Exciting summer experience with animals

More than 10 km from the city center, Van Long Elephants Farm (Ea Kao commune, Buon Ma Thuot city) is an eco-tourism model combined with elephant conservation with a scale of about 1 hectare, divided into three main areas: the elephant and friendly animal experience area, the children's play area and the Central Highlands specialty culinary area.

Mr. Hoang Trong Bao, manager of Van Long Elephants Farm, confided: “My family has a long tradition of raising elephants and doing tourism in Lak district. With the desire to bring elephants closer to people, in early 2022, my family decided to bring elephants to Buon Ma Thuot and build this eco-tourism model. Most of the visitors here are active and curious children, so the system of fences, warning signs and tour guides are always carefully arranged. In addition, we also coordinate closely with parents and teachers to ensure an absolutely safe experience for the children.”

Students learned, observed and interacted with elephants during an experiential activity at Van Long Elephants Farm (Ea Kao commune, Buon Ma Thuot city).

With open space, natural landscape and rich animal ecosystem, Van Long Elephants Farm attracts many groups of students to visit and learn practically during the summer. This is an opportunity for children to have interesting moments of discovery , learning and playing in the cool green nature.

Ms. Bui Thi Nguyen, teacher of class La 2, Ban Me Kindergarten (Ea Tam ward, Buon Ma Thuot city) shared: “We always want to bring children practical experiences, especially in the summer. When coming here, children can observe, interact, and take pictures with elephants and many other animals such as deer, sheep, pheasants, peacocks, etc. Not only do they have fun, children also learn how to observe, care for, and love animals.”

Taking her mother out for a weekend outing, Bui Anh Thu (13 years old, Tan Tien ward, Buon Ma Thuot city) could not hide her excitement when she touched an elephant for the first time. “At first I was a bit scared because the elephant outside was very big, but when I touched it, I found it gentle and cute. What I liked most was feeding the elephant and watching it play soccer. There were also many animals here that I had only seen online before. This trip made me feel relaxed and learned a lot about animals,” Anh Thu said.

Looking forward to the exciting summer, Mr. Bao said that Van Long Elephants Farm is researching to add new experiential activities to serve the needs of children for entertainment and learning, such as a small farm where children can sow seeds, harvest vegetables, learn how to take care of plants and animals; organize folk games such as tug of war, sack jumping, fishing, etc. to help children practice physical training and develop coordination skills.

Located in the city center, Horse & Cafe Garden (Ako Dhong village, Tan Loi ward, Buon Ma Thuot city) is also one of the rare places in Dak Lak that organizes horse riding activities for children and those who love this sport. The 4-acre campus with training area, horse breeding area and coffee rest area creates a refreshing relaxing space in the heart of the city.

Here, horses are carefully trained and the riding area is securely fenced. During the experience, everyone will be fully equipped with helmets, armor and specialized shoes. Trainers are always on hand to guide and are fully equipped with knowledge to respond promptly to necessary situations.

Children enjoy horse riding under the guidance of a trainer at Horse & Cafe Garden (Ako Dhong village, Tan Loi ward, Buon Ma Thuot city).

On weekends, the horse riding area welcomes many groups of families and children. Tran Minh Duc (9 years old, Tan Lap ward, Buon Ma Thuot city) confided: “At first, I felt a bit nervous when I tried to sit on a horse, but later, after being guided by the trainer, I gradually got used to it. Now, I can comfortably sit on the horse's back to go around the yard. This is truly a very interesting experience.”

Not only is it an ideal destination for children, Horse & Cafe Garden has also become a weekend relaxation place for many parents. While children are free to exercise outdoors, parents can leisurely sit and drink coffee in the cool green space, enjoying peaceful moments after busy working days. Mr. Tran The Tai, Minh Duc's parent, expressed: "Before, my child was always stuck with his phone, rarely going out. Since he learned about this horse riding area, he has been very excited, always looking forward to the weekend to come here to play and meet friends. During the summer, I also plan to register him for a horse riding course to practice his health and perseverance."

Each experience associated with nature and animals not only enriches the summer vacation but also contributes to the formation of observational thinking, love and connection with the surrounding world for young children. This is also a potential direction for local tourism, creating a space for entertainment combined with experiential education, opening up a lively learning space outside the classroom in a practical and sustainable way.

Thu Thao

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/du-lich/202505/hap-dan-trai-nghiem-he-cung-muong-thu-f3515ae/