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📍 waterfall · nature

K50 Waterfall

K50 Waterfall (Thác Hang Én) is a 54-metre cascade inside Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve on the Gia Lai–Bình Định border - accessible only by multi-day trek with permits, with a swallow cave behind the falls, a King Kong-shaped boulder in the pool, and leeches regardless of season.

💦 54m Waterfall🌿 Jungle Trek🏕️ Overnight Camp🦅 Swallow Cave📸 Photography
🧭 Get Directions

Overview

Best Time to Visit
📅 Jan – Jun (dry season; trails safer, rivers lower, leeches somewhat less abundant)
Entry Fee
🎟️ ~100,000 VND park entry + guide fee 200,000–500,000 VND/group + motorbike transport 150,000 VND/person (2025)
Opening Hours
🕐 Pre-arranged entry only - permits required through Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve management
Address
📌 Kbang, Gia Lai

Things to Know

👥Crowds
Very few visitors - strictly managed reserve with permit requirements and no road access. You may have the falls entirely to yourself.
🥾Difficulty
Demanding multi-day trek. 4-5 hours each way from drop-off point, river crossings, slippery jungle floor, leech exposure. Requires good fitness and comfort with remote wilderness. Overnight camp mandatory.
⚠️Safety
No phone signal except one clearing on the main trail - note its location on the way in. Do not cross flooded rivers on a motorbike. Rocks inside Hang Én cave are extremely slippery. Swim carefully in pools above the falls - far from emergency assistance. Leeches present year-round on any 8km jungle trek with rain or humidity - unavoidable, manage rather than prevent.
🚶Accessibility
Not accessible for limited mobility. Multi-day jungle trek with stream crossings and uneven terrain throughout. No facilities on trail.
🌤️Seasonal
Jan–Jun (dry season): rivers lower and safer to cross, trails more manageable. Leeches present regardless. Oct–Dec: maximum water flow, falls most powerful, but river crossings more dangerous. Avoid entering after heavy rain.
ABOUT THIS PLACE

What Makes K50 Waterfall Special

K50 Waterfall - also called Thác Hang Én (Swallow Cave Waterfall) - is a 54-metre cascade inside Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve, sitting on the headwaters of the Kon River right on the Gia Lai–Bình Định provincial border. The name K50 comes from old military map notation: K is short for cao (height), 50 is the elevation marker. The name Hang Én comes from the large cave directly behind the falls where thousands of swallows nest - walk behind the curtain of water and you're standing inside it, looking out at the jungle through the cascade. The waterfall is not easy to reach. Getting here requires permits, a licensed guide, a multi-day trek through leech-infested primary forest, and river crossings that can turn serious after rain. Those conditions are also why the forest is intact, the swallows still nest undisturbed, and the whole valley still looks like somewhere King Kong would actually hide.

How to Get There

🚗 Getting There

K50 is inside Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve, K'Bang district, Gia Lai. From Ho Chi Minh City, take an overnight sleeper bus to K'Bang town (~15 hours). From Pleiku, it's about 150km via An Khê and K'Bang, roughly 3 hours. From K'Bang, arrange transport to the Kon Chu Rang ranger station where permits are processed. Two trekking routes exist: the longer motorbike-then-foot route approaching from the top of the falls (14km jungle track), and a shorter vehicle-then-foot route arriving at the base (Jeep 4km + 4-5 hour trek through forest and past a Bahnar ethnic village). Both are multi-day trips requiring overnight camp. Permits must be arranged in advance - independent entry is not permitted.

What to Expect

👀 On the Ground

The trek passes through secondary and primary forest, crossing streams repeatedly and following river gorges. A small Bahnar ethnic village sits about an hour into the 2023 route - wooden houses in a clearing, smoke from cooking fires, entirely inside the forest. The waterfall itself is bigger than most visitors expect: 54 metres dropping into a pool surrounded by ancient trees, with mist rolling outward wide enough to soak you at a distance. Morning light creates a rainbow in the mist at the base - close enough to almost touch. Behind the falls is Hang Én cave, where thousands of swallows nest and return in enormous numbers at dusk. The campsite sits above the falls in a small clearing. A stream above the camp has cold swimming pools. K40 Waterfall is 1.5km upstream and worth a morning detour. Somewhere in the boulder field at the base of K50 is a large rock that looks exactly like King Kong's head, half-submerged, watching.

Travel Tips

🧳 Tips

K50 is not a convenient waterfall. It doesn't reward visitors who want to arrive, photograph, and leave. The effort required - permits, guides, mud, leeches, river crossings, overnight camp - is also what has kept it what it is. The forest is intact. The swallows still nest undisturbed in the cave. If you cross a flooded river on a motorbike and the engine dies, you will spend the next six hours dragging it out through the jungle in the rain. That has happened. Plan the river crossings carefully, start early, and carry two days of food. The dry season (January to June) keeps the rivers lower and the trails more manageable - leeches will still find you regardless.

Insider Tips

Based on real traveler experiences and commonly mentioned advice from multiple visitors.

Walk behind the falls into Hang Én cave - this is the experience most visitors miss on a first trip and regret not doing
Book permits in advance through Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve - entry is strictly controlled and you cannot arrive without pre-arrangement
Leech protection is essential regardless of season: long socks over trouser legs and DEET on footwear at minimum
Book permits in advance through Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve management - don't show up without pre-arranged entry. Entry controls have tightened after a visitor accident in recent years.
Leeches are present regardless of season - any combination of rain, forest, and humidity means vắt. The trek is around 8km each way. Two schools of thought on protection: cover up completely (long socks over trouser legs, leech socks, DEET) to reduce contact - though some will still find a way in. Or wear shorts and let them land visibly so you spot and remove them immediately - less prevention, faster detection. Pick whichever approach you can mentally handle. Either way: they will find you.
Do not cross flooded rivers on a motorbike. The crossing that looks manageable on the way in can be running fast and opaque on the way out after rain. One bad call means hours dragging a dead bike through jungle.
Walk behind the falls into Hang Én (Swallow Cave) - this is not optional. Thousands of swallows nest inside and return in numbers at dusk. Standing behind the curtain of water looking out at the jungle through the cascade is the best single moment at K50.
The rocks inside Hang Én are extremely slippery. Move carefully.
There is one clearing on the main trail with phone signal - the only spot with reception in the forest. Note its location on the way in and use it to check in with someone outside.
Morning light at the base creates a rainbow in the mist - this happens most mornings with the right conditions. Arrive at the base early.
The stream above the falls has clear pools deep enough to swim properly. Watch for cramp - you're a long way from help.
K40 Waterfall is about 1.5km upstream from the campsite, 30 minutes on a clear trail. Quieter than K50 and almost entirely unknown - worth the detour on day two.
Start early from the drop-off point - the trek to the falls takes 4-5 hours and you want daylight left when you arrive.

FAQ

Common questions from travelers who've visited this place.

Can I visit K50 independently without a guide?›
No. Kon Chu Rang is a strictly managed nature reserve - entry requires permits arranged through the ranger station and a licensed guide. Independent entry is not permitted. Contact the ranger station in advance to arrange permits and guide.
What is Hang Én and why does it matter?›
Hang Én (Swallow Cave) is a large cave directly behind the K50 waterfall where thousands of swallows nest. You can walk behind the curtain of falling water and stand inside the cave looking out through the cascade at the jungle. It's the defining experience at K50 and the reason the waterfall has a second name. The rocks inside are extremely slippery - move carefully.
What are the typical costs?›
Park entrance: ~100,000 VND per person. Guide fee: 200,000–500,000 VND per group. Motorbike transport to trailhead: 150,000 VND per person (2025). Total roughly 600,000–800,000 VND per person excluding food for a two-day trip.