Unlike Ta Xua, the cloud paradise in Bac Yen – Son La, which can be easily conquered by motorbike, climbing Ta Xua Yen Bai will be much more difficult. Journey through the forest 3 days 2 nights, overcome majestic dinosaurs and magical forests covered with moss with mountains in the top 15 in Vietnam.
1. Information about climbing Ta Xua Yen Bai
Ta Xua is a mountain 2,865m above sea level, this mountain ranks 13th out of 15 highest mountains in Vietnam (in terms of altitude).
Ta Xua peak in Cong village, Tram Tau district, Yen Bai province, is an extremely famous cloud hunting peak known to young people. Ta Xua has three peaks: peak 1, peak 2 and peak 3, of which the highest peak is peak 3 (elevation 2,865m). Peak 2 has the same height as peak 3, but now very few people climb because peak 2 was previously burned by forest fire, so the vegetation is no longer rich and the peak on top 2 has also been uprooted, so now most people only climb peak 1 and peak 3 with a climbing time of 2 days and 1 night. If you are interested and want to conquer all 3 Ta Xua peaks, please follow my article here.
- Porter led his way this time : Mr. Phan A Ga, living in Cong village (Tel: 0822427710). In my opinion, he is an enthusiastic, gentle and very quiet person.
2. Ta Xua Yen Bai mountain climbing journey
Day 1: Tram Tau – The Public – once thought
Our group consists of 7 people: Mr. Sang, Mr. Xuan Anh, Mr. Nghia, Mr. Giang, Ms. Ngoc, Ms. Trang and I (Hang Bap) together to gather at My Dinh bus station to move to Nghia Lo (Yen Bai) ). At night, we were at Nghia Lo bus station, then got on the previously rented pickup truck to Tram Tau to rest overnight to start the journey tomorrow morning.
In the early morning, everyone got up and prepared things, had breakfast and went to the market to buy food and drinks needed for 3 days on the mountain. Normally, people who go climbing always give posters to buy food, but I have a piece of advice that if you have time, prepare to buy food and fruits yourself, I see things that I bought. It will be more delicious to let the poster buy a lot.
After buying enough things and necessary things, we got on a pickup truck to go to the climbing point to meet the poster. The road to the village is both small and steep, we have to walk a long distance from the beautiful concrete road to the dirt road in the hot sun, through the terraced fields of the Mong people, and finally reach Cong village. . We went to Mr. A Ga’s house to rest and wait for him to arrange the furniture. The journey to conquer Ta Xua peak officially begins.
Still the slopes in a row without equal points, it is no different from the legendary 3-hour slope in Po Ma Lung. At 10 a.m., the sun rises above the head, each ray of sunlight shines down, causing the heat from the earth to radiate everywhere, as if it wants to burn people’s skin. We were all sweaty, breathless and didn’t even bother to say a word to each other. Finally reached the apple tree point for a break for lunch.
There is an extremely valuable advice for those who are about to go to Ta Xua climbing: rent a motorbike taxi back from Tram Tau to the apple tree, so it will save a lot of energy. Because our group thought we couldn’t get in by motorbike, everyone walked, thank you, I lost a lot of strength on that part of the walk.
Sitting for lunch and sleeping for about 30 minutes, we hit the road again. From this point on, it is less steep, Mr. Porter said, but I still see a continuous slope but it is softer than the slope in the morning when I climbed. Soon our group reached the virtual turtle head cliff, where every trekking person wants to have a photo here.
From the cliff of turtle’s head to our shack not long apart, the way is also much easier, mainly the dwarf bamboo forest is quite wide and airy. It was only 3 o’clock and we were already at the shack. Ending a day of climbing is just enough, not too tired. We rested for a while and then headed out to the dinosaur spine to hunt the sunset.
I have to admit watching the sunset on top of the dinosaur spine is extremely beautiful. The day I went there was no cloud, but it was a beautiful day, standing from the top, I could see the whole majestic mountain scenery. Each streak of sunlight dyed the entire forest frame of the mountain peak right in front of me, at that time I could only stand still and watch, trying to remember each of these beautiful moments that I thought I would rarely see. The top of the spine is also the top of 1 Ta Xua, on this there is also a virtual living swing, so it’s very enjoyable to sit and swing.
Each wind blew, making me shiver slightly because of the cold, on the top of the spine the wind was extremely strong. It was almost evening, so we went back to the shack to prepare for dinner and rest.
The shack here is spacious, with enough blankets and insulation, so it’s not cold at night. Everything is comfortable, the stream is about 500m from the shack, so the porters have to split up to carry water for cooking and washing.
The shack is located in the middle of the dwarf bamboo forest, the inside of the shack is lightly covered by a thin canvas. Every time the wind blew, it rustled, making it difficult for everyone to sleep at night.
Day 2: Rest shack – peak 1 – peak 3 – peak 2 – rest shack
The next morning, get up early, have breakfast, and then take the necessary things to set out to conquer the top 3 and peak 2 Ta Xua. Today is a hard day, one day we have to go to 2 peaks.
We will go to the top 3 first to check the top, then come back and go to the top 2. From the shack to the top 3, we have to pass the craggy dinosaur spine, the path is small and rocky. In recent years, the spine has been made a railing to reduce its danger. Both windy and steep, the path is full of rocks, below is a deep abyss that makes everyone careful step by step. Trang and I went together, the two sisters walked while watching the sunrise on the spine. Every once in a while, it rose and disappeared, every time the sun appeared, both sisters screamed with excitement, it was a beautiful scene.
At the end of the spine, we entered the old forest, where there were many azaleas blooming, the old trees around were full of moss clinging to look very spooky. In particular, the forest near the top, known as the “ghost forest” by everyone, looks great. I was very impressed with the trees growing up zigzag and then covered with moss that looked so mysterious.
We reached the top, touched the top of Ta Xua. The view at the top is nothing special, so everyone takes a commemorative photo with the top, has a snack, and then moves to the top 2.
Only me, Mr. Giang, Mr. Nghia and Mr. Xuan Anh went to the top 2; Ms. Ngoc, Ms. Trang and Mr. Sang and 1 other porter will go down to the shack to rest for health reasons.
To get from the top 3 to the top 2, we have to go back to the abandoned shack near the top 3, take a break for lunch, and then hit the road again. The road to the top 2 is much more difficult because we both have to climb and open the way to have a way. Mr. A Phang said that since the top of 2 was burned, there was no longer any group to climb, so the path was overgrown with grass. If you intend to go to the top 2, remember to wear a shirt to cover your limbs, the way is mainly through the dense bamboo forest that obscures the view. We kept going from one mountain to another, the scenery here was as magical and beautiful as the road on the top of 3, but because everyone was tired and afraid of coming down the mountain late, we did not take pictures.
It took us about 3 hours to reach the summit 2, from the abandoned shack. It is true that the top 2 made us a bit disappointed, the peak 2 was small, leaving only a few rusty iron pieces. At the top of the burning trees that were sprouting, the seat was enough for about 6 people to sit and this top was not clear at all. By this time, everyone was hungry and tired, including the porter. Sit down and eat what’s left of your body and then move down the mountain, we’ll go another way, not go back to the original way. Going this way, you don’t have to move much in the jungle, mainly on the spine of the mountain.
When it came to the dinosaur’s spine, it was also when it started to get dark, we had to shine lights to cross this part. Going in the dark is extremely dangerous, if you are negligent, you can fall at any time. Passing all the way back to the top 1 is more than 6pm, me and another guy linger on top 1 to watch the stars. You know, a shimmering starry sky that delights to watch without being obscured by anything. Small people in the vast galaxy, I regret not having anything to capture that wonderful moment.
Day 3: Rest shack – Tram Tau – Nghia Lo – Hanoi
The weather wasn’t very nice this morning, Porter said. I looked outside and saw that the sky seemed to be blind, it was probably raining below Tram Tau.
The fog is getting denser and denser, the dirt road the previous day was dry, and today it is slippery. It was also very difficult for us to get to the foot of the mountain because the road was muddy and slippery due to the rain. The shuttle was already waiting to take us back to the motel to shower and change clothes. Lien Hoa congratulates the trip full of joy with a hot pot restaurant in the center of Tram Tau. We got on the bus to move to Nghia Lo to catch the bus back to Hanoi.
It’s sad to have to leave this place, in my heart there is a bit of nostalgia that can’t be left. Because I know that when I set foot down the mountain, I will return to my present life, reeling in work and relationships.
Despite experiencing such difficulties and dangers, climbing Ta Xua Yen Bai still has an amazing attraction, because perhaps for those who love trekking, conquering such roads is “already”, satisfied. wish.
3. Some things to note when climbing Ta Xua mountain Yen Bai
- Motorcycles can run to the section of the apple tree, near the top of the turtle’s head. You can ask the porter to call a motorbike taxi from Tram Tau so you don’t have to walk much.
- If you want to climb Ta Xua Yen Bai with all 3 peaks, then practice really well or arrange a reasonable date to go to each peak. Because the first day to the shack is quite early, you can go to the top 2 or the top 3 first, the second day you will go to the other peak.
- The top 2 are densely wooded, our group is a new group that has been traveling for 2 years without any group going. It takes a lot of strength to walk while distributing trees along the roadside. Should wear clothes to protect your hands, feet, and face to avoid being cut by bamboo leaves.
- Do not litter, climb the mountain with the motto: “Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints”.
- The dirt road is okay if it is dry, but it will be very difficult to go on a rainy day. Those who are not fluent in motorbikes are also difficult to walk, walking is slippery but know what to do when you still have to go. Follow wecheckin