Make the Most of Your Trip to Ba Na Hills, Da Nang
You haven’t seen Da Nang unless you have visited Ba Na Hills. There must be a good reason to include Ba Na Hills in your Da Nang bucket list, and you won’t want to miss any experience at this wonderland.
A giant Golden Bridge like a floating silk ribbon in the sky, gardens of flowers blooming in radiant sunlight, French-like castles hidden in mysterious fog and many other scenic spots will urge you to Ba Na Hills. Ba Na, as one of the best attractions in Da Nang, treats your eyes with fantastic sceneries and your Instagram with most-liked posts.
An overview of the fairy tale mist wonderland
Under the French colonial period in 1901, a French officer was seeking a place with cool climate like Da Lat to build a resort and hospital catering to needs of residents in the Central Vietnam. Then a 1,400-metre-high hill located 30km away from Da Nang City was chosen, and it was not until 1919 that the very first hotel was built on Ba Na Hills.
At that time, only French and Vietnamese senior officials could visit Ba Na Hills. But now it has become one of the most popular tourist spots in Vietnam, and thanks to the cable cars, your way to Ba Na Hills is worry-free and even more ‘romantic’.
Best time to visit Ba Na Hills
The answer for the question of best time to visit Ba Na depends much on your interest. If you enjoy crowded atmosphere then come to Ba Na Hills between April and August. There are many Vietnamese and international tourists choosing Ba Na Hills for their summer vacation during this time of the year.
For those who are in search of serenity to get away from it all, spring days (from January to March) and winter days (around October to December) are low seasons at Ba Na Hills. Traveling on these days, you can enjoy the best of Ba Na Hills in its rustic beauty. However, keep in mind that the weather from November to January is typically overwhelmed by fog and low temperature. That means the weather condition may challenge your steps and your views too. So, remember to bring a sweater in case of cold weather.
How to get there
It takes 40km to get to Ba Na Hills from the center of Da Nang City. Taxi is the most popular means of transport that travelers usually opt for. Once you reach the base of Ba Na Hills, you will get on a cable car to visit its top. The Ba Na Hills Cable Car system consists of 5 routes: Suoi Mo – Ba Na, Debay – Morin, Toc Tien Waterfall- L’Indochine, Hoi An – Marseille and Bordeaux – Louvre.
These cable cars are not for the purpose of transportation solely but they also give you a great opportunity to marvel at surrounding landscapes, not to mention that they hold many world records. Among them, the Toc Tien Waterfall- L’Indochine line was awarded Guinness World Records for the longest one-wire sling, the longest unpatched wire, and the heaviest cable roll in the world.
Top things to do at Ba Na Hills
Visiting Ba Na Hills is like making a journey to the world of fairy tale mist. You never have to feel dull as there are so many amazing things to see and do here.
1. Admire the beauty of the Golden Bridge
It’s absolutely the Golden Bridge that attracts more and more travelers to Ba Na Hills every day. At the altitude of 1,414 meters above the sea level, the Golden Bridge is accessed directly through the Hoi An Station. Once entering Ba Na Hills Resort from Hoi An Station, you will be greeted by the giant stone hands holding up the iconic Golden Bridge.
Walking on this bridge, travelers can enjoy the breath-taking view of the mountain landscape. Clouds hovering above the bridge brings you the experience of walking through the heaven of clouds. If you have already been enchanted by the magnificence of the bridge through viral videos, it’s even much tempting to take tons of Instagram-friendly photos here.
See more on Ba Na Hills and Golden Bridge Experience
2. Ride the Alpine Coaster
There’s nothing more chilling than riding around the hills at such a super high speed that you can feel wind streaming past your face. This is the best experience to trigger your bravery and drive out disturbing thoughts.
The track winds you through loops, curves and turns. The car can travel at up to 40km/h, and it sounds great for thrill-seekers. Just don’t worry if you are new to adventurous experiences as you can control the speed with the braking system. Go fast or slowly anytime you want in the blink of an eye.
3. Wander around the French Village
Known as “Little Europe on Ba Na Hills”, the French Village boasts ancient European architecture in the 19th century. You are about to get lost in a large square with castles, flower gardens, fountains inspired by French architecture such as St Denis Cathedral, Château De Chenonceau, Conques Aveyron, or Apremont-sur-Allier.
If you have been to Europe before, the vibe was clearly there and even more thanks to the perfect cool air Ba Na Hills has to offer. Around 3.00 PM there will be some people dressed in ancient Western costumes waiting for you to take photos with. Here you can find Mercure Ba Na Hills French Village, a hotel located in the heart of the French Village if you want to spend more than a day discovering Ba Na.
4. Visit Linh Ung Pagoda
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There are 3 pagodas named Linh Ung in Da Nang, and the Linh Ung Pagoda on Ba Na Hills is the highest one. You can find the other two on Son Tra Peninsula and on the Marble Mountains. Linh Ung Pagoda on Ba Na Hills stands out with a 27-meter-high statue of Gautama Buddha standing on the octagonal base that represents a story about the eight stages of the Buddha’s life.
The pagoda is a wonderful place where you can have a good view of the French-style mansion of the Gare De Bay station nestled in the jungle. The spacious area around Linh Ung Pagoda is perfect for a walk into serenity, a rare place where you can hide away from the vibrant complex outside.
5. Meet famous people at the Wax Museum
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This is the easiest way to take a photo with your favorite celebrities around the world, although they are just fake versions. If you have visited the Madame Tussauds then the Wax Museum on Ba Na Hills seems to be less alluring in terms of its size and complexity. However, you still have fun looking for some of your favorite models here.
Keep in mind that you have to pay an extra entrance fee for this museum as it is not included in the Ba Na Hills ticket. Children under 130cm can get free tickets. Anyway, the Wax Museum is worth your visit, especially if you go with children.
6. Visit the Le Jardin D’Amour Garden
Are you into flowers and their fragrance? Le Jardin D’Amour Garden never lets you down with aparang and daylily flowers at Suoi Mo Garden, bellflowers at the Garden of Eden, and many other flowers that are there to make visitors curious about.
The Le Jardin D’Amour Garden includes 9 gardens with different architectural designs telling interesting stories of romance and elegance. The magical mist makes your visit akin to the journey into Alice’s wonderland. There are walkaways of flowers that are literally designed for people to instagram as well.
7. Enjoy wine at Debay Wine Cellar
The wine cellar, dug through Ba Na Hills was built in 1923 to store wine transported from France. This is an ancient wine cellar with the length of approximately 100 meters and the inside temperature maintained at 16-20°C. Though many years passed, the Debay Wine Cellar still keeps its initial shapes quite well.
8. Play games at Fantasy Park
Here at the world-class Fantasy Park you will enjoy lots of adventure and family-friendly games. With an area of 21,000 m2, Fantasy Park is the largest entertainment complex in the country. Most of the games are already included in the ticket price, and that means you just have to go around and play.
Whether you travel solo, in group, with children or friends, you can find endless fun with all kinds of awe-inspiring games. Just feel the thrills of flying a Formula 1 air race with 4D Death race theater, get up and down in a flash at the Drop Tower, or strengthen your muscles with indoor rock climbing.
Ba Na Hills is an exceptionally delightful experience you should not miss when visiting Da Nang, one of the trending places to visit in Vietnam. Your day will be filled with fun and unforgettable moments while your Vietnam experience will be much more diverse with this first-class mountaintop resort. Contact us now for Ba Na Hills and Golden Hands Bridge Experience.
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Trinh Tran written for Maika Tours
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