Everyone is following the “trend” of cloud hunting in Da Lat. I am a local guy, living here for about a year now, waking up early every morning so I have some experience in cloud hunting in Da Lat that I want to share with everyone!! Currently, Da Lat is in its most beautiful season, with cold weather in the early morning, no rain, and a high chance of finding clouds. That’s why it’s time to put aside laziness and try once to admire the floating clouds beneath your feet.
What does Da Lat look like in winter? It’s a sea of clouds, right? Every day is filled with clouds and mist. Just wake up early, find a high hill with a wide view, and you will be able to see clouds and the sunrise. The earlier you wake up, the more beautiful moments you will witness, as if they were only in pictures.
>>> See more: Diary of camping overnight at the lonely pine tree in Da Lat
1. Time for cloud hunting in Da Lat
During this season, waking up at 4:30 and starting around 5 in the morning is good enough, no need to wake up at 2 or 3 in the morning. It’s the coldest time of the day and the easiest to find clouds, you can also see the sunrise with a colorful sky, clouds can be thick or thin, around 7 is when it starts to clear up
2. Cloud hunting spots in Da Lat
- Old Wooden Bridge (closed to tourists)
- Wooden platform, wooden carpet (at Che Cau Dat tea hill, 25km from Da Lat, fee around 50-70k)
- Thien Phuc Duc Hill (7-8km from the center, check the map – Free)
- Phu and Hon Bo Hills (over 10km away, quite difficult to reach, requires good driving skills – free)
- Tro Hill (also known as the son-in-law hill because you’ll see many couples taking wedding photos there :v)
- Che Cau Dat Tea Hill
3. Types of Clouds in Da Lat
If it’s called cloud hunting, it means it’s a matter of luck, some days you’ll see them, some days you won’t. It doesn’t mean there will always be clouds there for you to come and admire. Each day, the sky offers us a different type of weather: clear skies, low clouds, few clouds, moderate clouds, many clouds, and the luckiest ones will see the SEA OF CLOUDS, while the most unlucky ones will not see clouds but only fog (last few pictures).
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4. How to know if there are clouds to hunt?
It is very difficult to predict how the weather will be in the morning in Da Lat because the weather there is extremely capricious like a girl. The only way to know if there are clouds is to go straight there :v
Another way to know for sure that there are no clouds that day is “WINDY WEATHER”
Below are some photos at the old wooden bridge, arranged from the luckiest (clear sky) to the least lucky (fog), so you can prepare mentally to welcome whatever weather the morning brings. Ahuyhuy
Experience hunting clouds at Cau Dat Tea Hill, Da Lat
Today I will share some experiences of cloud hunting at CAU DAT TEA HILL.
How to get to Cau Dat Tea Hill
Specific location: From Cau Dat Tea Hill, go to the end of the road, when you see Cau Dat Farm in front of you, turn left.
Go about 800m in that direction, there is a red dirt road. Just go straight on that road and you will arrive.
Note: The red dirt road can be very muddy and slippery when it rains, so if you are not confident in your driving skills, it’s best to drive all the way there.
Cost
Ticket price: 30,000 VND/ticket and 50,000 VND/ticket (including entrance fee)
Best time to start: around 4-4:30 am depending on your speed.
Before going, you can call ahead to ask if there are clouds there.Then if you arrive at the starting point and don’t see any vehicles, you can proactively call the lady to request a jeep to pick you up.
They sell coffee and instant noodles here. Ms. Phuong is very enthusiastic, guiding you on which angles and directions to take photos.
>>> More info: Experience traveling to Da Lat independently from A-Z
How to hunt clouds at Cau Dat
This is the wooden bridge for cloud hunting on the tea hill at Cau Dat, just go straight and you will meet the security guard who will direct you to the dirt road.On the dirt road, if you pay attention, you will notice there are 2 cloud hunting areas, the other house is about to open, the photos taken there look better.When you arrive, the lady there will collect 20k per person, I arrived here around 6:30 am, rushed in fearing the clouds would disappear… luckily they were still there, this place is about 25km from the city, so you should wake up early around 4-4:30 am depending on your preference.The photos I took are real without any additions, just some photo color editing, I mainly use vsco and lightroom for editing.
Experience hunting clouds in Da Lat
- Beautiful cloud hunting spots are usually: Thien Phuc Duc Hill, Da Phu Hill, Hon Bo, Wooden Bridge, Wooden Carpet,… but if you want to enjoy the most beautiful moment in Da Lat, then go to Cau Dat tea hill.
- Departure time: should be at 4:30 in the morning, Cau Dat hill is 24km away from the center. Going at this time will have many obstacles for you: fog, winding mountain roads, darkness, so it’s safer to go in a group, if necessary, consider hiring a guide.
- Transportation: car, taxi or motorbike. Taxi fare to Cau Dat hill is around 250k/way (for those who are afraid of the cold or elderly). If you are young and healthy, just ride a motorbike to enjoy the early morning air.
- Clothing: it’s early morning so it’s quite cold, currently the temperature is around 14-15 degrees. As Christmas approaches, it gets colder so prepare to wear warm clothes, the most important thing is to protect your hands and neck. If necessary, wear a nylon raincoat as well.
- Popular spots: Wooden Carpet for cloud hunting and Wooden Bridge (currently prohibited entry)
>>> See more : 70 hottest tourist spots in Da Lat
