Khanh Le Pass is a pass connecting the last section of provincial road 723 in Lac Duong district, Lam Dong province, with provincial road 652 in Khanh Vinh district, Khanh Hoa. Therefore, this is also the road connecting two famous tourist cities of Vietnam, Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa province) and Da Lat (Lam Dong province), also known as the "road connecting the sea and flowers".
Khanh Le Pass winds from Khanh Vinh Valley, crossing Di Linh Plateau to Lam Vien Plateau. From Nha Trang to Da Lat, compared to the distance through Spectacular Pass (Ninh Thuan), passing through Khanh Le Pass helps visitors shorten the distance from 220 km to about 140 km.
Khanh Le Pass is 33 km long, is the eastern slope of the Truong Son Nam Range. Most of the passes are located in Khanh Hoa province, going from an altitude of about 200 m to 1,700 m above sea level. Starting from Lam Dong province, the pass has a comfort from 1,700m to 1,500m.
Khanh Le Pass is also known by many other names such as Bi Doup Pass, after the peak of Bi Doup Mountain that the pass crosses nearby or Hon Giao Pass after the name of the Hon Giao mountain range located in the north of the pass.
The experience of crossing the pass brings excitement but no less danger for backpackers. The pass has a steep, winding slope with many sleeve bends, combined with fog and abyss on one side, requiring a lot of experience and skill in handling situations.
Khanh Le Pass is a place where the two climate zones intersect. Khanh Vinh has a dry and hot climate, while Lac Duong has the characteristics of the highlands, temperate and cool climate all year round. Along with the altitude difference of more than 1,000 m, the landscape and weather at Khanh Le Pass are special.
In summer, the weather in Nha Trang and Da Lat is dry, but heavy rain can still occur in this area. In autumn and winter, dense fog usually appears on Khanh Le Pass around 2 pm onwards.
It is dangerous, but Khanh Le Pass also gives backpackers and visitors the feeling of walking in the middle of the intersection of heaven and earth. The pass is located in the middle of the mountains and hills, through a large natural space. On the side of the road, there will sometimes be white waterfalls, water channels flowing out of the mountains, bringing poetry and lyricism.
Rain and fog are the "specialties" of Khanh Le Pass. During heavy rains, the pass often encounters landslides and traffic jams, adding to the danger.
Since it is difficult to predict the weather at the top of the pass, visitors should prepare a raincoat when moving here. The pass is quite long, so it is necessary to check the vehicle, especially the brakes and wheels to avoid incidents, Khanh shared.
The landscape on Khanh Le Pass changes on each section of the road. From the section of Cai Men River along National Highway 27C in Khanh Vinh, the winding roads with dense fog on Khanh Le Pass, the cherry blossoms blooming on both sides of the road in K'Long K'Lanh village (Lam Dong) and then to the pine forests when coming to Da Lat.
Photo: Nguyen Dinh Hoang Khanh
According to VnE