Situated on the border between Lao Cai province and Lai Chau province in the northwest of Vietnam, Fansipan with an altitude of 3,143 m is the highest mountain in Vietnam and also the highest mountain in Indochina so this Mount is called “The Indochina Rooftop”. In recent years, conquering Fansipan increasingly attract visitors to climb and explore.
Not only conquering mountainous terrain and severe climate, conquering Fansipan is also the conquest of the will, the effort to reach the peak. This make the journey to discover Fansipan peak is extremely attractive. Conquering Fansipan is also a beautiful journey by the cloudy trail, bamboo forests and majestic mountains. However, the conquest of Fansipan peak is not simple. For a perfect trip, climbers need to prepare a lot of things before they start.
MAIN CONTENTS
Preparation of time, health and tour schedule
The best time to go to Fansipan
If you climb Mount Fansipan in the rain, your trip will be extremely difficult. The mountain trail becomes slippery and cold, foggy sky makes you cannot see the beautiful scenery around. So absolutely avoid going in the rainy season. The best time to visit Fansipan is October and November, when the rain is over but the winter has not really come. Or February and March, when the weather is in the spring and rainy season not come yet. Climbing this mountain at the end of March, if you are lucky, you will also be able to see the azaleas forest with blooming flowers which are as beautiful as in pictures.
Choose the suitable tour for you
There are many types of Fansipan tours for professional mountaineers, good physical people, moderate physical people and weak people. So that, the journey can last from 1 day to 4 days or more. If you are moderate physical person, you should choose the 3 days tour, with the first day for reaching the station 2 which is near the mountain peak, the second day from the station 2 to the top and down to the station 2 to rest, and the third day from the station 2 to the foot of the mountain.
Do not forget that the way down the mountain is always harder than the way up to the mountains, because the steep slopes will make your legs slack, trembling knee, very easy to fall down. Time going down the mountain should ensure early departure to reach the safe place, do not trek through the forest in the dark.
Do not forget that the way down the mountain is always harder than the way up to the mountains, because the steep slopes will make your legs slack, trembling knee, very easy to fall down. Time going down the mountain should ensure early departure to reach the safe place, do not trek through the forest in the dark.
There are three or four trails up to the top of the mountain with different level of difficulty for adventurous climber and normal climber. If you have moderate physical health and this is the first time you climb mountain, you should choose the trail “Tram Ton”. With this journey, you can still experience hard trekking to try your force, but also there are easy distances to take a rest.
Two weeks before your trip
There are two most important items you need to choose carefully: the first is comfortable, elastic and warm clothes, and the second is a good pair of shoes. Clothing can be elastic khaki pants, long sleeved sweater, and sports jacket for lightweight while moving. Shoes should be good quality climbing shoes accompanied by thick sports socks. Keep in mind that if the shoes do not fit, causing pain while climbing, your trip will be bad.
After choosing the right items, to be sure, you have to try on the clothes as well as try the shoes which are intended for climbing. You can either walk or jog every morning with this outfit; or walk up and down stairs several times with a backpack on the shoulders, put something in your backpack to check that the outfit and shoes are completely comfortable.
Let’s get a nutritious diet and good sleep. Exhaustion, fatigue or overwork on the job will greatly affect your climbing journey.
Equipment for the trip to conquer Fansipan
Below is a list of essential items for your climbing journey. The choice of equipment depends on the length of the journey and how the trip is organized. If you use the services of a local travel company, the company has prepared all equipment necessary for the trip. If you only hire a local tour guide, you will need to prepare more for your Fansipan journey.
Necessary personal items
There are a lot of small items which you should write down on the paper to prepare:
– Rock climbing shoes: a kind of boots, waterproof, rubber sole is not too hard and has good friction.
– Raincoats: The best type of jacket is both warm and waterproof, and sportswear manufacturers such as Northface, Eastpak, and Columbia… have this type of jacket. Note that there must be waterproof pants if you use above jacket. If you do not have waterproof outfit, then you can use a raincoat to cover the backpack. However, this raincoat makes you more difficult to move.
– Dry bags: This are made of waterproof material, when the bag is folded back, do not worry about water absorbed. Dry bags can be used to store electronics such as cameras, cell phones … or personal identification.
– Flashlight: Buy a small and waterproof flashlight. Big flashlight will make your luggage heavier.
Note: There should be at least 1 pair of batteries for provision each day.
– Backpack: The best is the waterproof or backpack with covering. The capacity of backpack depends on the length of the journey and the amount of belongings.
– First aid instruments: basic type for personal use with small size. Medicines and medical supplies include:
+ Fever medication
+ Diarrhea medicine
+ Insect repellent
+ Insecticide
+ Medicated oil
+ Medical cotton
+ Medical scissor
+ Medical gauze
Note: All medical supplies should be placed in plastic bags to prevent from water
– Multi-functional knives: A multi-functional knives kit will be essential when you hike and camp overnight. However, do not carry too big and heavy stuff.
– Gaiters: Gaiters protect your leg from spiny plant. Gaiter can also keep the rain or dew on leaves not wet your pants and flow into your shoes. The thicker gaiter also protects you from snake bites.
– Wet tissue
– Camera: Depending on whether you are a photographer or just a amateur. The camera needs to have desiccant in the camera bag to minimize the effects of high humidity on the lens and the circuit.
– Ten pairs of thick and warm socks, in case of wet socks can be replaced immediately.
– Gloves
– Trekking poles: Help you go faster and more balanced. Hiking staffs are made of alloy can become longer and shorten. There are springs inside the sticks to increase flexibility when climbing.
– Cell phones: It will be necessary to call for emergency relief if you get accident. Viettel Company has the strongest phone signal in the mountains.
– Ginseng tea
– Vitamin C tablets
