Highland Cuisine on the Bidoup Nui Ba Tour
Food is one of the elements that gives a trip its value. It reveals the beauty, character, and local identity of a place. Hiking Bidoup Nui Ba is not only about admiring the beauty of a cool, green primeval forest in every season. It is also a chance to enjoy distinctive highland dishes beside the campfire, beneath the old forest canopy.
A brief look at the Bidoup Nui Ba hiking route
At 2,167 m and 2,287 m, Nui Ba and Bidoup are the two highest peaks in the Central Highlands. Bidoup is also known as the “roof of the Lam Vien Plateau.” To conquer Bidoup Nui Ba, you can hike through Bidoup Nui Ba National Park in Lac Duong District, Lam Dong Province, about 50 km from Da Lat City.
Cuisine in highland community life
Food in the lives of highland people does more than satisfy daily hunger. It reflects culinary taste, gratitude within ethnic communities, human connection, and the relationship between people and nature. It is also an essential part of Central Highlands beliefs. Some dishes appear during festivals or community gatherings.
Special dishes on the highland summit
Smoked pork
Grilled smoked pork is a popular dish among Central Highlands communities. The meat is seasoned to taste. After grilling, it turns golden and crisp, with flavor absorbed throughout, fragrant and satisfying without being heavy. Local people often enjoy this dish during festivals, gatherings, or when welcoming friends and honored guests.
Grilled chicken
It would be a mistake not to mention grilled chicken. This simple dish is made from free-range chicken, seasoned and roasted over fire. The meat is firm and flavorful, not dry, and looks especially inviting as it turns over the charcoal. A piece of chicken dipped in a special sauce and eaten with vegetables feels like the essence of the forest wrapped into one bite.
Bamboo-tube rice
Com lam, or bamboo-tube rice, is a rustic dish that shows the uniqueness of mountain communities. It requires no elaborate pots or pans, only sticky rice, bamboo tubes, water, and a little salt. The tubes are turned over the fire while roasting. When cooked, the rice becomes soft and sticky, with the aroma of glutinous rice blended with fresh bamboo. On a chilly night, enjoying bamboo-tube rice with smoked pork or grilled chicken is an unforgettable food experience.
Banh hoi and banh uot with grilled meat
Although simple, this dish is hard to resist while hiking Bidoup Nui Ba. Thin slices of grilled meat are marinated with mountain-style spices that give them an appealing color, then served with soft banh uot. Crisp Vietnamese pork sausage and fresh vegetables add even more flavor. Besides banh cuon-style rice rolls, the meat can also be eaten with banh hoi.
Light bites that are just as appealing
In addition to main dishes, To Ong also prepares attractive side dishes. A hot bowl of nui soup with a gentle flavor can warm you up in the cool mountain air. There are light lunches under mossy forest canopies, sweet fruit, and nutritious forest vegetables. 
A special feast by the fire
The campsite is a beautiful place beneath a pine forest. Here, you can slowly watch the sunset at day’s end through a thin veil of mist, greet sunrise with a warm cup of coffee, and even admire gentle seas of clouds when the weather is suitable. At night, the campsite becomes romantic under a starry sky, surrounded by a dreamlike darkness. There are no horns or city smoke, only the fragrance of grilled meat, the crackle of fire, and cheerful stories shared together.
Memorable experiences on the Bidoup Nui Ba tour
Cross many types of forest
The Bidoup Nui Ba hiking route leads you into a rare, untouched landscape. It is one of Vietnam’s most beautiful primeval forests, and the only place in the country where evergreen closed forest, open conifer forest, and subtropical broadleaf-conifer mixed forest come together.
Explore rich flora and fauna
Alongside the diversity of forests, the vegetation on the hiking route is extremely rich. Mushrooms of many shapes and colors grow on trees in unusual forms. The forest remains well preserved with 1,933 plant species, including 62 rare species listed in Vietnam’s Red Book. Bidoup Nui Ba is also known as a home of wild orchids.
Use ropes toward the roof of the Lam Vien Plateau at 2,287 m
Reach the goal of the Bidoup Nui Ba tour, admire the vast forest scenery, and take in Bidoup Nui Ba National Park from above.
Visit the 1,300-year-old Po Mu tree
This is one of the famous check-in spots on the Bidoup Nui Ba route. The ancient tree stands firmly in the middle of the primeval forest like a quiet witness to time.
Pull a ferry across the Da Nhim River
A small ferry carries you across the peaceful Da Nhim River amid the mountains and forests of Bidoup.This is a journey that softens fatigue, blending forest scenery with delicious food, ancient stillness with fresh vitality. To Ong always tries to preserve the distinctive flavor of each dish. Beyond the memorable activities, under a sky full of stars, your Bidoup Nui Ba hiking trip becomes even more meaningful. If you already miss the cuisine here, go hiking with To Ong.
