Riding the Ta Nung and Prenn passes around Dalat

Two short passes near Dalat — Ta Nung to the west and Prenn to the south — are the reason so many riders leave town on their first morning and come back grinning. Neither is far, neither is difficult, and together they make the classic countryside loop past two of the region's best waterfalls. Here is how to ride them.

The two passes at a glance

• Ta Nung Pass — about 15 km west of Dalat, on the road to Nam Ban. A winding pass through pine forest with viewpoints over the valley and the coffee farms below, and the gateway to Elephant Falls.
• Prenn Pass — the first pass south of Dalat on QL20, past Datanla Falls and down towards Lien Khuong and Duc Trong. It is the start of the road to the coast.

Ta Nung Pass (west)

Leave Dalat heading west and the town falls away quickly, replaced by pine forest and hillside coffee farms. The road climbs and winds, with pull-outs where you can look out over the valley. It is often misty in the early morning, so ride with your lights on and give the fog time to lift if you cannot see.

At the bottom you reach the Nam Ban area, home to flower farms and silk workshops — and, just beyond, Elephant Falls, a wide, powerful waterfall reached by a steep, slippery path down the rocks. Wear proper shoes and take it slowly. Right next to it stands the Linh An Pagoda with its large Buddha statue, worth a look while you are there.

Prenn Pass (south)

The southern route out of Dalat is busier — QL20 carries buses and trucks down to the coast — so ride defensively on this stretch. A few kilometres from town you pass Datanla Falls, then the road drops away down the pass towards Lien Khuong and the market towns around Duc Trong. The landscape changes as you descend: pine gives way to warmer, drier country.

Further on, a short detour off the main road leads to Pongour Falls, a broad waterfall that tumbles over many steps of rock — at its best in and just after the rainy season.

Riding them as a loop

The classic day combines both passes: ride south on QL20 down the Prenn Pass to Duc Trong and on to Pongour Falls, then cut west on country roads through the coffee farms towards Nam Ban, visit Elephant Falls and the Linh An Pagoda, and climb back to Dalat over the Ta Nung Pass. Doing it that way round leaves the busiest stretch of QL20 for the morning, when you are fresh. Our day trips guide has this and five more one-day rides.

Which bike?

The passes themselves are sealed road, so an automatic scooter such as the Honda Air Blade 125 is comfortable and easy. If you want to poke down the red-dirt tracks and back roads between the two passes, the Honda XR150L has the clearance for it. Both pick up at our shop in the centre of Dalat.

When to go

These are the foggiest roads around Dalat in the early morning and in the wet season, and the clay turns slippery after rain. The clearest riding is generally the dry months, roughly November to April — see the best time of year to ride. Want the scenery without the map-reading? Our full-day countryside tour covers the Ta Nung Pass, a coffee farm, Elephant Falls and Pongour with you on the back of a local guide-rider's bike.