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Bach Ma Discovery: a 130 metre suspension bridge strung across the face of do quyen waterfall

Hue, Vietnam

Bach Ma Discovery

Length
One day
How hard is it
Moderate
Group size
14
Minimum age
9+

Only here: The only way to cross the waterfall bridge, climb the via ferrata and ride the zipline in a single day from Hue.

A day trip from Hue that puts you on a 130 metre suspension bridge across a waterfall, up 301 steel rungs beside it, and then on a zipline back over the top.

What you actually do

  • A 130 metre suspension bridge strung across the face of Do Quyen Waterfall
  • A via ferrata of 301 steel rungs climbing the rock beside the falls
  • An 85 metre zipline back across the waterfall
  • Swimming at the Ngu Ho Five Lakes in old forest
  • Bach Ma National Park, about 40 km south of Hue and 1,444 m at its peak
  • Groups capped at 14, and hotel pickup in Hue included

Is this the right tour for you?

Worth reading before you book. Age limits and group rules rule people out more often than fitness does.

Book it if

  • You are based in Hue and want one memorable day out of the city
  • You like the idea of a via ferrata but have never done one
  • You are travelling with children aged 9 or over who are up for heights
  • You want to be back in Hue for dinner

Look elsewhere if

  • You are afraid of heights. The bridge, the rungs and the zipline are the whole day
  • You are visiting between September and December, when fog and heavy rain can spoil it
  • You are based in Da Nang or Hoi An and want transfers included: only Hue pickup is covered

How the day runs

  1. Morning: the bridge, the rungs and the zipline

    A vehicle collects you from central Hue between half seven and eight and drives about an hour to the base near Bach Ma mountain, where you are briefed and fitted with kit. From the trailhead near the summit the group descends to the top of Do Quyen Waterfall and on to the start of the suspension bridge, which crosses 130 metres over the face of the falls. After a snack the via ferrata begins: clipped into a harness, you climb 301 steel rungs up the rock alongside the falling water. The 85 metre zipline then sends you back across the waterfall, after which the group walks down through the forest to the Five Lakes where lunch is waiting.

  2. Afternoon: the Five Lakes, then back to Hue

    The afternoon is unhurried: Ngu Ho is a chain of natural pools in old forest, and the time there is yours to swim, sit by the water or do nothing. Around half three the vehicle collects the group to return kit at the base, reaching central Hue about half five.

What the price covers

  • Guide, trained safety assistants and porters
  • All via ferrata and zipline equipment, helmet and harness
  • Lunch and drinks
  • PVI travel insurance
  • Transfers within the Hue area
  • Boots, sandals and towels to borrow

Not included: tips, personal spending, transfers from outside the hue area.

When to go

Best January to August. From September to December the park sees heavy rain, thick fog and humidity around 90 percent, with a real risk of flash flooding.

Questions worth asking first

Can I do this as a day trip from Da Nang or Hoi An?

You can join the tour, but transfers are only included within the Hue area, so you would need to get yourself to Hue or arrange your own transport. Da Nang to Bach Ma is roughly two hours each way, which makes for a very long day on top of an already full one.

Do I need via ferrata experience?

No. You are clipped to a fixed cable the whole way and the safety team climbs with the group. What you need is a head for heights: 301 rungs beside a waterfall is exposed, and there is no discreet way to opt out halfway up.

What is the best time of year for Bach Ma?

January to August, when it is dry and clear. From September to December the park gets concentrated rainfall, fog thick enough to erase the view, humidity around 85 to 90 percent, and a real risk of flash floods and landslides. The tour may still run, but you would be paying for a view you cannot see.

How does this compare with the two day Do Quyen tour?

The two day version at 11,250,000 VND adds the thing this day trip does not have: a 200 metre canyoning descent down the waterfall itself, plus a night camped at the Five Lakes and a training session first. This one day trip does the bridge, the rungs and the zipline and gets you home the same evening.

How the price compares

Every tour here, cheapest first. Bars use a compressed scale so the shorter trips stay readable next to the expeditions.

Approximate figures, per person; the operator bills in VND. Cheapest is 800,000 VND (about $30), dearest is 79,500,000 VND (about $3,060).

If you want something bigger

Phong Huong Adventure Overnight, Khe Sanh

Jungle Boss

Phong Huong Adventure Overnight

2D1N

The forest walk and the lake camp together, finishing with a 30 metre abseil down Ta Puong waterfall and a jump into the pool.

The only trip pairing the red forest walk with a waterfall abseil, in two days.

Moderate
3,350,000 VND
about $130 · age 6+
Ma Da Valley Jungle Camping, Phong Nha

Jungle Boss

Ma Da Valley Jungle Camping

2D1N

The gentlest way to sleep in the jungle here: the same caves as the day trek, plus a night camped on the sand at Ma Da Lake and cliff jumps if you want them.

The only overnight here with no rope work at all, and the lowest age limit of any camping trip.

Moderate
5,175,000 VND
about $200 · age 9+
Phong Huong Excursion, Khe Sanh

Jungle Boss

Phong Huong Excursion

2D1N

The most relaxed trip in the catalogue: a boat to an island camp on Rao Quan lake, a barbecue, a campfire, and nothing more strenuous than a paddleboard.

The only trip with no hiking whatsoever: a boat to an island camp and nothing more strenuous than a paddleboard.

Gentle
1,950,000 VND
about $75 · age 6+

Photographs by Jungle Boss.

Plan the rest

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