There are places in Vietnam where just looking at the map makes you a little nervous.
K50 Waterfall is one of those places.
Buried deep inside Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve, on the border between Gia Lai and Binh Dinh provinces, getting here means pushing through dozens of kilometers of jungle road, fording rivers, trekking through leech-infested forest - and sometimes, as I learned the hard way, making decisions you'll spend six hours regretting.
I've been to K50 twice. Once in 2019, riding a motorbike through the jungle and nearly leaving my bike behind after a reckless river crossing. Once in 2023, returning via a completely different trekking route - through an ethnic village, along a river, and approaching the waterfall from below for the very first time.
Two trips. Two completely different routes.
But both times, standing in front of that waterfall, I had the same thought:
This looks exactly like the kind of place where King Kong would hide.
I wasn't wrong. But more on that later.
What Is K50 Waterfall?
K50 - also called Hang En Waterfall (Thác Hang Én) - is a 54-meter waterfall located inside Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve in K'Bang district, Gia Lai province. It sits on the headwaters of the Kon River, right on the Gia Lai–Binh Dinh provincial border.
The name "K50" comes from old military map notation: the "K" is short for cao (height), and 50 refers to its elevation marker. The name Hang En - Swallow Cave - comes from the large cave behind the waterfall where thousands of swallows nest and roost.
It's not the most famous waterfall in Vietnam. It doesn't have a cable car or a parking lot or a ticket booth. Getting here requires effort, permits, and a reasonable tolerance for leeches.
That's exactly what makes it worth going.
Getting to K50 Waterfall
K50 sits inside a strictly managed nature reserve. You can't just ride in.
From Ho Chi Minh City: Take an overnight sleeper bus to K'Bang town in Gia Lai (~15 hours). From K'Bang, arrange transport to the Kon Chu Rang ranger station.
From Pleiku: About 150km by road - roughly 3 hours via An Khe and K'Bang.
Permits: You must register with Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve management before entering. Independent travelers are required to go through a licensed tour operator to receive entry permits. The ranger station handles this - contact them in advance.
Best time to visit: January to June (dry season). Trails are drier, leeches are somewhat less abundant, and the rivers run lower and safer to cross. The waterfall is still powerful and beautiful throughout this period.
Do not attempt to cross swollen rivers after heavy rain. I learned this the hard way in 2019 - the hard way being a flooded motorbike and a 6-hour bike-dragging ordeal through the jungle.
First Visit - 2019: Motorbike Through the Jungle
The first time I came to K50, I was with a group of ten people.
Back in 2019, it was still possible to ride a motorbike all the way through the jungle to within a kilometer of the waterfall. That was the route we took - the purple line on the map above.
Starting from the Kon Chu Rang ranger station, we rode roughly 14km through dense jungle: up muddy slopes, down loose gravel descents, weaving between trees on a track barely wide enough for a single bike. Past Bai Song Mia. Past K40 Waterfall. Deeper and deeper into the forest.
The further in we went, the darker it got under the canopy. Cool, damp air. The smell of wet earth and decaying leaves.
And leeches.
So many leeches.
Stop for even two minutes and someone in the group would spot one crawling up a boot, inching up a trouser leg, or already inside a sock with no warning given at all.
The Last Kilometer - and the Thing I Didn't Know Was Coming
About a kilometer from the waterfall, the track ended. We left the bikes and continued on foot.
Right on cue, the sky opened up.
Heavy jungle rain - not a shower, a proper downpour. I was soaked within a minute. But I was excited. We were almost there. Just a short walk left.
What I didn't know was that I was counting down to a fairly serious problem.
First Night at the Waterfall
We arrived after dark, wet and tired. The camp was a small clearing in the forest right at the top of the waterfall.
The falls themselves were just meters away - we could hear them, a constant low roar that vibrated through the ground. But nobody went to look that night.
Priorities: set up tent, remove leeches, grill meat. In that order.
K50 could wait until morning.
Day Two - First Sight of K50
The next morning, we climbed down to see the waterfall.
It was bigger than I expected. Much bigger.
54 meters of water crashing down into a pool below, sending a thick mist rolling outward across the whole area. Sunlight caught the spray and bent it into a rainbow - not up in the sky, but right in front of us. Close enough to almost touch.
I also did something I'm not proud of recommending: I walked to the edge of the rock at the very top of the falls and looked straight down.
Don't do this.
Standing there, staring down the full height of the waterfall with the water rushing past my feet, I felt something I couldn't quite name - somewhere between fear and elation, with maybe some altitude vertigo mixed in. Goosebumps everywhere. I honestly couldn't tell if I was terrified or thrilled.
Probably both.
The Ride Out - Where Things Went Wrong
On the way back out, the rain returned.
A river crossing that had been easy on the way in was now running high, fast, and completely opaque with churned-up sediment. I looked at it. Assessed it.
"I have the high ground," I said.
"You underestimated me," said the stream.
I couldn't see the riverbed. My wheel hit a submerged rock. The bike went over. I went with it.
I managed to keep hold of the handlebars - no injuries - but the engine had swallowed water. The bike was dead.
After nearly an hour of trying everything I could think of to restart it, I accepted the situation: the bike wasn't starting, and there were still 10 kilometers of jungle trail between me and the forest edge.
The group tied my bike to the back of another and we dragged it out. Through the rain. Up and down slopes. With a couple of falls thrown in along the way. It took about six hours.
At one point, crossing a small clearing with phone signal - the only spot with reception in the entire forest - I called ahead for help. When we finally crossed the last river and came out of the trees, two people were already waiting on the far bank to help fix the bike.
The relief I felt at that moment is not something I can easily describe.
One reckless decision. Six hours of consequences.
But hey - that's the kind of thing you remember.
Second Visit - 2023: A Different Route, A Different Waterfall
Four years later, I came back. Six people this time, and a completely different approach.
We left Ho Chi Minh City at 6pm and arrived at the Kon Chu Rang ranger station by 9am the next morning. After checking in and completing permits, a ranger station vehicle drove us about 4km into the forest - a Jeep-style ride over mud tracks that rattled every bone - until the road ended at a stream.
From here: on foot. It was 10am.
Morning - The Easy Section and the Hidden Village
The first hour of walking was genuinely pleasant. A clear trail through cool forest, wide enough to walk comfortably without worrying about navigation.
About an hour in, we reached a small Bahnar ethnic minority village - around twenty small wooden houses scattered quietly in a clearing. Smoke from cooking fires. Chickens wandering between the buildings. Somewhere, children's voices.
The stillness of it - a community living completely inside the forest, hours from the nearest road - made the rest of the world feel very far away.
We stopped here for lunch before continuing.
Afternoon - River Crossings and Leeches (Again)
At 1pm we pushed on toward K50. The trail changed immediately - narrower, following the riverbank, crossing the stream repeatedly as it wound through the valley.
No rain. Clear sky.
Leeches anyway.
Just as persistent as 2019. If you're coming to K50 hoping the dry season means no leeches - I have some news for you.
At 3:30pm, the waterfall appeared.
We Meet Again
This time I approached from below - standing at the base, looking directly up at the full face of K50 as it fell toward me.
In 2019, I stood at the top looking down. In 2023, I stood at the bottom looking up. I can tell you with certainty: both perspectives give you goosebumps, but for completely different reasons.
The sound of the falls at the base is something else entirely. Not background thunder - a physical presence. The ground vibrates. The air is thick with spray. The forest around it goes quiet in comparison, as if the waterfall is the only thing allowed to make noise here.
Hi K50. We meet again.
Inside the Waterfall - Hang En
We followed the stream and walked directly behind the curtain of falling water.
This is the experience I had completely missed in 2019, and it's not optional.
Behind K50 is a large cave - the Hang En (Swallow Cave) that gives the waterfall its other name. Thousands of swallows nest here, visible as dark shapes flicking through the spray. As evening approached, they began returning in enormous numbers - hundreds at a time, the sound of their wings audible even over the roar of the falls.
Standing inside, looking out through the wall of falling water at the jungle beyond: it's a strange and genuinely beautiful thing. The light filters through the cascade and turns the air luminous. It doesn't look entirely real.
(The rocks inside are extremely slippery. Move carefully.)
The Summit Stream and Campsite
From the base, we climbed back up to the top of the falls and crossed the stream above to reach the campsite - the same clearing where I had camped in 2019.
The stream above the falls is worth knowing about. Clear, cold, with small natural pools deep enough to swim in properly. If you have a SUP board and the willpower to carry it in - genuinely worth it. Just be careful about cramp: you're a long way from emergency assistance.
Day Two - K40 Waterfall and the Discovery
The small stream beside the campsite flows down from K40 Waterfall, about 1.5km upstream - roughly 30 minutes on a clear stone trail.
K40 is quieter than K50, smaller, and almost entirely unknown to visitors. We hiked up, swam one more time, and came back.
And on the way back, at the base of K50, I saw something.
King Kong Is Hiding Here
A large boulder, positioned at the edge of the waterfall pool.
From a certain angle, it looked exactly - and I mean exactly - like the head of King Kong, half-submerged, watching from the rock.
I actually laughed out loud.
If King Kong were going to hide anywhere in Vietnam, it would be here. The forest is impenetrably dense. The waterfall roar echoes across the whole valley. The cliff faces, the swallow cave, the ancient trees - the whole place looks less like a hiking destination and more like the establishing shot of an adventure film.
Standing inside the cave looking out at the jungle, you'll understand what I mean.
The Route Out - Red Line
At 9:30am on day two, we packed up and left via a different trail from the way in - the red line on the map.
About 6–7km. Different terrain, different views. Local guides sometimes arrange motorbike taxis for part of this section if your legs have had enough (ask at the ranger station before you go in for current pricing and availability).
We were out by noon. A vehicle was waiting. The jungle was behind us.
Two Routes, One Waterfall
Here's how the two trips compare:
| 2019 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Group size | 10 people | 6 people |
| Entry route | Motorbike 14km (purple) | Jeep 4km + trek (white/blue) |
| Key landmarks en route | Bai Song Mia, K40 | Bahnar village, riverside trail |
| Approach to waterfall | From the top | From the base |
| Campsite | Above the falls | Above the falls (same spot) |
| Exit route | Same as entry | Different trail (red) |
| Memorable incident | Bike drowned in river | Found Kong |
| Leeches | Yes | Also yes |
Practical Tips for K50
Book permits in advance. Kon Chu Rang is strictly managed, especially after a visitor accident in recent years tightened entry controls. Don't show up without pre-arranged permits.
Start early. The trekking section from the drop-off point to the waterfall takes 4–5 hours. Arriving at the falls with daylight left matters.
Leech protection. Long socks worn over trouser legs, leech socks, or at minimum DEET spray on footwear. Assume leeches regardless of season.
Swim carefully. The pools above the falls are beautiful. They're also far from help if anything goes wrong. No diving. Watch for cramp.
No phone signal inside. Inform someone outside of your plans before entering. There is one clearing with signal on the main trail - note its location on the way in.
Don't cross flooded rivers on a motorbike. I cannot stress this enough.
Is K50 Worth It?
Yes. Without qualification.
K50 is not a convenient waterfall. It doesn't reward visitors who want to arrive, photograph, and leave. Getting here takes effort - real effort, the kind that involves mud, leeches, physical discomfort, and occasionally six hours dragging a broken motorcycle through the rain.
But that's also why it's still what it is. The forest is intact. The waterfall is wild. The swallows still nest in the cave behind the falls, undisturbed. Kong is still hiding in his rock.
If you're going to trek to one waterfall in Vietnam, this is the one.