First time visitors experience hot air balloon flight over the jungle

On the opening day, thousands of tourists flocked to Buon Don to attend the first hot air balloon festival in Dak Lak within the framework of the program 'Flying over the great forest - touching the clouds, touching dreams'.

The first hot air balloon festival held in Dak Lak attracted a large number of tourists - Photo: TIN NHAN

On the morning of May 1, thousands of people and tourists from inside and outside the province flocked to Krong Na commune, Buon Don district to attend the first hot air balloon festival held in Dak Lak, within the framework of the event "Flying over the great forest - Touching the clouds, touching the dream".

From early morning, the yard of the Krong Na Commune Community Cultural House, the main venue of the festival, was packed with people. Many families, groups of young people and international tourists lined up to experience hot air ballooning, watching the vast dipterocarp forest, the turbulent Serepok River and the rustic stilt houses in the middle of the Central Highlands.

Travelers can choose from a variety of flight experiences, from standard sunset flights from hundreds of meters above the ground to private sunrise flights.

"This is the first time I have seen such a unique festival in the Central Highlands. The feeling of flying up in the middle of the forest and looking down at the vast landscape from above is overwhelming and emotional.

Especially when the hot air balloon flies over the green canopy of the dipterocarp forest, it feels like gliding through nature," said Nguyen Quoc Bao, a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City, after the flight.

Not only a fun activity, the festival is also a place of unique cultural exchange of Buon Don land, with the legend of Ama Kong elephant hunting.

Many tourists arrived early in the morning to watch and experience the first hot air balloon festival in the great forest - Photo: MINH PHUONG

Gong music, xoang dance, Ede epic storytelling, local cuisine with bamboo rice, grilled chicken, crispy fried river fish, and fermented rice wine... have created a festival space imbued with identity.

Mr. Tran Hong Tien - Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dak Lak province - said that the event is not only a highlight in the series of activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of national reunification, but also a strategic step in developing new tourism products of the province.

"On the majestic forest background, where the legend of wild elephants still echoes along the Serepok River, we want to create a product of symbolic significance. 'Flying over the forest' is an invitation to experience the Central Highlands from the sky, a different, unique and emotional perspective," said Mr. Tien.

Mr. Tien expects the "Flying over the Great Forest" event, which will last until May 3, will attract more than 100,000 visitors to Buon Don and over 250,000 visitors from the entire province.

"From now on, Dak Lak will have an annual hot air balloon festival, contributing to promoting the image of nature, indigenous culture and arousing the sustainable tourism potential of the great land," he hopes.

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MINH PHUONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/du-khach-lan-dau-trai-nghiem-bay-khinh-khi-cau-tren-dai-ngan-20250501114013317.htm