natural stop on the route and, for many travelers, the reason to drive the pass in the first place. It sits near Nam Ban at the bottom of the pass, about 30 kilometers from Dalat. The waterfall is over 30 meters high and roughly 40 meters wide, with a volume and force that produces a permanent mist and a noise level audible well before the falls come into view.
The official entrance has been closed for an extended period due to a management dispute, with no confirmed reopening date. The practical alternative is access through Elephant Coffee, a cafe directly adjacent to the falls. Entry costs around 60,000 VND and includes access to a path leading down to viewing platforms at the base. The path is steep, wet, and slippery — proper shoes are essential, sandals are not. Getting close to the base is the experience; the spray is intense and you will get wet. It is worth it.
Linh An Pagoda, covered earlier, sits right next to the falls and offers a free elevated view from its grounds — a natural add-on to the same stop.
8. Tam Trinh Coffee Experience
Tam Trinh Coffee sits along DT725 and offers a more relaxed kind of stop — a working coffee farm with an on-site cafe where you can sit down, try different coffee varieties, and learn something about how Dalat’s highland coffee is grown and processed. It suits travelers who want to slow down between the bigger stops rather than pushing straight through to Nam Ban and back.
Dalat produces some of Vietnam’s best arabica coffee, and a farm visit like this puts that in context better than ordering a cup in a city cafe. It is not essential, but for coffee drinkers it is a worthwhile addition to the day.
9. Bonus: Pongour Waterfall
Pongour Waterfall is not on Ta Nung Pass itself, but the pass is the most enjoyable way to get there. From Nam Ban at the bottom of the pass, Pongour is another 20 or so kilometers south. The two waterfalls are easy to combine in a single half-day trip, and doing so makes sense — Elephant Waterfall is on the route regardless.
Where Elephant Waterfall is raw, loud, and physically imposing, Pongour is wide, layered, and more photogenic. They complement each other well. If visiting only one, the choice comes down to what you are after.
The alternative route to Pongour follows National Road 20 directly from Dalat, bypassing the pass entirely. It is around 20 minutes faster but runs along a busier highway with more truck traffic and little of interest along the way. A practical approach is to drive the pass on the way out — stopping at whatever takes your interest — and return via QL20 as a loop, avoiding any backtracking.
Location and how to drive the pass
Where is Ta Nung Pass
Ta Nung Pass sits on the western edge of Dalat, starting just past Van Thanh Flower Village where Hoang Van Thu Street feeds into provincial road DT725. From there, the road heads southwest and descends roughly 30 kilometers into the Nam Ban valley below.
The starting point is easy to find from the city center. From central Dalat, head west along Hoang Van Thu Street, pass through the Van Thanh Flower Village area, and the pass begins as the road starts dropping. Most mapping apps recognize DT725 and will route you correctly.
How to drive Ta Nung Pass
There are three realistic ways to drive the pass, each with different trade-offs.
Self-drive motorbike
The most popular option for independent travelers, and the best way to experience the road on your own terms. A semi-automatic scooter handles the route without any issues — the road is well-paved and the gradients are manageable. The freedom to stop anywhere, linger at a viewpoint, or skip a stop entirely makes motorbike the preferred choice for most solo travelers and couples.
A valid license and basic confidence on mountain roads are required. The pass has long curves and some steep descents, but nothing that should unsettle a reasonably experienced rider.
Easy Rider
A Dalat Easy Rider is a local guide who drives the motorbike while you sit on the back. It is a format that originated in Dalat and has been a staple of the city’s tourism scene for decades. The guide handles the riding while pointing out things along the way, choosing stops, and adjusting the itinerary as needed. It suits travelers who want the motorbike experience without the responsibility of driving themselves, or those who want local context at each stop.
Quality varies between operators. Booking through a well-reviewed company rather than accepting an approach on the street makes a noticeable difference.
Private car with driver
The right choice for families, older travelers, or anyone who prefers comfort over the open-air experience. A private car with driver is not the same as a taxi — the driver waits at each stop, can adjust the route, and typically costs less than multiple separate taxi trips over the course of the day. It removes any concern about parking, navigation, or weather, and allows the whole group to travel together.
For a route with as many stops as Ta Nung Pass, a private car with a flexible itinerary often works out to be the most practical option for groups of three or more.
For more info, read renting a car in Dalat with driver.
Practical tips
Best time to visit
Ta Nung Pass is accessible year-round, but the experience changes with the season. October and November are the most visually rewarding months to drive it — wild dã quỳ flowers, a yellow daisy-like bloom, cover the roadsides and open hillsides in both directions. It is the most photographed version of the pass and worth timing a visit around if possible.
Outside of that window, the pass is still worth driving. The dry season (November through April) brings clearer skies and better visibility across the valley. The rainy season (May through October) brings mist and deeper green on the hillsides, which has its own appeal, though afternoon rain is common and can make the road surface slippery on the steeper sections. More on that in our guide, best time to visit Dalat.
Morning is the better time to start. Mist often sits in the valley early, which looks good from the higher sections of the pass. By mid-morning it typically clears, and the light is more useful for the stops lower down.
How long to spend
The pass itself, driven without stops, takes around 45 to 60 minutes one way. With two or three stops — a realistic number for a half-day — plan for three to four hours. A full run of the major stops, including Elephant Waterfall and the luge kart, fills a comfortable full day. Adding Pongour Waterfall at the end extends that, but the loop back via QL20 keeps the return journey efficient.
Footwear and what to bring
Proper closed shoes are essential if Elephant Waterfall is on the itinerary. The path to the base is wet and slippery regardless of the season, and sandals create a real risk of a fall. For the rest of the pass, any comfortable footwear is fine.
A light jacket is worth bringing. The pass sits higher than the Nam Ban valley and the wind at motorbike speed makes it noticeably cooler than central Dalat, even on warm days.
Cash is the practical choice for entrance fees along the route. Most stops do not accept cards, and the amounts involved are small — keeping a few hundred thousand VND on hand covers everything without issue.
Is Ta Nung Pass worth driving?
The pass earns the drive on scenery alone. The 30-kilometer descent from Dalat’s western edge into the Nam Ban valley — pine forests, open hillsides, valley mist — is one of the more consistently pleasant roads around the city. It does not have a single dramatic viewpoint, but the scenery holds for the full length of the route in a way that most roads around Dalat do not.
What makes it genuinely stand out is the range of stops. Within one road, a traveler can ride a luge kart through pine trees, stand at the base of one of the most powerful waterfalls in the Central Highlands, visit a working Buddhist pagoda, and stop for highland coffee along the way. Few roads anywhere in Vietnam pack that kind of variety into a single half-day route.
Not every stop will suit every traveler. The check-in culture parks — Hoa Son Dien Trang, Gods’ Valley, Mongo Land — are easy to skip if that is not your thing, and skipping them does not diminish the drive. The waterfall, the pagoda, and the luge kart alone justify the trip for most visitors.
For a broader look at what Dalat has to offer beyond this route, see our guide to the best things to do in Dalat.
