Ta Gu Waterfall, located in the forested mountain area near Khanh Hoa’s border with the highland Lam Dong Province, is a beautiful and unspoiled waterfall not yet part of the Khanh Hoa tourist trail. The weather in Ta Gu is usually cool. Part of the charm of the place is the path to get there, an adventure which often involves hanging onto protruding tree roots to keep your feet on the ground.
Ta Gu Waterfall is situated in Hiep Son Commune (Khanh Son District, Khanh Hoa Province), about 60 to 70 km from the sea. The climate here is cool year round, due to its high position at 1300 meters above sea level. If you go to Ta Gu from Cam Ranh City on the coast, you will be driven along roads which wind from one mountain to another. The road will bring you to about 300 metres from the waterfall, and you’ll rely on your feet to get you the rest of the way.
The path to the waterfall is short, but don’t underestimate it. From the road, you’ll face a steep drop of around 10 metres. The way forward here is to turn around – face the cliff, channel Spiderman to stick yourself to the slope, and use your hands to grab tree roots and rocks for support as you descend. After you get to the bottom, it’s time to climb. Life is, after all, full of ups and downs… You’ll head up about 200 metres along the bank of the stream. From here you can see the lake, where the water is usually clear and still. The lake, formed by boulders and rocks blocking the water flow, rises and falls with rainfall levels. You have to leapfrog across protruding rocks to cross over the stream. Be sure your pack, mobile phone and anything else you are carrying is well secured, or it might end up getting washed. As you pass the stream and continue along the other side, dense tree coverage makes for fresh air that will keep you cool. This area is quite rough and difficult to access. From the edge of the water, you can rock-hop to your favourite boulder nearer to the waterfall. And finally, the waterfall is right in front of you!
After overcoming the challenge to get here, your tiredness will fade away with the wonderful view of the waterfall. The end of the lake at the foot of the falls is hemmed in by cliffs 30-40 metres high. From the rim of the cliff, a white torrent of water pours noisily into the lake all day and night. The surface of the lake reflects the light from above, often creating a colourful rainbow in the mist. A local legend tells us that many fairies from heaven used to stop here to enjoy the natural world. One fairy, absorbed by the beauty of the spot, lost track of time and failed to return before the gate of heaven closed. As a result, she had to stay here forever, and lived in sadness with memories of her home in heaven, where she could not return. She died on a cliff, and her long hair flowed down to form the falls. Ta Gu waterfall therefore bears another name, “Fairy Waterfall”. This name is used by many people because they find it hard to describe the waterfall’s beauty in words, and use this story to speak about its poetic and charming beauty.
The way to Ta Gu is takes you through a highland area, considered the connection between forest and sea. You’ll drive through a mountain pass with sharp switch-backs forcing the road into a Z-shape. On one side is a cliff, on the other is an abyss. Faraway you can see mountains heaped up on each other, beyond which you can see the greenish sea at Cam Ranh Bay.
A visit to Ta Gu Waterfall will bring you incredible scenery, a few cliff-face adventures, and the beautiful natural vista of the crossroad between coast and mountain, highland and seashore.
