Pu Ta Leng summit on the Hoang Lien Son Mountain range in Lai Chau Province is known as one of the 10 most beautiful mountain trekking routes in Vietnam. Located at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters above sea level, Pu Ta Leng has always been an exciting destination for adventure seekers.
Sunrise on Phu Ta Leng mountain (photo: VOV)
Located in Ho Thau Commune, Tam Duong District, which is about 20 kilometers from Lai Chau City, Pu Ta Leng is the challenging trekking route, which provides a thrilling experience to even professional adventurers.
This place becomes brilliant when the green of the old forests, covered with moss, is adorned with blooming azalea shrubs. In March, along the mountain trails, groups of tourists from all over the country diligently visit every tree and rocky outcrop, with the desire to explore their own limits and witness the beauty of nature.
The azalea flower is known as the ‘flower queen of the northwest mountains and forests’. There are about 30 species of azalea flowers scattered in the northwestern mountain. Pu Ta Leng stands out with pinkish purple flowers. An azalea shrub can grow up to 7 meters tall, reaching up from the dense forest to catch the wind and sunlight.
Tourist Nguyen Thi Thuy from Bac Giang Province said that exploring Pu Ta Leng is an unforgettable experience. The fantastic scenery along the path in the pristine mountains and forests and the superb view on the summit of the third highest mountain in Vietnam can help you regain all your inner strength. All fatigue and worries of everyday life seem to disappear.
“The mountain path is quite rugged and long. But I like the feeling of conquering it. The azalea flower season is very beautiful and everyone should come to see it,” said Thuy.
Azalea flowers bloom from February to May on Pu Ta Leng mountain. (photo: VOV)
To reach the top of Pu Ta Leng mountain to admire the flowers, visitors must travel on dangerous and rocky paths in the primeval forests with hundred-year-old trees. Bui Trung Kien, a tourist from Hanoi, said that although every step going up is more tiring than the previous, travelers finally will be rewarded with the wild, majestic landscape on the mountain peak and find themselves immersed in clouds. It takes nearly a day to climb from the foot of the mountain to the flower viewing spot, an azalea land in a fairy world.
Mr. Kien said: “I’ve conquered the Pu Ta Leng summit. I went up from Ta Leng Commune and went down toward Sì Thâu Chải Hamlet in Ho Thau Commune. The scenery is beautiful. The primeval forests and rhododendron clusters are the best of the best.”
A tourist reaches the summit of Pu Ta Leng mountain. (photo: VOV)
Despite harsh weather with cloud blanketing the sky almost all year round, Pu Ta Leng attracts tourists for its azalea flowers, thousands of species of plants, and many little brooks.
Hoang Quoc Viet, a representative of Pu Lai Chau Trade and Tourism Company which operates tours to explore Pu Ta Leng summit, said: “Climbing a mountain brings the climbers a lot of exhilarating experiences. They can go beyond their personal limits and discover their hidden capability that only mountaineering can bring. It returns us to nature, to protect nature, and bathe in the forest to be healed by nature itself.”
Climbing Pu Ta Leng Mountain seems to be a good remedy for people to regain their excitement and positive energy for life.