Hiking: Buffalo Head Waterfall

A short hike I had at the end of the year – I miss the forest; I miss this quiet peace as always.
This time, I tried a new tour operator and a new destination – not many people know about it – a small waterfall in the middle of the forest. They call it Buffalo Head Waterfall because it looks like a buffalo from a helicopter view.

We departed 40 minutes later than planned – they had some problems with the car.
Not many people joined us: a couple, a dad and daughter, a dad’s friend, another girl, and me – we both have the same name 😊

When I looked at the dad and daughter, I questioned myself why I have seen many situations where dads travel with their sons or daughters on their own, sharing moments together – but most of them are from Western countries.
What I have seen in my own country is different – where is the dad? On my Cat Tien trip, a mom was also with her son alone. It was not an easy trip, but she made it to the end.

We grabbed our lunch from a local store and had it later at the waterfall.

It was a good and short walk, and we all deserved the swim and the food.
I know how to swim, but I can’t swim well – so I only put my legs in the water.

It’s a good place to take a nap or read a good book, isn’t it?
We live in the city and listen to natural sounds to sleep or to concentrate on work, and today we could listen and see them with our own ears and eyes.
These natural scenes are becoming such a luxury now in our busy lives.

We later hiked back and saw the flowers that reminded us of our childhood. With those simple flowers, we did many different activities: cooking, fighting, and using them as the fake beards. We were three locals, including the tour guide, from different ages, but we shared the same childhood memories.

In the past, when we were kids, we made these lanterns so easily, but now we broke quite a few to make one. One guy said that when we were kids, we were softer and gentler. Yes, we were.

On the way back, thinking about my son, I know he won’t have a childhood playing in nature like we did in the past. Living in a big city and in an apartment, is it a loss for him? Can I compensate for that with short weekend trips to places close to nature?

We know, nature plays a very important role in our lives and our mental health.

A hike on 26th December 2025
Tour operator: Vietnam Hikers