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…
There is no need to go to remote places like Lao Cai or Ha Giang; right near Hanoi, there is also a place where you can hunt extremely satisfying clouds.
Nowadays, when coming to mountain and forest destinations, besides sightseeing and enjoying the air and nature, most tourists have another experience that is considered a "must try once". That is cloud hunting.
Cloud hunting is when people "race" against time, going to mountain tops and hilltops early in the morning, when the sun has not yet risen, to see the vast sea of clouds, like a fairyland. Must hunt because this moment only lasts for a very short period, especially on beautiful, clear days when visitors can hunt clouds.
Regarding cloud hunting, most tourists immediately think of names like Ta Xua-Son La, Sa Pa-Lao Cai, or Ha Giang. These locations are quite far from the centres of big cities, taking a long time to travel. However, now you can go far and save time because right near the capital, Hanoi, there is a suitable place to hunt clouds with beauty that is second to none.
The location being mentioned is Ba Vi National Park, Hanoi. Ba Vi National Park is a name that is not unfamiliar to tourists, but not everyone knows the experience of hunting clouds here. Located about 60km from the centre of Hanoi's capital, the travel distance is convenient and easy. Visitors can choose vehicles from cars and motorbikes to buses. Total travel time is just over 1 hour.
Therefore, for tourists who want to hunt clouds but do not have enough time or health to go to remote places, Ba Vi National Park is an ideal place.
Experience hunting clouds at Ba Vi National Park.
According to information on the official portal, the Ba Vi National Park area is nearly 9,702.41 hectares, belonging to the administrative boundaries of 15 communes and 5 districts, including Ba Vi, Thach That, Quoc Oai of Ha Noi City, Luong Son, Hoa Binh city of Hoa Binh province.
The garden possesses a diverse and rich flora and fauna system with 2,181 species of ancient plants, 503 species of medicinal plants, 65 species of mammals, 194 species of birds, 64 species of reptiles, 27 species of amphibians and 522 species of insects. There are many rare species listed in the Red Book. In addition, the garden scene is also blessed by nature with many beautiful scenes, such as mountain peaks, gardens, and unique flowers.
Tuan Viet, a male tourist from Hanoi, had a successful "cloud hunting" experience at Ba Vi National Park in 2019. He shared that he drove a motorbike from Hanoi, starting at 8 a.m. and going leisurely. If you drop it off, it will arrive at 9:00 a.m.
You first buy an entrance ticket to the National Park when you get there. Currently, the price for an adult ticket is 60,000 VND, while for visitors with a student card, the ticket price is only 20,000 VND. Tourists should note that this is only an entrance ticket for sightseeing purposes. Visitors will need to pay additional small fees when using other services inside. For example, rent a picnic tent, take photos at the cactus garden or buy food and drinks...
"From the first entrance will be the cactus garden, a kingdom of more than 1,200 species of cacti from giant to mini, beautiful to the eyes. To enter the garden to take photos, people must buy additional tickets; it's only 10,000 VND/ticket, but it's very virtual living," Tuan Viet said.
After visiting several areas to take photos, camp or eat, tourists often visit the place to hunt clouds in Ba Vi National Park near Uncle Ho's temple, located on the top of Ba Vi mountain.
Ba Vi Mountain has 3 peaks: Vua Peak, Tan Vien Peak and Ngoc Hoa Peak. Uncle Ho's temple was built on the highest of the three peaks, King's Peak, at an altitude of 1296m.
Visitors will need to move the road divided into 2 stages to get to Uncle Ho's temple. Stage 1 is climbing through a steep winding road, more than 12km away, to reach the Thuong Temple area. Then, from Thuong Temple, park your car and continue climbing more than 1,320 stone steps on the cliff side to reach the top.
Tuan Viet commented that this climb will tire the girls, but the scenery along the road or when you get there will not disappoint you. The scenery here is adorned with primeval forests, towering ancient trees, green moss banks, tangled vines or a hazy mist covering the path.
The higher you go, the cooler and more pleasant the weather becomes. Unlike other cloud hunting experiences, tourist Tuan Viet shared that he did not go in the early morning but reached the top at 4 p.m. However, they were still able to hunt clouds successfully. "It's a matter of luck whether you can hunt the clouds, but I advise everyone to go on sunny days to see the clouds clear. It looks very beautiful. Otherwise, it will just be foggy."
After admiring the vast sea of clouds, visitors should remember to visit Uncle Ho's temple. This project was built to commemorate the nation's great leader, completed at the end of August 1999.
Besides the traditional architecture with marble, a four-sided curved roof, and a statue of Uncle Ho cast in bronze inside the temple, there are also many images and artifacts about Uncle Ho.
Other places to visit in Ba Vi National Park
As mentioned above, Ba Vi National Park owns a large area, including many works and unique natural landscapes. Besides the experience of hunting clouds, visitors can refer to many other activities. These include visiting the cactus garden, checking in with wild sunflowers in bloom, visiting Ba Vi ancient church, visiting Thuong temple or camping at Thien Son-Suoi Nga.
