Tay Con Linh

Tay Con Linh reaches 2,428 metres west of Ha Giang city and is the highest mountain in the north-eastern region, the roof of the range east of the Red River. The climb is done over two days with a guide and a camp on the ridge, through forest that changes with height - and on the lower slopes through stands of shan tuyet tea, old large-leaf trees several metres tall that Dao and H'mong families pick, some of them credibly a couple of centuries old. Rhododendron flowers on the ridge in spring. The summit is often in cloud and the ground is wet for most of the year.

What you actually see

• The north-east's highest peak - 2,428 metres west of Ha Giang.
• Old shan tuyet tea trees - picked on the lower slopes.
• A two-day climb with a camp - the standard way up.
• Rhododendron on the ridge - flowering in spring.

When to go

October to April; spring for the rhododendron. Two days.

Honest expectations

A guide is required and porters are usual. Long stretches of the route are steep and greasy underfoot. Leeches are constant in the wet months. The summit is in cloud most days. It is cold on the ridge at night.

Nearby

Ha Giang city is east; Hoang Su Phi and its terraces are west.