Biosphere reserve offers ideal summer holiday destination

Pu Mat National Park, located in the central province of Nghe An and classified as a World Biosphere Reserve (the largest in Southeast Asia ) by UNESCO in April, has long been known for its bio-diversity.

Covering 1.3 million ha, the park includes the Pu Huong and Pu Hoat reserve zones, creating a 500km green corridor along side the Vietnam – Lao border.

Le Thanh Do, responsible for tourism promotion of the park, told the English-language daily Vietnam News that the park receives around 9,000 visitors per year on average.

“The high peak tourism season falls between April and September,” he said adding, “two thirds of tourists are foreigners.”

In co-operation with local tourism agencies, the park has developed a tourist map linking Cua Lo Beach, Kim Lien village (hometown of President Ho Chi Minh) and Pu Mat National Park.

Do said that, apart from the 30 rooms for rent inside the park itself and hundreds of privately-owned hotels in nearby Con Cuong town, additional accommodation and entertainment services were essential in managing greater tourist numbers.

Established in 2001, Pu Mat park hosts 896 different species of plants, 220 valuable herbs, hundreds of vegetables and fruits, 241 types of mammals, 137 types of birds and 25 types of reptiles. The forest is also the habitat of the largest herd of elephants in Vietnam as well as endangered animals such as the ‘Sao La” (a rare species of twin-horned wild cattle), tiger, panther and leopard.

Located 25km from Con Cuong town, the 500m high Khe Kem Waterfall has always been popular among tourists, resembling a white silk scarf against the green canopy of the forest. – VOV

Tags: Biosphere reserve, Pu Mat National Park