Pu Ta Leng

Pu Ta Leng reaches 3,049 metres in the Hoang Lien Son range west of Sapa, making it the third highest mountain in Vietnam after Fansipan and Pu Si Lung, and unlike Fansipan there is no cable car - the only way up is a two-day trek with a guide, camping on the ridge. What draws people to time it precisely is the forest near the top: ancient rhododendron, some of the trees very old and gnarled, which flowers red and pink through February and March and covers the ridge. Outside that window it is a hard walk through wet forest with a summit marker at the end.

What you actually see

• The third highest peak in Vietnam - 3,049 metres in Hoang Lien Son.
• No cable car - a two-day trek with a guide.
• Old rhododendron forest - flowering red and pink in February and March.
• A ridge camp - the standard way it is climbed.

When to go

February to March for the flowers; October to April for the trek. Two days.

Honest expectations

Guides are compulsory and porters are strongly advised. The trail is steep, muddy and slippery for long stretches. It is cold and wet on the ridge at night. Outside the flowering weeks the reward is much smaller.

Nearby

Sapa and Fansipan are east; O Quy Ho pass runs between them.