Located about 360km from Hanoi, there is a place known as ‘Heaven to hunt clouds, watch rice’, which is becoming a new conquest of young people recently.
The cloud-covered limestone cliff at the top of Lao Than is a favorite check-in spot for many tourists
In the cool late autumn weather, we decided to conquer the top of Lao Than – the roof of Y Ty’s house – with the height of 2,860m, in order to enjoy the picture of majestic rice-ripe terraced fields with fragrant flowers of wild grass. .. after a period of “blunt” due to the COVID-19 translation.
Located about 360km from Hanoi, Y Ty high hill (Bat Xat district, Lao Cai, above sea level up to 1,600-1,800m) is named “Paradise for cloud hunting and rice watching” by many tourists. North, has become a new conquest of young people recently, after being “bored” with Sa Pa.
Watch the rice ripen, overnight in the middle of the sky
After a day of wrestling with the road with many steep passes, when the afternoon light was about to die, we were present at the homestay Y Ty Clouds in Mo Phu Chai village, Y Ty commune. Everyone has a very good night’s sleep in the house reporting in the sky to have energy for the next journey.
In the late autumn morning, with nice weather, we set out to go through the winding roads along the terraced fields to reach Phin Ho village at the foot of Lao Than mountain. This season the rice fields in Y Ty start to ripen. The whole mountain and forest seem to be put on a splendid and graceful robe with yellow and green color.
In the eyes of tourists, Y Ty is as beautiful as a picture with the combination of nature’s creation and the ever-reclaimed human hand. In the midst of immense rice fields arranged in steps as if up to the cloud are a few houses with small, simple earth-walled walls of villagers. The early smoke of each house folds out in harmony with the mist, making the distant people suddenly feel at peace.
On some fields halfway up the mountain, the people of Ha Nhi Den people began to harvest. For the people here, they only harvest the upland rice once a year, so everyone is happy to face. The Black Ha Nhi consider the ripe rice season a happy season. Villagers celebrate the festival to celebrate the rice harvest, the rice is full for the whole year …
When it was clear, the fog and clouds gradually disappeared, everyone reached the green vegetable farm in Phin Ho village. Trang A Tru, a professional porter in Sang Ma Sao commune (Bat Xat), waited early. A Tru said today the weather is very nice, so healthy people only need to climb for about 3 hours to reach the top of the mountain! Hearing that, everyone was so excited, started to join.
Behind the “Heaven Gate” on the top of Cao Tham is a cloud covered sky
Play with flowers and clouds
From the starting point at an altitude of nearly 1,700 meters above sea level, the group began to go uphill to conquer the mountain. After walking a bit, the whole group of people were lost in the dark forest and could no longer see the village or the rice fields below.
The towering old forest and purple myrtle flowers are welcoming everyone. Each of the simmering flowers left in the morning mist, sometimes wiped on the traveler pants leaving a streak of cold water on someone’s flesh.
The path to the top of Lao Than is quite pleasant because the difficulty cannot be compared to Ky Quan San, Pu Ta Leng or Ta Lien … After nearly 2 hours of climbing, surrounded by immense sim flowers. Each of the sims swaying with the wind in bloom at the end of the season leads everyone to get lost in the endless love garden. The girls took the opportunity to turn to the middle of the simmered purple hills to inhale the scent, take advantage of taking “selfie” photos to save the mark of the trip.
During the journey up to an altitude of 2,500m above sea level, the simian flower is like a confidant with every step. Up to the middle of the mountain, the dark old forest canopy was left behind, the current scenery was a clear sky. White clouds seem to be joking around on tourists’ heads. Far away from the clouds, the mountains create a picture of a majestic landscape of the Northwest.
Following Trang A Tru’s instructions, we headed for the towering limestone massif protruding out of the forest towards the vast sea of clouds. Several large and pointed rocky outcrops like the nose of a boat stabbed forward, challenging and charismatic. When you are safe in the most impressive position, you think you are a fairy in a place with clouds floating at your feet …
Leaving the cliff, we continue up, where the dry trees are stacked together to create a unique “Sky Gate” on the cliff. From here, looking ahead is the view all year round with clouds and mountains. “Clouds in Y Ty belong to the densest type in the Northwest. So near the top of the mountain, regardless of season, everyone can admire the sea of clouds” – A Khu said.
Through “Heaven Gate”, feeling started to get lost in the land like a fairy tale in the heavenly world. The swing was built up with a few woods for the girls to fulfill their dreams of flying. Xuan Lan – a girl from Nam Dinh – said: “Swinging here I feel my soul as being swayed by clouds and wind”. Just like that, everyone took turns to sit on the swing for a few minutes to relax, dispel all the fatigue and sorrows of daily life.
A female tourist with a sim flower flower in her hand, floating clouds in the distance – Photo: H. DUONG
Some instructions for visitors
– Y Ty is the most beautiful from the middle of September to November. This is a cool time, not too cold, while watching ripe rice and hunting beautiful clouds.
– After traveling (bus, train) from Hanoi to Lao Cai city (280km), tourists rent a motorbike to go more than 70km to reach Y Ty. Visitors can also take a bus from Hanoi to Sa Pa (310km) and then drive a motorbike to continue 70km to Y Ty.
– Time for the trip to Y Ty and climb Lao Than from Hanoi is 3 days 2 nights. Tourists need to hire porter of H’mong or Ha Nhi Den to lead the way to the mountain with time to go and return 6-8 hours.
– If you climb the mountain in the afternoon and can’t get down during the day, visitors can rent a Mong’s shack overnight, full of blankets, curtains … for 80,000 VND / person / night.
The cloud hunting spot is high in the border area
The group of young people on the top of the stainless steel on the top of Lao Than – Photo: H. DUONG
When the top of Cao Tham was only a few hundred meters ahead, at an altitude of 2,860 meters above sea level, stainless steel tip was built up on a grassy lawn. Like every trip to conquer the mountain, seeing the stainless steel tip is a successful journey for visitors. After more than 4 hours of climbing, we all feel proud to have conquered one of the most beautiful views in the border areas of the country.
It can be said that Lao Than – the roof of the house in Y Ty – is the most impressive sight, hunting for clouds on the border. From the top of Dao Tham, visitors can easily see the Den Sang valley into a sea of clouds floating below. Looking far away is the Nhìu Co San mountain range (in the commune of Sang Ma Sao, Bat Xat) with a peak of 2,965m undulating in the sky …
Tuoi Tre