In the final days before the new year, the region’s weather turns crisp, the sky deepens to a clear blue, and sunlight casts a honey-colored glow across the hills. Wild sunflowers linger along the path leading to the foot of the mountain, where local motorbike drivers take visitors partway before they continue the ascent on foot.
During the dry season, Chư Đang Ya is covered in vast stretches of withered, golden foxtail grass that sway in the strong highland winds. The grass blankets the slopes, shimmering under the sun and creating a defining image of the season. Patches of purple and pink wildflowers appear along the trail, adding faint bursts of color to the mountain’s muted palette.
Hikers follow red-earth paths upward, using remaining canna lilies as natural handholds. As they climb, panoramic grasslands unfold, spreading toward the horizon and enhancing the mountain’s rugged but poetic character. From the crater rim of the dormant volcano, visitors can look down on a wide basin where farmers work quietly and herds of cattle graze across the fertile land.
Along the trail, small groups of travelers pause under a lone tree to take photos and rest in the sweeping winds. The chill of the highlands heightens the solitude, with gusts carrying away the fatigue of the climb. From above, the valley reveals rooftops nestled among trees, winding fields circling the hillsides, and layers of deep green stretching into the distance.
As the midday sun brightens, hikers descend under an even clearer sky and sharper breeze. The vastness of the mountain landscape leaves many visitors with a sense of humility and attachment, an impression that often lingers long after they leave this quiet corner of the Central Highlands.
