Ta Puong scenic complex is located in Huong Viet Commune, Huong Hoa Mountainous District, Quang Tri Province. Under the green of the primeval forest east of the Truong Son Mountain range, Ta Puong Waterfall appears spectacularly as a natural museum of “water” and “rocks”, bringing visitors to the fascinating natural world with rare emotions.
Visitors at Ta Puong waterfall 3
From Dong Ha City, the capital of Quang Tri Province, visitors can go west along Highway 9 about 60km to Khe Sanh Town in the mountainous district of Huong Hoa. From here, visitors can continue along Ho Chi Minh Road (western direction) for nearly 60km to Huong Viet Commune, where the Ta Puong scenic complex is located. The path from Khe Sanh to Ta Puong also passes through many favourite places for travellers who love to explore the majestic Truong Son range such as Ta Con Airport, Chenh Venh Waterfall, Sa Mu Pass, etc.
Museum of “water” and “rocks”
It is no exaggeration to say that the Ta Puong landscape is a natural museum on the architectures of “water” and “rocks”. Ta Puong preserves the quintessence of nature, heaven, and earth that blend together in an inexplicably charming manner. When admiring majestic waterfalls and caves with masterpieces of stalactites and experiencing bathing under the waterfall here, visitors will have a great feeling amid the mountains and forests in the west of Quang Tri Province. The Ta Puong scenic spot has one cave and three waterfalls. “Ta Puong” means “the place with a waterfall pouring from the high mountains” in the Bru-Van Kieu ethnic minority people’s language.
The three majestic waterfalls (more than 35m high), rushing white water from the top of the mountain, make visitors admire the splendor of the great Truong Son Mountain. Admiring each Ta Puong waterfall with mossy steep cliffs, it seems that travellers are going through thousands of years of history to touch and connect with the past.
Ta Puong Cave has an entrance which is about 10m wide and more than 200m deep into the mountain. The cave is divided into two parts, including a clear stream on one side and a wide sand beach on the other side. The stream is about 4-5 metres across at its widest section, with varying shallowness and depth. Nature favourably created a cave with many unique stalactites and its dome is as high and wide as a palace. To move deep inside the cave, travellers have to carry a flashlight to observe the beauty of the stalactites. The locals said this cave many kilometres long. During the resistance wars in the past, the cave was a shelter for local people and army units.
Still surprised with the mysterious beauty, visitors should continue to walk about more than 200 metres to admire Ta Puong waterfall 1 pouring along a steep 35-metre-high cliff to the lake at the foot of the waterfall. Wading streams and walking through another dangerous path of more than 200 metres, visitors can touch Ta Puong waterfall 2. It is hidden in the primeval jungle, with the pristine nature like a fairyland.
Visitors from Hanoi to Ta Puong waterfall 3 are interested the walking distance of nearly 1 kilometre of forest road before entering the waterfall.
Ta Puong waterfall 3 is more than 200 metres north of Ta Puong waterfall 2 as the crow flies. The road to the waterfall is the most convenient among the Ta Puong landscape complex. Leaving cars and motorbikes at the parking lot in the resettlement area of Trang Ta Puong Village, visitors walk in the middle of the forest along the 50-centimetre-wide forest road parallel to the A Xoc Stream for a distance of nearly 1 kilometre to reach the Ta Puong waterfall 3.
At the top of the waterfall are horizontal undulating rocks that block the stream when it flows here and divide it into many small waterfalls that pour into the emerald-green lake. The sound of the waterfall is like the sound of a stone lute amid the vast forest with the sound of sacred forest birds resounding into an indescribably captivating natural symphony. Ta Puong 3 is the most beautiful and poetic waterfall; it looks like a soft silver silk that stands out against the deep green forest. The surface of the lake at the foot of the waterfall is calm with clear and cool water, making visitors want to swim, dive, or use bamboo floats as rafts to walk around the lake. At the foot of the waterfall, there is a fairly flat rocky beach which is enough for more than 500 visitors to enjoy, camp, and rest.
The charm of unspoiled nature
Ho Gioi, head of Trang Ta Puong community-based group, is the “soul” of Ta Puong waterfall 3. He said nearly a year ago, a representative from the Netherlands-Vietnam Health Commission in Quang Tri Province coordinated with the local authorities to select four Bru-Van Kieu ethnic minority people for joining training courses on community-based tourism to exploit tourism. The selected people were also instructed on how to prepare culinary dishes that met food safety and hygiene standards and given 65 million VND to construct a walking path to the waterfall and set up stalls to serve tourists.
Following the training courses, the community-based group was formed, consisting of 18 members. They have together developed a walking path to Ta Puong waterfall 3 so that visitors can travel easily. As many as 15 bamboo stalls were constructed in the grounds in front of and around the lake. Each stall is large enough for about 10 people to rest for a few hours. Since then, the natural masterpiece of Ta Puong waterfall 3 has become an indispensable destination for many domestic and foreign visitors who are passionate about adventure tourism and nature discovery.
The clear blue lake at the foot of the waterfall is surrounded by old deep green forests, giving visitors a feeling of peace and helping them leave behind the hardships and worries to immerse themselves in the unspoiled nature. The tools for experience at the waterfall are bamboo rafts that are carefully mounted. The ropes connected from the corners of the waterfall run parallel to the middle of the lake so that visitors can follow the rope to control the raft and always feel secure. Before entering the pool, visitors are given life jackets and must strictly adhere to swimming safety guidelines.
The most interesting experience is sitting on a bamboo raft to go around the lake on cool ice-cold water. When the raft reaches the waterfall, everyone wants to stay for 5 to 7 seconds to experience the thrill of a cool fountain pouring into them. In addition to rafting, visitors can walk to explore the vegetation of the rich rainforest in this area. During the journey, visitors are guided and helped wholeheartedly by members of the community-based tourism group.
After walking, visitors should enjoy local culinary specialties served by Ho Gioi's team including grilled chicken, grilled pork skewers, grilled wild fish skewers, and vegetables and banana flowers. The recommended time to experience Ta Puong 3 is about 5 hours.
The idea of building an "Adventure Park"
Ho Gioi wondered that the tourism group really wants to give more methodical investment into the development of Ta Puong waterfall 3 on the basis of absolute respect for nature, but there was no funding. Visitors who want to enjoy the cuisine of ethnic minorities must notify in advance through Ho Gioi so that the team can prepare attentive service. He said during the National Reunification Holiday, said. Because it was too crowded and unannounced, the team could not serve it in time.
The gate of Ta Puong cave
It is clear that the Ta Puong scenic complex is a natural treasure located on an area of thousands of hectares that has not been developed for tourism exploitation, especially green tourism. According to Director of Quang Tri Provincial Investment and Tourism Promotion Nguyen Duc Tan, to promote and exploit the Ta Puong scenic complex, it is necessary to with Quang Binh Province's tourism sector to complement each other to connect Phong Nha-Ke Bang tours with tourist attractions in the western region of Quang Tri, thus forming an attractive tourist arc.
It is most suitable to build an adventure park with three types of exploitation including a mass service area that can attract about 500 guests per day in line with the demand for community tourism, an elevated walking route with swings (adventure tourism with the limitation in the number of people) to visit three waterfalls and Ta Puong Cave, and a high-class resort cluster with about 10 stilt houses on trees without concrete and steel in order to limit the impact on the natural environment landscape. However, it is crucial to make a close coordination between investors and local communities to share benefits and sustainable values.
If this project is carried out successfully, in addition to the socio-economic development in the mountainous and ethnic minority areas, the locals will have more job opportunities. Quang Tri provincial authorities have been actively communicating and promoting the unique beauty and values of the Ta Puong scenic complex towards attracting more visitors.
Vice Chairman of Quang Tri Provincial People’s Committee Hoang Nam said to help the Ta Puong complex shine more brightly, the provincial authorities have completed a master plan (1/2,000 scale) for the Ta Puong waterfall system together with Ba Voi Waterfall. It is about to be submitted to competent authorities for approval. The investment projects to build roads and parking lots have been also being implemented. Quang Tri expects that calling for investment and tourism exploitation the above natural scenic spots will contribute to awakening tourism potential in the western region as well as turning potentials and advantages into real resources for tourism, with the aim to develop it into a spearhead and key economic sector of the locality in the near future.
Lam Quang Huy - Translated by NDO