Elephant Festival

Acknowledged as the biggest festival in the middle highland of Vietnam, this festival is significant for epitomizing the martial spirit of the M’nong ethnic group, noted throughout the country for their valor and gallant skill in hunting dangerous wild elephants. Generally commemorated in the Don village or in forests in the vicinity of Sevepoi River (Dac Lak) a distinct elephant race is the primary attraction of this festival. The race is held to the beat of drums and the roars of an excited crowd, as twelve elephants race side by side on a track in the middle of the forest. After the race the audience can interact with the majestic creatures as it is customary to feed them sugar cane after the race.