Ea So Nature Reserve

Where the Central Highlands meet the South Central Coast, a protected forest holds landscapes that most reserves in Vietnam do not have.

Ea Sô Nature Reserve lies in Đắk Lắk province. It stands in Ea Sô commune, in the Ea Kar area. The reserve covers about 26,848 hectares and borders Gia Lai province and the old Phú Yên province, now also part of Đắk Lắk. It sits on National Highway 29, the road to Phú Yên, about 20 kilometers from the center of Ea Kar.

The authorities of Đắk Lắk province have approved a plan for ecotourism, rest and recreation in the reserve, for the years from 2021 to 2030. The approval is Decision 1403, dated May 4, 2024.

What sets this reserve apart from most protected forests in Vietnam is its grassland. The grassy plains are broad and flat, and they stretch through the middle of the forest. They are vital habitat for hoofed animals and other grazing animals. A landscape like this is found in very few other reserves in the country.

Beyond the grass, the Ea Puich Stream runs along the primary forest and makes beautiful waterfalls. One of them, Thác Bay, lies in the core zone of the reserve. A national nature conservation website describes it as almost 30 meters high and almost 200 meters wide. It says the fall stretches almost 1,000 meters from top to bottom. That is a considerable scale for a landscape. The plan names two main ecotourism sites, and one of them is the shore of the Krông H'Năng hydropower lake.

As for wildlife and plants, in 2025 the province published the results of a survey of the reserve. It recorded 789 species of vascular plants and 179 species of birds. It also recorded 30 species of mammals and 48 species of reptiles and amphibians. Most notable of all, that year the silver-backed chevrotain and the lesser fish eagle were recorded here for the first time, through scientific survey and camera traps.

National Highway 29 runs for about 24 kilometers through the middle of the reserve. That is a real pressure. The road brings noise, traffic, and the risk of illegal entry right into the core zone. The forest has lasted to this day because of the steady work of people who have tied their lives to Ea Sô.

Standing in the middle of the grassland, you hear forest birds calling back from the Ea Puich Stream. The primary forest runs on to the foot of the clouds.