Thinh Pham

Tag: Dalat

  • [2017 Memories] Zoodoo Dalat – A Fanstatic Zoo to explore

    [2017 Memories] Zoodoo Dalat – A Fanstatic Zoo to explore

    Zoodoo Dalat – An Australian zoo in Vietnam? A very new attraction near Dalat. It’s very strange to the local. Sound great to explore and review for you guy.

    Zoodoo Dalat welcomed us in the rain, a bit. It seemed there’s no paid parking lot, I saw a lot of vehicle left unattendedly, I thought it was safe to leave bike there.

     road to Zoodoo among pine forest

    The zoo situates among famous pine forest, 40 kilometers away from Dalat, on the way downward Nha Trang, nearly reach Omega pass (which I used to have a memorable night camping). It’s available on google map so you can search it easily. If not, you can search Bidoup national garden entrance, Zoodoo is just four kilometers away from it.

    Booking in advance is advised or you’re possibly back because of full queue. There’s a fix visiting time-table and there’s limited number of visitors each time.

    There’s a coffee in the premise and it plays the role of ticket box as well. Just get inside, reach the counter and tell your name/ phone number (if you’ve already booked) or request booking and leave your phone number so that they call you when tickets are available. Then have a meal/ drink waiting for your call.

     ticket booth inside the cafe

    Ticket price for adult is 100,000 dong, 50,000 dong for child. Most of visitors are parents and children. I think Zoodoo is suitable for a family with little children, who mostly love oversea animal. Another kind of visitors is young travellers who haven’t touched Australian animals, so they go there to have a very first check-in before the zoo is outnumbered by tourists.

    The design and decoration of zoodoo coffee is just like many art coffee in HCMc or Dalat. I think their should add more stuffs related to their animals to have a better relevant ambiance.

    You’ll be led by a tour guide (it’s a young girl in my trip), she loves animals and have quite good representation speeches of each animal. You should purposely ask for more details to get more knowledge value, if you expect it.

    At first, the tour guide will explain the zoo regulations then selling feeding food for 10,000 dong/ piece (fresh and proceeded). It’s noted that because most of the visitors are Vietnamese, you’d better ask for foreign groups as booking to enjoy English speeches.

    The first destination is a demo house, where most of typical animals of zoodoo are available. You have a very first chance to feed and touch them.

    Then the guide lead you to preserved-animal cages, monkeys from Nha Trang to Chim Tri.

     Giving a hug to short-leg horse !

    Next, you can get inside cages of sheep, short horse, camel, birds and kangaroo, feed and touch them directly.

    You should feed all your foodstuffs at horse area because from bird cages experience then, you’re distributed a certain food by the guide.

     Bird cage real experience

    There’s a rule that if you hurt or kill birds on or not on purposes, then the fine is 500,000 dong regardless of how condition the bird is. The guide explained that because many visitors unpurposely drop food on the ground, which attracts birds landing and being stepped on to dead, leading the number of bird decreases at half. It’s pity and I was feeling very sorry for the fact. It’ very exciting as birds are almost standing on your palm and enjoy their meals.

    Kangaroos are more interesting to people who have never been to Australia – Kangaroo homeland. The guide told us that it’s proudly to have a first kangaroo baby born in Vietnam. My sense of these creatures is they’re like giant mouses

    You won’t see an adult kangaroo because their combat skills my hurt the visitors, so mostly kangaroos in Zoodoo are babies.

     Another hug <3

    Conclusion: Zoodoo Dalat is a real worthy experience, especially the local travelers.

    You can contact and read more info at Zoodoo fanpage .

    A full Zoodoo tour took me 1,5 hour. And Zoodoo is a really must- go attractions if you’re backpacking Dalat.

  • Hon Giao Pass Camping: an Awesome Story

    Hon Giao Pass Camping: an Awesome Story

    Few people camping here and if you can be one of them, I can sure that the experience is really awesome.

    Hon Giao is a famous pass. It slopes from Da Lat city downward to Nha Trang, gets by Bidoup – Nui Ba national forest. Considered one of the most beautiful and longest passes in central highland of Viet Nam, local travelers prefer “Omega”. It’s such a beautiful woman, abandoned and need you to have a talk to her at night – camping.

    https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=1Y0Pfq2VYriQ2OEujJdgIe6XT-Zw

    I don’t know why people name it with the final one in Greek letters. My friends suggest that because of its top-down shape similar to the letter. Another assumption is that it’s the longest pass in Viet Nam. This is the top-down google map:

    My adventure – Hon Giao pass camping overnight

    The first time I’ve been to here, as a part of the road trip which I made with my friend, starting from Nha Trang en route through Da Lat to HCMC. It was memorable. And from time to time, my mind still remains the picture of cloudy roads stick to the sharp slopes while facing a massive landscape of breath-taking moments.

    This time, it’s second day in my trip with new friends and our itinerary was just to ride down the pass for a while, then we would be back for Da Lat night camping.

    However, at the height of 1500, we caught a big wave of cloud coming us, suddenly made every visibility zero. It was so impressive that we quickly closed a deal: we would set up a camp fire right there and right at that night. That’s when the idea of Hon Giao pass camping started.

    We went on down to the foot of the pass to refuel (one of bike was exhausted and there’s no gas station at the middle). We had 6 people while we brought along only one tent, the other was left in Da Lat for storage because our initial plan was some place around the town. So some of us had to head back to obtain it.

    After the refuel, we went together back to the appointed camp site. Then, we decided to divide into 2 groups: 2 boys (including leader) would ride back to take the tent and buy more supplies so that we had a wonderful night with delicious food and beer. The other (me and 3 girls) would be in charge of setting up camp while waiting for them back.

    It was adventurous, truly. You will soon realize that there’s no light around but a far far away beneath are lamp posts as tiny as fireflies. Sometimes trucks, cars contribute their light running on road as comets flashing in the night sky.

    For the sky, at first, we didn’t see any sign of  the stellar. But gradually, when cloud was away, left the whole clear sky. Then we realized how beautiful moments we were enjoying: somehow lonely, little under milky way. As if the night digested us and we were natural as a part of the landscape.

    The night at the middle of Omega, you can pack up a handy speaker to entertain, while cooking your meal and singing along lyrics. You can also choose to lie on rocks, look up and watch the sky, try to figure out various constellations,… . Just make your night full and wait for the gorgeous sunrise.

    It was our luck when there’s no fog or cloud in the morning next day, so we could happily enjoy the sunrise in the (quite) clear sky. Make some coffee and enjoy moments. It’s worthy.

    Pieces of advises

    Camping is great when the ground was even, and the surrounding was tall enough to play as wind-blockers. There’s no difficulty setting up tent if you’d like to make a Hon Giao pass camping. It’s cold so you should have a heat reflective layer underneath to make sure you won’t waste your warmth. It also makes your sleep more comfortable inside.

    For your vehicles, we rode bikes, so we decided to ride down a bit. So that if any thefts happens then they are likely to make noise to get the bike on road, which alarms us. You can also hide your bikes in the tall grass, it’s easier.

    It’s essential that you prepare camp fire for heat and cooking. My experience shows that you should bring along some timber to produce big flame, so that you can heat your body and clothes (if it’s wet).

    Cooking is not easy for the first time of Hon Giao pass camping, but as I learnt from other advanced trekking travelers, we successfully enjoyed our full dinner with some tips.

    You can grille bread and food cans directly on fire, just make sure you won’t let them burnt out. Make handy instant noodle and coffee is more complicating a bit. You have to make sure that the water level inside container (cup) is always higher than heat impact area. Because the temperature required to make water vaporize is lower than one to smelt container material (usually plastic), so you can cook perfectly, as long as it’s watered enough.

    There’s a little stream nearby, running every times so there’s no need to worry about water when camping there. It’s likely to be drier a bit in hot season, but in my trip, its flow was strong and full. I think you can even use it as a natural bath, but take it cautiously because if you fall off, you’ll face 1500 height immediately.

    There’s still a little 3G coverage there. I was exciting when I finished an article and submitted easily with internet, so you can live your cyber life and push social posts at camp site. Sound great!

    My last piece of advises is that if trouble comes, there’s a forester station nearby. You just ride upward Da Lat few minutes, and ask for help. I’ve never use it, so I don’t know whether officers can communicate English. I think google translate can solve it, just remember to type short sentences and the opposite work out easily.

    Another adventure I love is the trip to Vietnam easternmost point . Very natural, beautiful and challenging.

    Omega pass is very near Dalat so if you plan to stay there, don’t forget to check this top food list, it’s very useful if you’d love to explore culture through eating (well, I love eating).