Ngo Tam (25 years old, Quang Ninh), a girl who is passionate about traveling, loves to explore and adventure, especially trekking. She has conquered the following routes: 8 Fairies, Lao Than, Binh Lieu dinosaur spine...
Ngo Tam went on a trekking trip to Ta Lien Son for 24 hours without cell phone signal.
“For me, trekking is an adventurous sport that requires you to be in good health and dare to conquer it because going into the forest is quite dangerous, there is no internet, no phone signal... Although there are many things lacking, in return you will have memories that not everyone has,” Ngo Tam shared with Travellive.
Recently, she spent 2 days and 2 nights exploring Ta Lien Son - the 6th highest mountain in Vietnam at 2,996 m.
The Ta Lien Son trekking journey is a time that takes you lost in a real-life "fairy tale forest"
2 days 2 nights challenge without electricity or phone signal
Ta Lien Son (Co Trau) is 2,996 m above sea level in Ta Leng commune, Tam Duong district, Lai Chau province and about 10 km from the city center. With a short journey of 2 days and 2 nights, Ngo Tam was immersed in the poetic scenery of red maple trees, lush ancient trees, moss and ferns covering the tree trunks creating a mysterious beauty, green vegetation... a fairy tale picture appeared, creating an attraction for dreamy souls who love trekking.
Ta Lien Son is a mountain located in Ta Leng village, Tam Duong district, Lai Chau province with a peak of 2,996m high.
With a 24-hour journey without electricity and phone signal, Ngo Tam shared his memorable journey.
On the first day, depart from Hanoi to Sapa city, Lao Cai at 4:30 am. The group continues to travel for nearly 2 hours by car to the gathering point of Ta Leng commune, Tam Duong district, Lai Chau city. Then continue traveling by motorbike taxi for 7-8 km to reach the foot of the mountain. Because this is the road to the foot of a small mountain, the clay road is slippery, has many potholes, is narrow and steep. This can be considered the first challenging step of this trekking route.
At 11am, the group gathered at the foot of the mountain, equipped with sticks, arranged their belongings, listened to the leader and porter announce the schedule and time to prepare for the trip. From the foot of the mountain to the hut, the distance of 4km, the members enthusiastically explored many beautiful scenes in the forest such as: 1,000-year-old tree roots, Hoa waterfall, ancient trees...
Rich vegetation
At noon, the group had lunch in the forest on the way to the hut. Although there was a lack of everything in the forest, the lunch was prepared in advance: banh chung with gio, sweet tangerines. After a 45-minute lunch break, the group continued their journey. At nearly 6 p.m., they arrived at the hut to rest, eat and prepare for the next morning to continue the journey to conquer Ta Lien Son peak.
On the second day, the members woke up at 4am, packed their personal belongings and started moving to be in time for trekking to the top and down the mountain.
Old trees
“That morning was a memorable morning for me, the rain did not stop, there were shouts and conversations from many other groups sharing the same passion to climb Ta Lien peak. Besides those who were afraid of the cold and bad weather and stayed at the hut, I chose to continue moving to the top of the mountain,” Ngo Tam recounted.
At 9:00 a.m., Ngo Tam and the other members reached the top and the rain stopped, the sun was shining, and there were clouds. At 10:30 a.m., we moved back to the hut to rest, had lunch, and went down the mountain at 4:30 p.m. Then, we moved to Sapa and returned to Hanoi.
Beautiful scenery when trekking to the top
“There were 12 of us in the group, but only 5 of us decided to leave our warm blankets, put on raincoats, and conquer the incessant rain. It was dark, the only light was a flashlight, we just kept going and going, feeling like we had to cross many forests to reach the top of the mountain. With the terrain being covered with vegetation and dense trees, everyone used their limbs to explore. When we reached the top, the sea of clouds rolled in, the sky cleared, and the beautiful scenery appeared, making us forget the cold,” said Ngo Tam.
The journey to conquer the height of 2,996 m also brought Ngo Tam many memorable memories. The evening by the fire enjoying grilled pork marinated by the Mong people. Or the cold night of 6-8 degrees Celsius that made everyone unable to sleep. The 7-8 km road to the foot of the mountain traveling by motorbike made her hold her breath in many sections, not daring to move, only daring to sit and hug the person driving her tightly...
The trip brought Ngo Tam many memorable memories.
What should you pay attention to when trekking in Ta Lien Son?
According to Ngo Tam, the ideal time to trek Ta Lien Son is from September to May next year because the weather is relatively nice and dry. Each period of time has its own beauty.
Specifically, September to November brings the beauty of maple trees. November to January, the cold air flows in, hunting for magical clouds. January to February is the camellia season. And March to May is the season of blooming azaleas.
The yellow color of maple leaves
“Because I love looking at maple leaves, I chose the end of November. The weather is cold mainly in the early morning and late afternoon,” she said.
In addition, she also suggests that visitors should prepare light clothes to easily move around all day. At night, they should bring warm clothes, thermal shirts and spare batteries because on the mountain there will be no signal, no electricity, and everyone will use a flashlight.
The higher you go, the lower the temperature, so you should bring lotion to avoid dry skin, drinking water for the entire journey and a spare battery to save many memorable moments.
Ta Lien Son Forest like in a fairy tale
As someone who has conquered many trekking routes from the South to the North, Ngo Tam's trekking in Ta Lien Son has many differences compared to other routes.
“Ta Lien Son has a season of blooming maple leaves. The peace when entering the mysterious forest surrounded by many ancient trees, or the sound of waterfalls, birds chirping and rich vegetation... even sleeping in the old forest gives me a feeling of extreme relaxation. Perhaps, because I like the nature and scenery here, especially like looking at maple leaves because they symbolize luck, hope and desire. You can see maple leaves at many other trekking routes such as in Lung Cung, Ky Quan San... I chose Ta Lien Son because this place is relatively difficult to go, few people come and the nature is majestic", said Ngo Tam.
Ta Lien Son is a relatively difficult trekking route in the North.
Sharing more about her passion for adventure sports, according to Ngo Tam, trekking helps her expand her limits in addition to her hobby of exploring travel. After each trekking trip, she is recharged by connecting with nature and meeting many new friends.
“Record the memorable moments of youth by exploring the majestic nature and especially conquering the mountains. Not only the Ta Lien Son trekking route, but when you conquer the top of a mountain, you will feel like you have conquered yourself.”
Conquering the top of a mountain feels like having the mindset of a winner over yourself.
