Crossing the forest and waterfalls in Thai Nguyen

Go to the East side of Tam Dao

The Tam Dao mountain range starts from Hong mountain, gradually descends and ends in Pho Yen city, Thai Nguyen province. The western slope belongs to Tuyen Quang and Vinh Phuc provinces, while the eastern slope of Tam Dao is mainly in Thai Nguyen province with a length of up to hundreds of kilometers. In particular, Dai Tu district alone has about 10 communes located along the foot of Tam Dao mountain.

Compared to the western slopes, which have developed spiritual tourism early, the eastern slopes of Tam Dao range possess a natural landscape that is both majestic and poetic, and are an ideal place for tourists who love to explore. Located in the middle of the vast wilderness, there are many streams, waterfalls, and rocky beaches created by nature, creating a unique feature that attracts adventurous tourists.

Clear green Vai Mieu Lake in Ky Phu commune. Photo: Quang Minh

Nestled on a hillside in Quan Chu town, Dai Tu district, Thai Nguyen province, about 2 hours drive from Hanoi , is a small and pretty stilt house area, where we came to relax this weekend. On both sides of the road to the farm are lush green spaces of grass, rice fields, tea hills, dotted with purple mua and sim flowers in full bloom.

Upon arriving at the farm, visitors are welcomed with freshly brewed iced tea and unique green tea peanut candy. After a morning of traveling and walking along the stream near the farm, the host treats guests to a sumptuous lunch cooked from local produce and homegrown vegetables.

Forest bathing and waterfall crossing Dong Tien

Instead of just coming here to camp by the stream and have a gentle “healing” vacation, we chose a more strenuous but extremely interesting journey. It was a day trip to the forest to find big waterfalls and challenge ourselves with the adventurous experience of ziplining and canyoning.

Accompanying the guests are always a technical support team and friendly local guides. After breakfast, each person is given a life jacket, safety helmet, and a car takes the group from the farm to Vai Mieu Lake dam to catch the boat.

Stream in the forest on the eastern slope of Tam Dao. Photo: Quang Minh

Vai Mieu Lake is located in Ky Phu commune, at the foot of Tam Dao mountain range, with clear blue water and many beautiful islands surrounding it. The boat took us through the vastness of the mountains for about 15 minutes before reaching the pier, which is also the trekking point into the forest. From here, everyone trekked 5km through Tam Dao primeval forest, passing midland tea fields with abandoned tea fields 30-40 years old with trees growing into arches 3-4m high. Then we waded through a large stream full of rocks but the water was crystal clear and could be drunk directly.

After nearly 3 hours of walking in the forest, the three-tiered Dong Tien waterfall cluster appeared before our eyes with its rushing water pouring down, creating natural lakes at the foot of the waterfall with a magically beautiful deep blue color. This is also a rare area in the North where visitors can play zipline and canyoning. In addition to requiring endurance, these adventure sports experiences also require players to be skillful and a little reckless.

The first waterfall is about 8m high, the second waterfall is also the main waterfall, over 15m high, can be used for ziplining and waterfall crossing. Meanwhile, the last waterfall has a large lake where you can paddle SUP and swim to relax. The lower the Dong Tien waterfall goes, the more water there is in each level, the white foam covers the space and each lake at the foot of the waterfall is about 5 - 7m deep.

Boating in the middle of Vai Mieu Lake. Photo: Huong Chi

The first time we swung on a rope, stepped back from the top of the waterfall to touch our feet on the rugged mountain rocks, we clearly felt the weight of our bodies combined with the pressure of the water pouring straight down on our bodies and faces. The feeling of excitement, nervousness but also fear was hard to describe. The most special moment was the moment we let ourselves fall freely into the lake and jumped the last waterfall in Tien Cave, like standing before the opportunity to "overcome fear" to expand our own limits.

Mr. Thuc Nguyen, the owner of a farmstay in Dong Tam Dao, shared that adventure sports such as ziplining and canyoning in the forest bring visitors many new emotions and impressions. Before the actual experience, there is a session for visitors to get acquainted with the equipment and disseminate necessary knowledge, ensuring safety when playing.

At the end of the trip, we discovered that this land on the eastern slope of Tam Dao still has so much to offer to return to. Not only are there green tea hills and peaceful life, but there are also hidden gems of nature, rapids full of challenges that are gradually becoming an ideal land for adventure tourism.

Source: https://laodong.vn/lao-dong-cuoi-tuan/bang-rung-vuot-thac-o-thai-nguyen-1359023.ldo