Dray Nur & Dray Sap Waterfalls Travel Guide

Meta description: A pair of thundering waterfalls on the Serepok River in the Central Highlands, connected by legend and a short walk near Buon Ma Thuot.

Why Visit Dray Nur & Dray Sap Waterfalls

The Central Highlands around Buon Ma Thuot are better known internationally for coffee than for waterfalls, but the Serepok River system running through this red-soil plateau produces some of Vietnam's most powerful and visually dramatic falls, chief among them Dray Nur and Dray Sap. Sitting just a short walk apart from one another, connected by a suspension bridge that crosses the river between them, these two wide, thundering curtains of water are often visited together, and local legend holds that they were once a single, larger waterfall before the river carved the two apart, a story that gives the pair a certain romantic resonance beyond their raw physical scale.

Dray Nur, the larger and more powerful of the two, spans an impressively wide curtain of water that roars especially loud during and after the rainy season, while Dray Sap, whose name translates roughly to "waterfall of smoke," earns its nickname from the fine mist that rises off the falling water and catches the light on sunny days. Together they offer one of the most accessible and rewarding natural sights in Vietnam's Central Highlands, an easy complement to a coffee-focused visit to Buon Ma Thuot.

Quick Facts

• Location: Krong Ana District, Dak Lak Province, about 25-30 km south of Buon Ma Thuot
• Ideal trip length: Half-day trip
• Getting around: Short walking paths and a suspension bridge connect the two falls
• Known for: Wide, powerful waterfalls, Serepok River, Central Highlands scenery

Top Things to Do

Cross the suspension bridge between the two falls. A well-built bridge spans the Serepok River, connecting Dray Nur and Dray Sap and offering excellent views of the water below, a highlight of the visit in its own right beyond simply getting from one waterfall to the other.

View Dray Nur from its wide viewing platforms. The larger of the two falls stretches an impressive width across the river, and several vantage points let visitors take in its full scale, particularly dramatic during and just after the rainy season when water volume peaks.

Walk behind or near the mist at Dray Sap. Depending on water levels and the season, visitors can get close enough to Dray Sap to feel its fine spray, which is responsible for the "smoke" in its name and adds a cooling, refreshing element to a visit on a hot Highlands day.

Explore the surrounding forest trails. Beyond the main viewing areas, short forest paths wind through the vegetation around both falls, offering quieter spots away from the main crowds and a chance to appreciate the area's natural setting beyond the waterfalls themselves.

Combine with a Buon Ma Thuot coffee farm visit. Given the short distance from the city, many visitors pair a morning or afternoon at the falls with a stop at a nearby coffee plantation, making for a well-rounded half-day itinerary that captures both the region's natural and agricultural character.

Local Food

The area immediately around the falls has a handful of simple local restaurants serving Central Highlands fare, though most visitors combine a falls trip with a meal back in Buon Ma Thuot, where the region's coffee culture and Highland cuisine are best experienced. Ga nuong Ban Don, a style of grilled chicken associated with the nearby Ban Don ethnic minority area, is a regional specialty worth trying if passing through. Fresh river fish, caught locally from the Serepok, sometimes features on menus at restaurants near the falls, prepared simply, grilled or steamed. As with much of the Central Highlands, a strong cup of locally grown robusta coffee is practically obligatory, whether enjoyed before setting out or as a reward afterward back in the city.

Best Time to Visit

The rainy season from May through October brings the falls to their most dramatic and powerful state, with significantly higher water volume creating a more thunderous, visually impressive sight, though trails can be muddier and the mist heavier during this period. The dry season from November through April offers gentler, though still substantial, water flow along with easier walking conditions and clearer skies, a better choice for visitors prioritizing comfort over sheer dramatic scale. Either season offers a worthwhile visit, and the choice largely comes down to whether raw power or easy walking conditions matter more to your itinerary.

Where to Stay

Buon Ma Thuot, the Central Highlands' largest city and coffee capital, is the natural base for visiting Dray Nur and Dray Sap, offering a solid range of hotels and guesthouses along with easy access to the region's coffee farms and other highland attractions. There is no meaningful overnight accommodation directly at the falls themselves, making a day trip from the city the standard way to visit.

How to Get There

From Buon Ma Thuot, the falls are about 25 to 30 kilometers south, roughly a 40-minute to 1-hour drive by private car or motorbike, making them one of the most accessible natural attractions in the Central Highlands. Buon Ma Thuot itself is served by its own airport with domestic flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as long-distance bus connections, making the wider region reasonably easy to reach despite its inland, elevated location.

Final Thoughts

Dray Nur and Dray Sap offer a satisfying, easily accessible dose of natural drama in a region more often associated with coffee plantations than waterfalls, and the connecting suspension bridge between the two makes for a memorable, photogenic centerpiece to the visit. For travelers exploring Buon Ma Thuot and the wider Central Highlands, a half-day trip to these twin falls is a straightforward and rewarding way to round out a coffee-focused itinerary with some genuine natural spectacle.