Khau Pha Pass
Overview
Khau Phạ Pass is a roughly 30 km stretch of National Road 32 that climbs from the Tú Lệ valley over the ridge into Mu Cang Chai, topping out above 1,200 m. The name means "horn of the sky" in the Thai language. It is counted among the four great passes of northern Vietnam, with Mã Pí Lèng, Ô Quy Hồ and Pha Đin, and the lookouts near the top face down onto the terraces and villages of the Cao Phạ valley.
Get There
Every bus and car from Hanoi to Mu Cang Chai crosses the pass, since National Road 32 is the only road in from the east. Sleeper buses leave My Dinh bus station and run via Nghĩa Lộ and Tú Lệ (VND 300,000–600,000, 6–8 hours to Mu Cang Chai). Ask the driver to drop you at the top if you want to stop at the viewpoints, or hire a car or motorbike taxi from Tú Lệ or Mu Cang Chai town for a return trip.
Riding it yourself is popular, but the road is narrow with tight hairpins, heavy trucks and frequent fog. It suits experienced riders only, and is best avoided in heavy rain, when landslides can close the road.
Hotels
There is nowhere to stay on the pass itself. Most people sleep in Tú Lệ, at the eastern foot of the pass, in Thai stilt-house homestays or small hot-spring resorts. Lìm Mông, a H'mong village just below the western side of the pass, has homestays close to the viewpoints for sunrise. Mu Cang Chai town, further west, has simple guesthouses.
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Paragliding: The "Flying Over the Golden Season" festival runs from late September to early October, when pilots launch from the slopes above Lìm Mông and fly over the harvest terraces. Tandem flights for visitors last 10–20 minutes, depending on the wind. Flights are cancelled in rain or low cloud, so leave a spare morning.
Cloud hunting: On clear, cold mornings, cloud fills the valleys below the pass. Be at the top between 5:30 and 6:30 am. October and November give the best chances.
Best time: Mid-September to early October for golden terraces; May to early June for flooded terraces; September to November and March to April for clear views. In winter, fog often sits on the pass until late morning.
Nearby: Tú Lệ valley (hot springs and cốm, young green sticky rice), Lìm Mông village, and the La Pán Tẩn terraces with Mâm Xôi Hill, about an hour further west.
