Compass Travel Vietnam
Conquer the spines of dinosaurs and the magical mossy forest on the top of Ta Xua
Right behind shack 1 is a 3km long dinosaur spine, the biggest challenge of Ta Xua climbing that no other mountain in Vietnam has. The road is narrow with steep rocky terrain, both sides are deep pools.
Ta Xua peak in Ban Cong commune, Tram Tau district, Yen Bai province is one of the 15 highest peaks in Vietnam, with an altitude of 2,865m above sea level. Ta Xua Peak is the natural boundary between Yen Bai and Son La provinces.
Ta Xua has three peaks, looking like a giant rock dinosaur with an undulating and thorny spine. In addition to the direction from Tram Tau town, it is possible to reach the top of Ta Xua from Bac Yen district, Son La province. This trail is short, easier to climb, and doesn’t go over the dinosaur’s spine.
According to Nguyen Manh Chien, administrator of the Association of mountain climbing enthusiasts with nearly 70,000 members, the Ta Xua climbing bow has attracted tourists’ attention in recent years because of its unique and long dinosaur spine. and beautiful, giving visitors a strong feeling that is unmatched anywhere.
On the top of Ta Xua, there is a unique mossy forest in Vietnam. And even more amazing, this place is also a paradise of clouds.
In mid-April, a group of 6 of us set out to conquer Ta Xua, after nearly a year of climbing activities in the Northwest were stopped due to the Covid epidemic. We rented a car and went from Hanoi at 5pm to Tram Tau town, where we stayed overnight to prepare for the 3-day climb of Ta Xua in 3 days and 2 nights.
After passing 7km of winding hilly roads, the car took us to Ban Cong commune, the starting point of the climb. Here we met 3 local porters. At 8am we started climbing with a total length of about 17km.
From the starting point to the top of Turtle Head rock, about 4km long. The gently sloping hill road has many trees on both sides, so it is quite cool for climbers. The rocky outcrop shaped like a turtle’s head protruding out is an indispensable check-in point in the climbing bow.
From this ledge, one can fully enjoy the immense and majestic scenery: the mountains in the distance, the vast forests spreading out below.
We stopped for lunch at 12 noon in the flat land right near the cliff of Turtle’s Head. After about an hour of rest and refueling, we continued for more than 2km to the area of shack 1. This area passed through a low bamboo forest growing close together. The group of 6 of us walked through the bamboo forest under the slanting sunlight. The scenery is really picturesque.
Because the climb was quite fast, partly thanks to the cool weather, we did not stay at shack 1 but went straight to shack 2 near the top of Ta Xua. Through shack 1, the terrain and scenery completely changed. Large rocks and large trees began to appear in abundance.
Right behind shack 1 is a 3km long dinosaur spine, the biggest challenge of Ta Xua climbing that no other mountain in Vietnam has. The narrow road with steep rocky terrain, on both sides, is a deep abyss, one of the most dangerous climbs but also the most attractive to visitors. Those who are afraid of heights are advised not to conquer this climb.
In September 2019, to ensure the safety of visitors, the local government provided materials and local people worked hard to erect an iron stake and steel wire on the most difficult climbs of the giant spine. long.
Mr. A Vang, 48 years old, from the Mong ethnic group, said he was one of 8 people who installed this wire railing. “We went down to town to get iron, steel, and cement provided by the local government. After 7 working days, we completed this railing system. Since then, we feel more secure every time we take tourists. guests come here,” said Mr. A Vang.
When we started to conquer the spines of the dinosaurs, we gathered all our climbing sticks and put on gloves to climb and cling to the wire railing. Steel wire railings are only erected in some of the most dangerous sections of the climb, the rest of the trekkers still have to crawl, crawl and cling with both hands to cross the small, slippery, precarious trail. four mountain peaks.
Standing on the back of a windy dinosaur, you can look around and see thousands of mountains and clouds and old forests under the clouds below. The beauty that cannot be described by words or images has kept us longer here.
After more than 2 hours, we overcame the dinosaur’s spine and walked for another nearly 1 hour to the rest of tent 2. It was 4:30 pm. It’s cold and it’s starting to get dark.
The new shack that can accommodate about 60 people was built in December 2021. According to Mr. A Key, the owner of the shack, it took him and 5 people a month to build this spacious and clean shack with the total investment. about 60 million VND, not including the efforts of 6 people. Before that, visitors had to sleep in a small shack that could hold about 30 people and was located in an inconvenient area.
The entire Ta Xua climbing arc has no streams or waterfalls. In order to have water to serve the shack, the owner of the shackled water by a rubber hose from a ravine about 4km away. Water from this stream is also led to shack 1.
We have dinner at 19:00, dishes include grilled pork, boiled chicken, bamboo shoot soup and wild vegetables. After dinner, we quickly went to rest to prepare for the next day conquering the two peaks of Ta Xua 1 and 2.
According to the plan, we will get up at 5 am to go to the top of Ta Xua 2 mountain to watch the sunrise and then return to have breakfast and then go to the top of Ta Xua 1, the highest mountain of the climbing arc, where there is a stainless steel top. However, the night rain that lasted until morning ruined our plans. After leaving all our belongings in the shack, we started climbing to the top at 7:30 when the weather cleared.
After about 30 minutes of climbing, we entered the ancient rhododendron forest covered with moss. The ancient forest has many long branches covered with moss with strange shapes. The fog covered the eyes and the strong hiss of the wind made the forest more mysterious and magical, as if only in fairy tales.
There is a special thing that the yellow and red azaleas in the forest near the top of Ta Xua are still blooming brightly while the azaleas in the forest below have faded. According to Mr. A Dang, our guide, the high humidity and airtightness help the azaleas here bloom later.
After more than 3 hours of climbing and taking pictures, we reached the top at 11am. Mr. A Dang said that from November to March next year, from here, you can observe the surrounding mountain peaks and often have the opportunity to meet the sea of clouds right below.
After having lunch with sticky rice and chicken, we went down the mountain at 12 o’clock. On the way back to the shack, we climbed to the top of Ta Xua 1. This peak is located about 20 minutes from shack 2. This is the perfect place to watch the sunrise and sea of clouds on a nice day. From here, you can see the entire back of the dinosaur crossing the four peaks below.
After about 30 minutes at the top of Ta Xua 1, we went back to shack 2 to pack up our things and move down to shack 1 to spend the 2nd night. Overcoming the majestic, climbing dinosaur spine again brought us a wonderful gift. new thrills and attractions. The weather was nicer today than yesterday so we spent a lot of time capturing the scene from the back of the dinosaur.
Arriving at shack 1 at 17:00, we rest, have dinner so that early the next morning we go down the mountain back to Cong village to get on a car to return to Hanoi, ending the journey to conquer Ta Xua, a wonder. The majestic and mysterious nature is unique.
Conquer the spines of dinosaurs and the magical mossy forest on the top of Ta Xua
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