Readers Hai Le Cao shares the 3-day, 2-night journey to conquer the most arduous South Kang Ho Tao trekking in the Northwest with complicated and dangerous terrain.
Located in Lai Chau and Lao Cai provinces, Nam Kang Ho Tao is a pristine mountain area with many slippery and vertical cliffs. Many adventurers call this “the road of death”. With many complicated terrains, without a seat belt, you can hardly pass.
Below is the schedule of 3 days 2 nights conquering Nam Kang Ho Tao by readers of Hai Le Cao.
Choose the right path
You can choose 2 paths to climb Nam Kang Ho Tao. If you have good physical strength, a lot of experience and like to try on difficult roads, you should choose to start in Lai Chau and return to Lao Cai province.
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Choosing this road, you will encounter poetic rocky streams and primeval ancient forests. The terrain of this direction is suitable for all subjects.
Ideal timing
Around February 2-3 or September-November is the time for you to conquer this road. Dry, less foggy weather makes it easier to navigate.
You should not trekking this road in the rainy season or after a long rain. The mossy cliffs are quite slippery, the streams will become dangerous rolling water.
Schedule
The first day:
7:00: The group will travel by car from Sa Pa to Thao A village. The distance is about 90 km.
11:00 am: Arrive at the village, meet porter, distribute food and drink water before departure.
Right after that, the group started the journey. The first 1-2 km I found the road easy to go. The terrain is not too steep enough for us to warm up and catch up with the challenge behind.
After 1-2 km starts to reach the stream, the terrain is gradually complicated, slopes and big rocks appear.
After climbing the slope, I encountered the first large rock with a beautiful view. You should check-in here to get the right pictures.
Keep going, the main road is still streams and rocks. I in turn meet the 2nd and 3rd giant rocks. Nam Kang Ho Tao road, the terrain is repeated a lot, but conquering is not easy.
I am impressed with the 3rd stone because it is located in a high terrain, with water pouring down, creating a beautiful scenery.
After crossing 3 rocks, I immediately met a small waterfall with a cool blue lake. The group stops here for swimming, playing and continuing the journey.
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I think these weak friends will have a hard time. Because the terrain is dominated by streams and rocky slopes, it is required that you constantly jump with your calves. You can overcome this by preparing yourself a support stick, helping to draw force from the hand to support the leg.
After a long journey, the group finally arrived at the campsite. I finished the first day with a barbecue meal served by the porter.
Monday:
6am: The group gets up to do personal hygiene quickly and move to camp 2. The road is mostly steep, but going in the cool forest and fresh morning air, you will not feel tired.
8h30: Our group goes to camp 2 to eat and rest.
10am: The group continues to depart. The next line must continuously follow the stream. The boulders appeared more. You will have to jump continuously to go through this journey.
After a long journey, you will reach the saddle zone, which is the area dividing one side to Lai Chau and the other to Lao Cai. Because the location does not have a shelter, if you leave your belongings, you should arrange them neatly to avoid passersby.
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Our group rest, have lunch here until 2:00 pm and continue the journey. I find the way to the top lighter because the backpack burden has been reduced.
The rest of the road is less difficult, the slope is not too high. Near the top, you will cross the bamboo forest. Gloves, hats or glasses will make you safer.
4:00 pm: The group arrives at the top of Nam Kang Ho Tao. From here, you can zoom out to see the majestic scenery of the mountains and forests.
After resting, taking pictures on the top, the group will return to the fork to put things in at 17:30. The way down is always faster and easier.
18h30: Return to the camp, eat, rest, end day 2.
Day 3 :
During the trip I was quite sad because Nam Kang Ho Tao was not as beautiful as I imagined. However, the last day when returning to Lao Cai is the highlight for this trip.
6am: Group wake up, pack up.
7:00: The group starts to go down the mountain. This is the time when the sun starts to creep through the leaves, peeking in the stream bank. The scene that appeared before my eyes made me bewildered and tried to walk slowly to take a close look.
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On the journey down the mountain, you will encounter giant trees or steep slopes as challenging conquerors. The sudden drop in elevation from 1,700 m to 1,400 m can take less experienced people an hour to conquer.
14h: I go to Den Thang sign and move by motorbike to Sa Pa to rest and have dinner.
8:00 PM: My partner and I get on the bus to Hanoi at night, end the journey.
Trip cost (2 people)
– Two-way bed car ticket / 2 people: VND 880,000 (so round trip tickets will be reduced by 40,000 VND)
– Tickets to the forest: 500,000 VND / 2 people (porter is free of charge)
– Meals: 1,299 million VND / 3 people (including porter)
– Porter rental: 1.5 million / 3 days
– Vacation rental for porter to Sa Pa to wait for the delegation: 100,000 VND
– Car cost from Den Thang village to Sa Pa: 900,000 VND / 3 cars
– Total cost: about 5.2 million VND / 2 people
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