Buon Ma Thuot is the largest town in the western highlands and is the gateway to Yok Don National Park.
Due to its lower elevation the climate is warmer and more humid than Dalat. The French, during colonial times, saw its agricultural potential and the town developed on the back of coffee, tea and rubber plantations.
Activities in and around Buon Ma Thuot
Also an alternative base from which to explore the surrounding region - you can cross Lak Lake on elephant-back or by dug out canoe, trek in the surrounding hills, visit local H'mong long houses where you can spend the night, or alternatively stay in one of the restored villas of Bao Dai, the last emperor of Vietnam.