Elon Farm – Experiencing Coffee and exploring the Gia Lâm Commune

Elon Farm is located in the Gia Lâm Commune, Lâm Hà District near Da Lat in the southern parts of the central highlands of Vietnam. This area is well known for both tea and coffee farming. Elon Farm grows and produces high-quality Robusta coffee. They offer an immersive coffee experience to visitors of the region.

Elon Farmstay and Coffee Experience

While staying at the farm I got to visit one of their plantations and Jenny showed me how they treat and process the beans from the coffee they harvest. I learned more about speciality coffee, which is the base of the third wave of coffee we are in worldwide.

I got a mini chemics-lesson before roasting my own batch of coffee (I got to take home!) and learning how to pour a proper Vietnamese pour-over coffee. The result was so sweet and fruity that I drank it black, even though I usually drink coffee with milk or if it’s iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk.

When you stay with them you can explore the farm and village with them for free, and when you explore the farm and village with them you can stay with them for free. So either choice is a good choice 😉 Despite the bedroom having no windows I felt safe from bugs since the bed could be wrapped in a mosquito net tent.

Silk Farm and Silk Factory

After an amazing lunch, Jenny took me on a bicycle tour around the village. First, we visited her aunts’ house who raises silkworms. Jenny explained their lifecycle to me and how the family has to feed them fresh mulberry leaves as those are the only ones the silkworms will eat. The silkworms can be farmed four times a year. At the end of their lifespan, they make cocoons. The finished cocoons then get sent to the silk factory.

At the silkworm factory, the cocoons are separated into three stages. The first is turned into rough silk for blankets and rugs. The second is turned into the soft and delicate silk you probably know, the third is the husk around the shrunken silkworm and used for animal feed. The dead silkworm itself can be dried or grilled for a snack, too.

Interesting fact: the byproduct of cleaning the coffee beans before roasting is burned as fuel in the silk factory.

Linh Ẩn Pagoda & Elephant Waterfall

Perfectly timed for sunset we arrived at Linh Ẩn Pagoda, from where you have a gorgeous view of the nearby elephant waterfall. A 12,5 meter high Maitreya statue towers over the courtyard of the pagoda. After taking in the beautiful sunset views we explored the surrounding area more, going to places you could never access on your own.

Many people told me they were disappointed by the Elephant Waterfall, but all of them had been there after the beginning of the rainy season when the river swells with water and carries a lot of trash to the waterfall which accumulates at the bottom of the fall. I was lucky enough to be there two days! before the first rainfall in six months and it was simply breathtaking.

Elon Farm Coffee Experience Da Lat

You can book an day with Jenny at Elon Farm here: Coffee day from farm to cup and exploring countryside life

Included in the tour price are the pick-up and drop-off in Da Lat City, all meals, lots of coffee admission to the silk factory and a private room for the night.