Khau Pha Pass

Khau Pha runs about thirty kilometres over a ridge on national road 32 in Yen Bai, one of the four great northern passes, and what it looks down on is the reason people stop: the terraced valleys of Mu Cang Chai and La Pan Tan, cut by H'mong and Thai families into slopes that are close to vertical in places, and designated a national heritage landscape. In September and October a paragliding festival is held from the pass, with tandem flights launching over the terraces at exactly the moment the rice is gold, which is now the busiest week on this road. The name means horn of the sky in Thai.

Highlights

• A pass above terraced valleys - Mu Cang Chai and La Pan Tan below.
• Terraces cut by H'mong and Thai families - on very steep ground.
• A paragliding festival - launching over the gold rice in autumn.
• One of the four northern passes - about thirty kilometres over the ridge.

When to go

Mid-September to mid-October, when the rice is gold. Half a day.

Practical notes

The harvest window is short and shifts by a week or two. The road is narrow, in poor condition in places, and dangerous in mist and rain. Accommodation in Mu Cang Chai books out for the season.

Nearby

Mu Cang Chai is north-west; Nghia Lo and the Muong Lo valley are south-east.

Key facts