Conquering the peak of Hon Ba Mountain

Hon Ba Mountain is considered “Da Lat of the Beach City” when endowed by nature with a cool climate all year round. After a long trek on the winding and misty path, tourists reach the peak of the mountain at an altitude of 1,500m where they have a panoramic view of the magnificent and imposing scenery of the region.

Hon Ba Mountain is located in Cam Lam District, Khanh Hoa Province, 60km north of Nha Trang. The area has a temperate climate and boasts primitive forests hundreds of years old so it is an ideal place for those who want to discover wild, natural beauty. Allured by the charm of the area, we decided to make a trip to Hon Ba Mountain.

 Hon Ba Mountain is like a  sleeping fairy in the forest.
Da Giang Stream is located near the road leading to Hon Ba Mountain.
The wild beauty on the mountain.
The road to Hon Ba Mountain.
The abundant eco-system on Hon Ba Mountain.
The diversified eco-system on Hon Ba Moutain. 
A panoramic view of Nha Trang Bay seen from the peak of Hon Ba Mountain.

At 6:30a.m, we started our trip to the peak of the mountain. On the way, we stopped at Suoi Nguon Tourist Area at a height of 300m where we had a delicious meal of grilled chicken, while listening to the murmur of streams running through banana and durian forests and looking at the view of Nha Trang in the distance. We all experienced an interesting feeling when we sometimes walked through floating clouds during our trip. We also visited Hon Ba Nature Reserve. According to statistics, the reserve boasts 529 varieties of vascular plants (tracheophyta) under 401 branches and 120 families, including 43 precious and rare varieties listed in the Red Book, such as Krempt’s Pine (Pinus Krempfii), Fokienia and Rhodoleia Championii. At present, a nursery is being built in the reserve with the aim of breeding and preserving rare plants which are then planted in a 70ha garden.

At 10:30a.m, we were at the middle of the mountain at a height of 900m. Below was the scenery of the land of Cam Lam and above were dense primitive forests with thousands of old trees in clouds, creating a romantic picture.

At 12p.m., we finally reached the peak of the mountain at an altitude of 1,500m. All of us felt very excited and discovered the place where there stands a wooden house of the famous French doctor, Alexandre Yersin (1863-1943) who opened the path to the peak of the mountain 100 years ago. The doctor spent his youth discovering Da Lat, conducting scientific research, establishing monitoring stations and finding many rare varieties of herbal plants.

The house of doctor Alexandre Yersin at the peak of Hon Ba Mountain.
Inside the house of Doctor A.Yersin.
The bedroom of Doctor A.Yersin.
Doctor Alexandre Yersin's nursery tray.
The scenery from Doctor A.Yersin’s house.

The two-floor wooden house covering a total area of 100m2 was restored in 2004. Now it is a library with many objects of great historical value, such as a stone table, chair and bed. However, we were mostly impressed by the garden of medicinal herbs with two hundred-year-old green tea trees (camellia sinensis).
At 1p.m., we left the peak of the mountain during a sudden rain and all of us will surely never forget the memories of this beautiful place.

Source: VNP