{"id":1346,"date":"2017-10-10T22:06:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-10T22:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tripfuser.com\/blog\/?p=1346"},"modified":"2024-12-29T02:07:19","modified_gmt":"2024-12-29T02:07:19","slug":"sapa-trekking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.designerjourneys.com\/blog\/sapa-trekking\/","title":{"rendered":"Complete Guide to Sapa Trekking"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chances are Sapa Trekking will be your highlight of visiting Vietnam<\/a>. Vistas of rice paddies<\/a>, the country\u2019s highest peak (Fan Si Pan, 3,143m) and verdant green valley walls await you. Check out how the H\u2019Mong tribe of people live, have locals harassing you to buy their handicrafts \u2026 and, erh, dodge landslides. Yep, it\u2019s a possibility but don\u2019t let that dampen your thirst for adventure. Trekkers from abroad have been tramping there for more than a century on and off. It can be hot, darn hot, by the way.<\/p>\n

Vietnam is home to about 94 million people with just a third living in urban areas. The country spans about 331,000 square kilometres and borders China, Laos and Cambodia. Having been one of the world\u2019s poorest countries, Vietnam is now lower middle class.<\/p>\n

In the Sapa region<\/a>, you\u2019ll find several ethnic minorities such as the H\u2019Mong (the \u2018h\u2019 is silent), the Dao and the Dai. (Don\u2019t assume they love having their pic taken, by the way). Some 350km northwest of Hanoi and in the Lao Cai Province<\/a>, Sapa, population 600,000, is a gateway to the region. Having been established by the French as a cool summer refuge, it\u2019s now more of a tacky tourist town, with Vietnamese or European-style dining options plus a Saturday night \u2018love market\u2019 in Lao Cai (it\u2019s about dating, not like Ella Fitzgerald\u2019s \u201clove for sale\u201d). Make sure you check out the Gothic stone church in Sapa\u2019s centre, too. You won\u2019t find much about Sapa on the Vietnamese Tourist Bureau website<\/a>, but there\u2019s one dedicated to Sapa<\/a> here, tho\u2019 it needs updating. Check out its top 10 \u201cattractive tourist destinations in Sapa\u201d.[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\"Sapa

This 17-minute vid<\/a> will give you the virtual tour of the two-day walk in the Sapa region \u2013 which is what the average tourist covers. For foodies, check out the Food Network\u2019s Donal\u2019s tour<\/a> of Sapa and the Bac Ha area. And you\u2019ve probably heard of the H\u2019Mong tribe \u2013 here\u2019s a short history<\/a> and a more contemporary perspective<\/a>. It\u2019s free to visit the Sa Pa Culture Museum, which is behind the tourist office.<\/p>\n

How safe is it?<\/h2>\n

Travel advisories tell you to exercise \u2018normal safety precautions\u2019 in Vietnam, ie common sense. Be on the lookout for petty theft particularly in markets, bag slashing, aggravated theft, sexual assault etc including on the train to\/from Lao Cai. Spiked food and drinks are a nasty to avoid, too. Be wary after withdrawing cash from ATMs and don\u2019t loose sight of your credit card when making purchases. You think you\u2019ll be safe in your hotel room? They\u2019ve been reports of break-ins to hotel and homes even while guests are in the room. Vietnam has stiff penalties for drug offences, by the way.<\/p>\n

Traffic accidents are common in Vietnam due to road rules \u2013 particularly in cities \u2013 considered optional. You are four times as likely to be killed in a motor vehicle accident there, than in Australia, for example. If you want to drive there, you\u2019ll need a valid Vietnamese driver\u2019s licence \u2013 they won\u2019t accept an international driver\u2019s permit issued in your home country. Sounds nasty, but if you\u2019re involved in an accident you could be up for hefty compo payments to the injured person and face criminal charges whether it\u2019s your fault or not. Might be best just to keep off the roads \u2013 trains are your safest option as even intercity buses are involved in plenty of accidents. Keep yourself updated about Vietnam in general via the English language Viet Nam News<\/a>, or browse some more<\/a> sites.<\/p>\n

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CONSIDERING A SAPA TREKKING TRIP?<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Make sure you check in with the cops, too<\/h2>\n

Something you might not be used to \u2013 all foreigners arriving in Vietnam have to register their place of residence with the local police within 24 hours of arrival. Your hotel management might be able to help with that, but they\u2019ll need your passport details. Don\u2019t think you have to leave your passport with them as they don\u2019t need to hold onto it legally.<\/p>\n

Map out your territory to tackle<\/h2>\n

Map-wise, why not start with a Google map<\/a> or this collection of maps<\/a> for the Sapa region? To drill down, these maps<\/a> will give you more detail about trek routes (we\u2019ll cover tours and accommo below). The two-day easy trek takes you along the main road to Muong Hoa Valley for an hour, then go downhill. From there you\u2019ll seek Fan Si Pan peak (if the weather is being kind to you), you\u2019ll cross a suspension bridge then trudge uphill to Y Linh Ho village where the H\u2019Mong live. The path will be undulating for a couple of hours to reach another H\u2019Mong village, Lao Chai<\/a>, then Ta Van<\/a> (home to the Zay people). Day two you\u2019ll go uphill past terraced rice terraces \u2013 some have been tended continuously for thousands of years, pretty much using the same well-honed techniques. Then it\u2019s walking through a bamboo forest to a waterfall before reaching Giang Ta Chai<\/a>, the Red Dao<\/a> people\u2019s village that overlooks Muong Hoa River.<\/p>\n

\"Sapa

There\u2019s a medium trekking option that adds a Cat Cat Village visit, too, or a challenging trek taking you to the top of Fan Si Pan Peak (see below). Twiddling your thumbs? Add a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site, Halong Bay<\/a> (aka descending dragon), with more than 2,000 islands\/islets covered in jade forests. Check out the Thien Cung grotto<\/a> (cave) and see floating fishing villages. It\u2019s also home to about 3,000 species of flora and fauna. Seaplane is one option to add Halong Bay to your tour or try the slow boat<\/a>. You\u2019d probably need to do a three-day-two-night tour to really appreciate Halong Bay and that will set you back about $US100 or could do it more cheaply like this traveller<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How to get there<\/h2>\n

You can reach Sapa from Hanoi either by train, car, bus or motorbike. Book these on your own or as part of a tour. If you have time on your hands, the overnight train would be a good option and a first class ticket is pretty cheap. Don\u2019t say we didn\u2019t warn you, but the cheaper train tickets will get you a hard narrow bed in the train, icy air conditioning and bumpy trip. You might think you\u2019ve booked class, but could end up in one of these anyway. Here\u2019s a site<\/a> to check out train prices for Vietnam and also allows you to book a taxi transfer from where the train drops you off \u2013 Lao Cai \u2013 to your final destination of Sapa. If you\u2019re not wild on taxis, they\u2019ll be a bus or minivan you could hop onto. Meanwhile, Hanoi to Sapa by bus will take you just six hours. That\u2019s usually a \u2018sleeper\u2019 overnight bus with recliners, no toilets \u2013 so there\u2019ll be quite a few stops to disrupt your sleep. If your ears pricked up at the sound of the motorbike option, you\u2019ll be wending your way over more than 300km. That could be done in a day, but spread it out to enjoy the vistas. You\u2019ll be hard pressed to motorbike legally in Vietnam as a foreigner, but it\u2019s easy enough to rent a bike<\/a> (including from your accommo) for $US7 per day plus a $US250 deposit.<\/p>\n

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Choice of tours and accommo<\/h2>\n

Most folks do the trek over two days<\/a>, but that\u2019s packing a lot in if you\u2019re not fit. As well, you\u2019ll need a couple of days comfortably to travel from Hanoi to the start of the walk – usually Ta Van Village. All up for about three days of trekking and two nights\u2019 accommo in a homestay could cost you for $65US to about $US120 including transport, meals and a guide. Travelling bloggers, The Roaming Renegades<\/a>, describe the weather in the region as a \u201ccruel temptress, changing hour to hour\u201d. If that\u2019s not a prompt to spread your visit out over a few days, well, we don\u2019t know! This video<\/a> offers footage of the changing mist and cloudscape.<\/p>\n

\"Sapa

You generally don\u2019t have to tip. If you leave it to your hotel to organise a tour, they\u2019ll be getting a cut out of it too. Decide whether you want to travel as part of a group or go solo wolf with a guide.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll get what you pay for. Don\u2019t do what travel blogger, Andrea, of Scribble, Snap Travel<\/a> did \u2013 get blas\u00e9 while choosing a tour company. Use out checklist below. Keep in mind, too, that tour operators can be lax about safety, so don\u2019t hold back on insisting on minimum safety standards. If you haven\u2019t prebooked a trip before you land in Hanoi, trot around the Old Quarter to get a feel for the plethora of tours on offer.<\/p>\n

Staying in a local\u2019s home aka homestay might be a good fit for you. Who knows, the homeowner may even double as a guide. There\u2019s actually a social enterprise and non-profit, Sapa O\u2019Chau, that organises these and ploughs its funds back into helping support the H\u2019Mong community. They might even take you off track and do some machete swishing to create a path for you.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve got your sights set on climbing Fan Si Pan<\/a>, it\u2019s only 19km from Sapa, but the weather and terrain can make it a challenging trip. It\u2019s definitely one for those with mountain climbing stamina and depending on your energy level could take you one<\/a> to three days. But you can still meander around the rooftop of Indochina, the peak Fan Si Pan, in the Hoang Lien National Park, which is an attraction in itself as a wildlife sanctuary for several species including the endangered. The park is also the location for the Cat Cat Village<\/a> (traditional H\u2019Mong tribe village) and the Ta Phin Cave<\/a> (we\u2019ll let Donal show you this one again). Another highlight you might want to add is the Bac Ha Market in the town of the same name. Local products you are unlikely to find elsewhere plus vividly coloured costumes of minorities such as the Flower H\u2019Mong, Black Dzao, Nung, Tay and Phu La are also on show. Throughout Sapa region you\u2019ll be tapped on the shoulder by locals to buy stuff, so you can let their insistence begrudge you or develop an appreciation for tourism being this region\u2019s lifeblood and stay polite.<\/p>\n

When picking a tour company, have this checklist handy:<\/p>\n