Photo tours, which have gained appeal in recent years, have offered photography and travel buffs new angles on Da Lat, a resort town in the Central Highlands.

Located in Lam Dong Province, Da Lat has become so popular with Vietnamese tourists that the town’s charms are sometimes taken for granted.

During photo tours, photographers have gone to great lengths to capture landscapes from the most inaccessible spots and less-seen angles.

Accompanied by tour guides, who are outstanding photographers themselves, participants have depicted the resort town in its surreal, heaven-like beauty.

Lai The Anh, who graduated from university in applied fine arts but has chosen to work as a full-time tour guide, recently took a group of tourists from Ho Chi Minh City to areas far away from the heart of Da Lat for snapshots.

He revealed that this season sees the hub at its best, with its chilly climate, fog, plentiful sunshine and flamboyant blossoms.

Anh escorted his group to Pinhatt Peak, which looms over Tuyen Lam Lake, one of Da Lat’s icons, for snapshots of the dawn.

The tour-goers scaled steep slopes, trekking through rough terrain in order to reach the pinnacle.

When they reached Pinhatt Peak, they marveled at the unfolding picturesque scenery, a reward for their taxing journey.

Anh shuttled to and fro from one tour-goer to another, making sure that they all knew which angles would allow the best shots.

He also showed fledgling practitioners how to change lenses, filters and adjust their camera parameters correctly.

Through the lenses, an entirely different Da Lat came into view as the sun emitted long radiant rays through luxuriant pine trees.

Camera clicks were followed by exclamations at the dazzling shots they got.

“I’ve never seen Da Lat like this,” Daniella, an Australian tourist, shouted in excitement.

She then carried her tripod to a new spot and asked Anh to adjust her focal lens.

Promoting an unknown Da Lat

Pham Anh Dung, a Da Lat native and one of the first to organize free photo tours for his local friends and those from Ho Chi Minh City, revealed that around two years ago, a number of photography aficionados bought new cameras and began taking photos of Da Lat, mostly Xuan Huong Lake, another of the town’s iconic locations.

The pictures, published on several social networks, evoked feelings of homesickness among several overseas Vietnamese, who insisted they be pampered with photos of the idyllic town from lesser-known perspectives.

This has since inspired amateur photographers to roam Da Lat from dawn to dusk, scouring for new vantage points and locations.

As more awe-inspiring photos were published, Da Lat was brought to the attention of photo hunters in Ho Chi Minh City, who then sought guidance from locals or experienced guides in their pursuit of certain special photos.

“That’s how photo-taking tours came into being,” Dung recalled.

Nguyen Trong Nhan, from Ho Chi Minh City, has joined such tours over the past two years.

He has noticed considerable improvements in his photography skills, and more importantly, has learned how to regard landscapes and people with composure.

Photographer Vu Hai Son, lecturer at   the Nikon School based in the southern city, observed that taking pictures is synonymous with admiring landscapes in slow motion.

“No matter if the shots are successful, the photographer has absolutely acquired more visual signals into their brain than when they casually behold the landscape. This results in an improved appreciation of beauty among our tour trekkers,” he explained.

As such tours have yet to be heavily promoted, they remain unknown to the wider population.

Some of the seasoned photographers, including Anh, Tran Nhat Tien, Ngo Anh Tuan and Nguyen Khanh Hoang, recently organized and guided such tours as a new service to Da Lat.

According to Tien, apart from traveling and accommodation fees, photo tourists in Da Lat pay a mere VND100,000-300,000 (US$4.4-13) each, depending on the number of participants and selected locations.

“Trekkers can use premium or average cameras. Some even joined our tours with their smartphones and came home triumphantly with stunning pictures,” Tien stressed.

Internationally-awarded photographer Ly Hoang Long, a Da Lat native and chair of the photography council under the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists, observed that photo tours are thriving, with trekkers’ works helping promote lesser-known scenic spots.

“I recently began offering such tours to photography enthusiasts from the U.K., France, Spain and the U.S. What intrigues me most is that those trekkers are highly environmentally conscious wherever they go,” he revealed.

“We’ve selected more than 10 new locations which offer perfect vantage points around Da Lat,” Anh disclosed.

“However, all these locations cannot be covered in a single photo tour, as each spot offers auspicious angles and exceptional scenery for only a short time during the year,” he added.

“For instance, Thien Phuc Duc Hill [six kilometers from the heart of Da Lat] is at its prime during this season, which is characterized by a chilly climate, thin fog, clear sky and flamboyant weed,” he elaborated.

Visiting the ‘heart’ of Da Lat

A Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporter also recounted his recent memorable excursion to Tuyen Lam Lake, considered Da Lat’s ‘heart of hearts’ and its ‘lungs.’

His outing was led by Tuan ‘Discovery,’ a seasoned tour organizer.

The trip’s various delights included tourists sipping hot coffee on the lake, embracing the fabulous surroundings, and rowing rubber boats.

“Going sightseeing on rubber boats helps ensure tranquility and minimize the possible harm to the lake’s water source,” Tuan explained.

Over recent years, the 360-hectare Tuyen Lam Lake, once a man-made irrigation lake, has emerged as a haven for sporting activities like canyoning, boat rowing and fishing.

Recently launched excursions to the lake, located around five kilometers from Da Lat’s center, allow tourists to explore its rich biodiversity and build their stamina.

Maple trees grown nearby on a pilot basis since 2000 are also a major draw to visitors.