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H’Ngoi Waterfall in Kon Ka King National Park (Gia Lai) – Source: https://konkakinh.gialai.gov.vn/
Kon Ka Kinh National Park was established under Decision No. 167/2002/QD-TTg dated November 25, 2002 of the Prime Minister on the basis of converting and upgrading from Kon Ka Kinh Nature Reserve. Kon Ka Kinh National Park is known as the “roof of Gia Lai province”, not only known for its majestic natural landscape, but also as an ideal eco-tourism destination attracting visitors from inside and outside the province. Not only a treasure of Vietnam, Kon Ka Kinh was also recognized as an ASEAN Heritage Park by the Ministers of Natural Resources and Environment of Southeast Asian countries on December 18, 2003.
Kon Ka Kinh National Park is located in the Northeast of Gia Lai province, with an area of 42,057.3 hectares with 33,565 hectares of natural forest, mainly primary forest. The name Kon Ka Kinh is also understood as “the highest mountain peak” with 1,748m above sea level, known as “the roof of Gia Lai province”. The park is planned according to three functions: strictly protected zone (area of 17,137.5 hectares); ecological restoration zone (23,990 hectares); administrative service zone (929.8 hectares).
According to the data of the Forest Planning and Investigation Institute, the flora recorded here is 1,022 species, belonging to 568 genera and 158 higher flora systems. Of which, the angiosperm phylum is dominant with 928 species, the gymnosperm phylum has 80 species, and the gymnosperm phylum has 14 species.
These plant species form the main forest vegetation types including evergreen closed forest, lowland subtropical humid rain forest and mixed closed forest with coniferous and broadleaf leaves with 2,000 ha, with many pơmu trees and found only in Kon Ka Kinh National Park.
The long, tangled vines in the forest are natural bridges between the forest canopy layers for small animals to move and live, creating favorable conditions for creating biodiversity for the forest.
Interspersed with ancient trees hundreds of years old, tens of meters high, pointing straight up to the blue sky are green vegetation, flowers of all shapes and colors, and often change color depending on the altitude and light density where they live.
Due to the diverse characteristics of terrain, climate and some other factors that form the forest, Kon Ka Kinh National Park has a very rich forest flora. This is the convergence point of flora streams such as flora streams belonging to the Northern Vietnam flora (including species of legumes, mulberries, custard apples, ragweed, castor oil and magnolias…), flora streams belonging to the Yunnan-Guizhou flora and the foot of the Himalayas (including coniferous species of the gymnosperm subphylum such as pine, false huangdan, kim giao, pơmu…), flora streams belonging to the Malaysia-Indonesia flora (including species of trees belonging to the dipterocarp family such as chò chai, chò đen, chò chỉ, Cẩm), flora streams belonging to the India-Myanmar flora (including some species of the cypress family such as Lagerstroemia guava…).
In addition, there are also some endemic species such as Central Vietnamese beetle, Du Mooc, star fruit flower, red-veined orchid, red-leafed go, longong hiep, trac, Da Lat pine, Xoay, Song Bot and some other rare species listed in the Red Book of Vietnam and the world.
Besides a rich forest flora, Kon Ka Kinh National Park also has an endemic forest fauna with 351 species, including 47 rare species listed in the Red Book such as the red-cheeked gibbon, gray-shanked douc langur, tiger, Truong Son muntjac and large muntjac.
In addition, the National Park is also located in the endemic bird area of the Kon Tum plateau with 160 bird species, 51 reptile species, 209 butterfly species, including 7 endemic bird species such as black-headed babbler, long-billed babbler, grey-headed babbler, yellow-billed tree-climber, striped pheasant and red-rumped monk and Kon Ka Kinh babbler (also known as red-eared babbler).
The Kon Ka Kinh laughingthrush is a rare bird symbolizing the Park, discovered for the first time in the National Park in the last 30 years in Asia. Therefore, this bird is named after the Park. In particular, the Park is also a place to preserve endemic frog species such as the red-tailed lizard, the sapa frog, and the spiny frog.
Due to favorable natural conditions and climate, in recent years, Kon Ka Kinh National Park has developed many types of ecotourism, contributing to increasing income and improving people’s lives.
Attractive ecotourism activities for tourists include conquering the 1,748m high Kon Ka Kinh peak, admiring the roof of the Pleiku plateau with majestic mountain scenery and large waterfalls, visiting primeval forests with diverse plant species in shape, rich in color, especially with ancient trees thousands of years old, observing many rare and endemic animals such as gray-shanked douc langurs, gibbons, muntjacs, flying squirrels, etc.
In addition, visitors can also participate in festivals to understand the cultural identity of the ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands. In particular, the cultural activities of the Ba Na people are still preserved as in the early days, with gong festivals echoing through the mountains and forests….