When the first rains of the season begin to ease the stifling heat of summer, the grass hills of the previous season in Ta Nang are revived strongly. The yellow, dry and bare color has been replaced. A lush green color now covers all the hills on the trail known as one of the most beautiful trekking paths in Vietnam.
Not being able to miss this opportunity, a group of friends and I arranged our time and work, temporarily put aside all the worries and busyness of life to have moments of truly immersing ourselves in nature. Ta Nang is a trekking route about 20 km long, passing through the two provinces of Da Lat and Ninh Thuan. To get here, you can take a plane, bus or rent a private car to Da Lat, then move to Ta Hine intersection (Duc Trong, Lam Dong), hire a motorbike taxi or move yourself to the edge of the forest and start the trekking route.
Ta Nang welcomed me with a beautiful, cool, sunny morning. The rain from the night before left some muddy spots on the road, but we were so happy and full of spirit that these small obstacles were no problem. I passed the small houses peacefully nestled next to the grasslands and pine forests to climb the first hill, starting the trek to Ta Nang.
Free, green and exciting
Those were my feelings when walking on this road for two days. Ta Nang only had hills, one hill after another without stopping, climbing up one hill and then having to rest to regain strength to continue climbing. But the feeling of standing in the middle of wild nature made me feel more energetic and my steps became more exciting. I was really overwhelmed by the green of the leaves covering my sight, full of vitality. The green of the grass, the blue of the sky and the yellow of the sun made Ta Nang as beautiful as a painting.
There is no motel on the Ta Nang trail, only a flat hill that the previous people named Hill 101 to be able to set up tents and a stove to cook. At this time, a shower of rain fell, we set up tents, covered them with tarps and lit a stove with wet firewood. Smoke rose up in the middle of the rain and wind, then the rain stopped quickly but made the air colder. We had to wear warm clothes, gather around the fire to grill meat, grill corn and cook rice in the midst of noisy, happy laughter.
Magical Dawn
I woke up at 5:30 am to catch the sunrise. It has been a long time since I woke up early in a place without noise and dust like this. When the first rays of sunlight shone down, Ta Nang surprised me with the foggy scene and clouds drifting around the hills and treetops.
Everyone wanted to scream out loud for this magical scene. Setting up a chair in the middle of the hill, making a cup of hot coffee, I enjoyed every moment here. Even the instant noodles and sausage made me feel like this was the best breakfast with the best view of the trip.
After lingering for a while, it was finally time to leave and return to Ta Hine. I kept walking, trying to take in all the beauty of Ta Nang and clicking my camera constantly, for fear of missing a beautiful corner, a moment.
I will always remember waking up at 3am with the wind blowing so hard that my team and I had to reinforce our tent. But when we stepped outside, the whole sky was filled with brilliant stars that took my breath away. How long had it been since I had seen the stars when the city lights had overwhelmed them?
I will also remember the two days of passing through so many green hills, climbing four slopes, four streams, so many muddy holes, and dirty clothes. Yet everyone still smiled brightly, still talking endlessly about “not wanting to stay at home with warm blankets and soft mattresses, but wanting to eat and sleep in this miserable way”. As one of the group said: “What is there in the forest? There is something interesting in the forest!”, and only those who have experienced Ta Nang can fully feel that interesting wind and rain.
MORE INFORMATION
+ Notes when going to Ta Nang:
- The Ta Nang route is not difficult to go but it is easy to get lost so you have to be very careful and prepare fully before going. The best way is to buy a tour from a famous travel company, where the logistics team will take care of everything from tents, food, drinks, and guides. If you go by yourself with a group of friends, it is mandatory to have someone who has been there before, is familiar with the route and has experience leading the group, is familiar with the terrain and handles situations well.
- You need to equip yourself with the most basic survival skills such as setting up a tent, finding food, making a fire, first aid with medical equipment...
- You need to know the route, schedule and fully prepare GPS, offline maps, tracklog
- Never separate from the group, always stick close to your teammates.
+ The best time
During the rainy season, from June to September, the grass begins to grow green, so you will see a vast green color on the hills. During the dry season, from October to December, the grass burns, and the hills turn a golden color.
+ Schedule
The Ta Nang route only takes two days, so you can arrange to go on the weekend. On Friday evening, you take a sleeper bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Lat. At the Ta Hine intersection, ask the driver to stop the bus for you to get off. Then, you hire a motorbike taxi to take you to the forest entrance, where the trek begins. After leaving the forest on Sunday afternoon, you return to the Ta Hine intersection and get on the bus back to Ho Chi Minh City. If you are traveling in a large group, you can rent a private car for convenience.
+ What to prepare
- A good pair of sneakers, comfortable, good grip, waterproof if worn in the rainy season. Need to prepare shoe covers.
- Heavy duty backpack, with backpack cover
- Raincoat set
- Drinking water: Each person should bring at least 4 liters of water during the trip.
- Clothing: Prepare warm clothes, pajamas, trekking gear and put them in ziplock bags to avoid getting wet from the rain.
- Food: Prepare enough food for the number of days you plan to go. You should bring things like instant noodles, dry food, sausages, milk candy, cakes, etc. (dry food is easy to carry and provides good energy)
- Medicine: You should bring some preventive medicine such as cold medicine, diarrhea medicine, insect repellent...
- Tent: should choose the type with 3 layers, insect-proof and rain-proof
- Other items: ID, lighter, knife, camera, flashlight, phone with offline maps/GPS, spare battery/charger...
