5 beautiful cloud hunting spots in Sapa
Sapa has many suitable spots for hunting clouds such as Fansipan peak, Ham Rong mountain, Hang Da village…
Ta Xua is one of the most beautiful "cloud hunting paradise" in the northern mountainous region. This place retains its wild and natural beauty because it has not been exploited much in tourism. Therefore, Ta Xua tourism may become a destination attracting many travel enthusiasts and backpackers.
Following in the footsteps of Dang Thi Duyen - a young person passionate about "moving", let's explore the 2 days 1 night Ta Xua tour from Hanoi.
1. Locate where is Ta Xua?
Ta Xua is known as a highland commune, located at the border between Son La and Yen Bai provinces, with an altitude of 1600 - 1800m:
- About 200 km from Hanoi.
- About 115 km from the center of Son La City.
- About 100 km from Moc Chau.
With such a geographical location, coming to Ta Xua, you can escape the city's smoke and dust to enjoy the cool atmosphere and admire the rolling hills, terraced fields up and down like waves crashing on the shore. , especially being released into the sea of floating clouds that can appear anytime.
2. Means of transportation to Ta Xua
There are many different means of transportation to Ta Xua, such as motorbikes, passenger cars, tourist cars, etc. Our group consisted of 9 women, so we rented a Limousine car from Khanh Thinh's garage for 700K/person, both going and returning. The car departs from Hoang Cau Hanoi at 9 pm. It takes about 5 hours to Ta Xua and goes to Son La City at about more than midnight, the car stops to change the driver, and we take advantage of the toilet and continue. The journey is about 50km to Ta Xua.
It took more than 1 hour to travel. Then we were in the "cloud hunting paradise" Ta Xua. While still sitting in the car, the driver told him to get up and look at the clouds. His eyes were still dreamily trying to open wide to see. Ta Xua was so gracious to welcome us with a sea of white clouds at more than 1 am. It was even more magical, thinking that I was lost in a fairyland.
3. Means of transportation in Ta Xua
Coming to Ta Xua, you can rent a motorbike to visit the places here for the initiative. But if the steering wheel is unstable, renting a motorbike taxi is safer. As for our group, there were many people. Moreover, all girls had weak drivers, so they rented a limousine from Khanh Thinh garage (the garage we rented from Hanoi - Ta Xua and vice versa). Car rental cost is 1500K with the schedule:
- On Saturday afternoon (September 17), our group visited Wind Peak, Mi Oi cafe.
- On Sunday morning (September 18), welcome the delegation to dinosaur spines, dolphin beaks and lonely trees.
4. The ideal time to travel to Ta Xua Son La
According to the driver who drove us, who has been bringing tourists to Ta Xua for many years, the most beautiful cloud season here is from September to early March next year. At this time, Ta Xua clouds are both thick and beautiful. However, from July, you can welcome the early cloud hunting season in the early sunshine, sometimes mixed with the fog. It is not easy to distinguish whether it is dew or cloud.
We went in mid-September (from September 16 to September 18, 2022), right in the most beautiful cloud season in Ta Xua, and considered to have satisfied the "necessary conditions" to hunt clouds successfully!
That said, it does not mean that Ta Xua in other times is not beautiful. From April to July is the season of pouring water. Ta Xua puts on a rustic beauty with the highlight of the terraced fields sparkling with silver!
5. Where to stay in Ta Xua
Referring to the "residence" of our sister association when coming to Ta Xua is not very smooth. We initially booked a community room at A Phu homestay, but the room ran out because we had a group deposit in advance. And so through 7749 different options, weighing needs, interests and budgets, Homestay Papa, Provincial Road 112, Ta Xua. (Contact: 0988238629) has been successfully "locked" with a rental price of 2600K for 2 nights here, early check-in.
Review a little about this homestay for you! It's just been built, so it hasn't been set up much, the road to the house is quite steep, so you have to go by motorbike or car with 2 bridges (our car is a 1-bridge car that can't go up, Mr. Cong - the staff at home supports us). Helped to carry things up while we walked together to the home, it's not far, but the road is steep, so it's quite tiring). There is another way to the house that is shorter and easier to go but makes much mud, so we go this way quickly during the day.
Our room is on the 2nd floor, quite spacious, designed in a simple stilt house style, and covered with glass for convenient viewing from the room. Pulling the curtains to catch the eye with the scenery of mountains, terraces, vast clouds and the appearance of BB Homestay from above. There are few virtual living spots in Papa because it's new, but I took a few shots with this striking yellow home background!
6. Places to visit, check in "Must Go" in Ta Xua
Ta Xua caused a fever with the top-notch videos of many young people returning to the simple and peaceful natural scenery, bearing the characteristics of the Northwest mountains. Let's rewind the destinations in our group's 2 days 1 night Ta Xua tour!
6.1. Dinosaur spine
Anyone who comes to Ta Xua must set foot on the back of the dinosaur at least once. This name is because, if you view it from above, this place is shaped like the back of a dinosaur. Surrounded by terraced fields, mountains and hills, the back of the dinosaur is an enchanting place to hunt clouds, especially in the early dawn.
The way down to the dinosaur's spine is about 1km long, which is quite difficult. You can walk, rent a motorbike taxi, or if you are a silk driver with experience through many small, bumpy roads can experience this road. However, I advise women not to go alone because it is quite dangerous.
Our group rented a motorbike taxi from the native Hmong here to transport guests down the dinosaur's spine for 400K/ 9 people/ 2 trips to and from (normally 50K/ person, round trip, we bargained) only until then).
6.2. Dolphin snout
This is also the check-in place in Ta Xua that attracts many young people. We are no exception. The dolphin's snout is a rocky outcrop that looks like a dolphin. Surrounded by mountains and forests are extremely spacious and majestic.
6.3. Lonely tree
Not far from the dolphin's snout is a lonely tree - virtual living coordinates to be noticed in the Ta Xua tour. A tree standing alone should be called a lonely tree. Behind is a green river. On both sides are high hills and mountains, extremely poetic. Many people liken this river to a "half-brother" to the Nho Que River in Ha Giang.
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6.4. Wind Peak
Wind Peak is a place to watch the sunset "top of the top" in Ta Xua. It would help if you did not miss it. We could admire the brilliant sunset from the top of the Wind and hunt the ravishing white sea of clouds.
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6.5. My Oi coffee shop
At the top of the Wind are many lovely cafes with views that embrace the beauty of clouds and Ta Xua Mountain, such as Hien Coffee, Mi Oi Coffee, and An's Coffee. We went in the afternoon, again on the weekend, every shop was crowded, so we had to wait for a few guests to leave to have a nice seat to watch the sunset from Mi Oi cafe.
Drinks here are affordable from 30,000 VND - 60,000 VND, with a fairly diverse menu. Besides drinks, Mi Oi also serves snacks and "divine" instant noodles with a view of the expensive Ta Xua sea of clouds to satisfy your virtual life and warm your stomach.
In addition, in the center of Ta Xua, there are cafes with impressive designs, bold mountain and retro styles, and beautiful and charming sea views that you should visit, such as Thao Coffee; H'mong Coffee.
7. What to eat in Ta Xua?
During the trip to Ta Xua 2N1D, we brought food to eat grilled at the homestay, breakfast box noodles, snacks such as biscuits, sliced bread, soft drinks, fruits, sausages, confectionery...
Generally, we do not enjoy the specialties often introduced in Ta Xua, such as mac velvet porridge, kitchen buffalo meat, nam pia, lam rice or sour mannequin meat... Instead, on our first day in Ta Xua, we ordered a black chicken hot pot at the homestay.
In the middle of the cool weather, sometimes it's cold here, slurping beside the unbelievably complex fragrant chicken hot pot. In particular, the black chicken is chewy and fragrant, and the skin is crispy and crunchy. Therefore, in the group, 2 of my sisters ordered 3 ready-made black chickens to bring back as gifts.
8. Ta Xua travel schedule 2N1Đ
8.1. Day 1: Hanoi - Ta Xua
Morning:
- 1:00: Check in to Papa's homestay, Provincial Road 112, Ta Xua.
- 7:00: Breakfast with boxed noodles, bread
- 9:00: Walking around Ta Xua town, because it was raining and we couldn't rent a motorbike to ride the dinosaurs back, we ate grilled eggs and baked potatoes, ... at the roadside shop opposite the symbol that says "Xa Ta Commune Xua Bac Yen District".
Lunch:
- 11:00: Return to homestay to eat black chicken hot pot
- Noon: Back to the room to rest
Afternoon:
- 16:00: Hunting for clouds at the top of the Wind
- 16:30: Watch the sunset at Mi Oi cafe
Evening:
- 18:00: Eat barbecue at the homestay, grilled food from meat to vegetables, and sausages we have prepared to bring from Hanoi.
- 20:00: Play music, and play a word-matching game.
8.2. Day 2: Ta Xua - Hanoi
Morning:
- 6:00: Dinosaur spine.
- 8:30: Dolphin's nose.
- 9:00: Lonely tree.
Lunch:
- 11:00: Eat hot pot at homestay Cam's House
- 12:30: Check out Papa's homestay, pack up and return to Hanoi
Afternoon:
- 13:30: Get on the bus from Ta Xua to Hanoi
9. Ta Xua travel cost 2N1Đ
The cost of going to Ta Xua 2N1D for our group totals 14,887,500 VND divided by 9 people, each person 1,654,167 VND.
10. What should Ta Xua tourism pay attention to?
For your trip to Ta Xua to be complete and fun, you need to note a few things:
Time to go: You should monitor the Ta Xua weather forecast before the trip to avoid bad weather affecting the travel experience.
Things to prepare: Prepare snacks to bring "hunger relief" quickly when needed, such as candy, hot dogs, drinking water ... and personal belongings, and necessary items such as Photography sticks and sunscreen, a small speaker to play chill music, a raincoat, flashlight, power bank, wind oil, cold medicine, fever reducer, diarrhea medicine...
Clothing: Warm outerwear is indispensable to avoid Wind and cold. You should wear comfortable clothes, not high heels. New sports shoes are "true love" when coming to high mountains like Ta Xua. In addition, girls remember to bring colorful dresses to have a beautiful shimmering virtual photo album.
Transportation: For those of you who ride motorbikes, remember to check the gas, fill up the tank so as not to interrupt the sightseeing journey. Because the road in Ta Xua is quite steep, you should move at a moderate speed and avoid going at night to ensure safety. If traveling in a large group like ours, renting a private car will be the ideal choice, both safe and convenient.
Tips for successful cloud hunting: To successfully hunt clouds, you need a little luck and a strong will to help you get up early to hunt the sea of clouds at dawn because this scene is really beautiful, like a masterpiece.
The end of the Ta Xua 2N1D tour, for first-timers like us, is an interesting and quite satisfying experience. At the time of our visit, Ta Xua Center was building a lot of new homestays, so the roads were still messy and littered indiscriminately, affecting the beauty. In the future, Ta Xua will have a new, clean, more organized appearance and provide more diverse services for tourists to visit and explore. With the above sharing, I hope to help you on the upcoming Ta Xua trip!
