Trekking Mount Ta Xua, Yen Bai – 4 Days
  • Visited places: Hanoi, Muong Lo Nghia Lo, Tram Tau
  • Tour Activity/Theme: Trekking, Hiking, Mountain climbing, Sublime nature, Off the beaten track

Trekking the Mount Ta Xua is a hard and difficult mountain trekking tour for 4 days, 3 nights. This trekking adventure covers the 3 peaks at the Mount Ta Xua, of which the highest peak is 2,865m.

Trekking Tour Mount Ta Xua, Yen Bai Overview

The best time to do the trip is from December through March during which it is dry and there high chances of taking photographs of breathtaking clouds. October-November could be a great time to climb the Mount Ta Xua and adore the clouds but there may be tropical depressions or typhoons which cause bad rains sometimes. It is dry and quite warm in April and the rains between May-September, October make the trip not possible occasionally.

Road to Tram Tau Yen Bai
Road to Tram Tau Yen Bai

Accommodations on the tour are at a simple hotel on the first night and in a tent in the mountain on the second and the third night. Our local Hmong team will prepare necessary food and water for the meals on the trek. AdventureGreen also provides candies and biscuits… to help you with more energy. Important notes on what to bring and weather conditions are provided upon booking.

Mountains at Tram Tau, Yen Bai
Mountains at Tram Tau, Yen Bai

Accommodation

Simple hotel at Tram Tau/ 1 night
Rudimentary huts in the mountain/2 nights

{Inclusions
English speaking guide;
Local porters and cook;
Simple hotel room for accommodation at Tram Tau;
Hut with blankets for accommodation in the mountain as on the tour itinerary;
All car/van transfers as on the tour itinerary;
All admission fees and permits for the tour;
Meals as on the tour itinerary: B=Breakfast; L=Lunch; D=Dinner;
02 bottles of water/day/person on a trekking day;}

{Exclusions
Insurance of any types;
Drinks or personal expenses;
Others not clearly mentioned as included above;}

Detailed itinerary

Day1    Hanoi – Nghia Lo – Tram Tau (L/D)

0800 A.M : AdventureGreen team picks you up from the hotel in Hanoi and we travel via Route 32 heading north-west. The landscapes by the roadsides include rivers, tea plantations, valleys and sublime mountains.
Lunch at Thu Cuc.
Passing the Deo Khe and Deo Ach Mountain Passes we descend into the Muong Lo Valley which offers some photo opportunities.

Pristine rice fields at the Muong Lo Valley, Nghia Lo Town, Yen Bai Province, Vietnam
Pristine rice fields at the Muong Lo Valley, Nghia Lo Town, Yen Bai Province, Vietnam

 

Scenic road from Nghia Lo to Tram Tau
Scenic road from Nghia Lo to Tram Tau

Then, the road gets smaller and goes higher the further we get close to Tram Tau Township. It is rivers, ravines, mountains all the way. Our accommodation is at a mini hotel in a quiet corner.
Dinner and overnight at Tram Tau.

Hillsides at Tram Tau Township
Hillsides at Tram Tau Township

Day2    Tram Tau – 4km motorbike transfer - Full Day Trekking to the First Peak of Mount Ta Xua (Dinosaur’s Spine)/Overnight at a mountain hut (B/L/D)

0730 A.M After breakfast our local Hmong team will transfer you by motorbike to Ta Xua Village where the trek starts. 

0800 A.M Starts the trekking adventure to conquer the Mount Ta Xua. More splendid photos of rice terraces (if in the season) and ethnic villages in the backdrop of imposing mountains on the way. You’ll have a glance of the Tram Tau Township from above before venturing futher into the greenery of the mountain and forest.

It is steep (45o often) all the way to the mountain hut tonight. We’ll be trekking through a thin forest or bushes with no shade, and having a sun hat is recommended. Some parts of the path we’ll have to use rope to go up.

The first leg of the trail to the trek at the Ta Xua Mountain
The first leg of the trail to the trek at the Ta Xua Mountain

12:00 Picnic lunch en route.

1300-1600 For most trekkers with averaged fitness, we should have passed the Dinosaur Backbone and arrived at the mountain hut by now. The scenery after the Dinosaur Backbone is with mossy trees in a dense forest which looks more like in a fairy tale. The forest stretches all the way to Peak No.3, hightest point of the Ta Xua Mountain Range.

More dirt path to the trek at Ta Xua Yen Bai
More dirt path to the trek at Ta Xua Yen Bai

After arrival at the hut, have time to adore the breathtaking wilderness around you. Sunset provides magical moments for photography and relaxation.

Do not bother to think of a shower as it is not available up here.

1800 Dinner and easy time in the night. 

Our trekking tour to the summit of the Ta Xua Mountain in Yen Bai starts from here
Our trekking tour to the summit of the Ta Xua Mountain in Yen Bai starts from here

 

The dirt path could get muddy when it rains at the Ta Xua Mountain Yen Bai
The dirt path could get muddy when it rains at the Ta Xua Mountain Yen Bai

 

Time to take on the most challenging part of the adventure today: the Dinosaur Backbone
Time to take on the most challenging part of the adventure today: the Dinosaur Backbone

 

The winds are strong here and our eye sights are blurred
The winds are strong here and our eye sights are blurred

 

Hopefully we'll make it through
Hopefully we'll make it through

 

Some day it is an ocean of clouds at the Dinosaur Backbone which makes us wonder if we should move on!
Some day it is an ocean of clouds at the Dinosaur Backbone which makes us wonder if we should move on!

 

Our destination today is somewhere there behind the fog
Our destination today is somewhere there behind the fog

 

We will be there before dark anyway
We will be there before dark anyway

Day3  Ta Xua Mountain: Peak No. 3 and Peak No.2 (B/L)

0700 A.M Get up, have breakfast and enjoy the fresh morning amid the wilderness of the Mount Ta Xua. Sunrise provides great moments for great photography, too.
0800-1130 Trek to Peak No.3, the highest with sensational landscape all the way.
1130-1230 picnic lunch.
1230-1530 Trek to Peak No. 2.
1530-1700 Descend to the hut.
Overnight at the hut.

The amazing mossy forest at the Ta Xua Mountain in Yen Bai
The amazing mossy forest at the Ta Xua Mountain in Yen Bai

Day4 Descend the mountain/ Tram Tau – Hanoi (B/L)

0700-0800 Breakfast.
0800-1130 Descend the mountain and arrive back at Tram Tau.
1130-1230 Lunch at Tram Tau.
1230-1730 Travel back to Hanoi. We trust you had an adventure of a life time with AdventureGreen!

Time to descend now
Time to descend now

 

It may be just another sunny and beautiful day!
It may be just another sunny and beautiful day!

 

Farewell to the white clouds at the Ta Xua Mountain
Farewell to the white clouds at the Ta Xua Mountain

 

Relaxing moments before going down
Relaxing moments before going down

 

Back to the village and ready to go home!
Back to the village and ready to go home!

Vietnam Adventure Travel