Trekking in Sapa

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The most important attraction and entertainment of the mountainous town of Sapa in northern Vietnam is trekking through the surrounding picturesque surroundings with a visit to ethnic villages, or climbing Mount Fansipan. This is exactly what most tourists go to this town for.

Trekking in Sapa

Trekking in Sapa, Vietnam
Trekking in Sapa, Vietnam
Trekking in Sapa, Vietnam
Trekking in Sapa, Vietnam

There are several popular and really interesting trekking routes offered by local travel agencies and guides, although if you wish, you can go in any direction you want. Here are the main routes:

Muong Hoa Valley

This is the most popular route, tested by time and tens of thousands of tourists. It is offered to everyone when purchasing by default. This is usually a two-or three-day hike with overnight stays, although there is a quick one-day option. Includes visits to one or more villages, waterfalls, walks in rice fields, field of ancient stones, swimming in the river, and the farthest to the village of Banho also Visit Hot Springs. The entrance to the valley for tourists is paid – 80,000 VND. Payment is made at the checkpoint from the side of Sapa on the asphalt road.

The trails of the route pass through the amazing beauty of the valley, surrounded by mountains and decorated with rice fields. You will pass from one village to another, and in one or two you will spend the night. Overnight stays will be in the homes of local residents, but do not think that you will be settled in a real wooden house, in which the Vietnamese themselves live. In all villages, tourist infrastructure has long been created here and varieties of guesthouses have been built - Homestays. That is, you will really live in the same house with a Vietnamese family, but in a specially built house for tourists. Usually, an overnight stay also involves dinner with the hosts in the circle of other tourists. Most popular and developed villages in order of distance from Sapa: Laochai (Lao Chai, Hmong Village), Tavan (Ta Van, Dzai village), Banho (Ban Ho, Dzao village). Learn more about the Myung Hoa Valley here.
Cat Cat Village

Kat Kat Village

This is such a "semi-trekking", since it is the closest traditional village of the Hmong people (H'mong) to Sapa, and is more of a tourist attraction with a paid entrance. Nevertheless, it is very interesting and informative to make an easy trekking trip here, especially if you do not plan to hike to more remote villages.

in fact, the village of Kat Kat is a whole tourist complex, including entertainment. You can visit on your own on foot from the center of Sapa, spending about half a day on the entire walk, and paying 70,000 VND for admission. Learn more about the village of Cat Cat here.
Ta Phin Village

Ta Phin Village

This is not the most popular track, and usually takes one day, although you can stay in the village in one of the Homestays if you wish. Two nationalities live here at once: Hmong and Dzao. Learn more about Tafin village here...
Mount Fansipan

Mount Fansipan

Mount Fansipan (Fansipan) is the highest peak of Indochina. Its peak has a height of 3143 meters, and it is located right next to Sapa. You can climb to the top from Sapa, which can be one of the most exciting adventures of your life, or climb the cable car, which was launched in 2016. If you choose to climb on foot, you will get to know the flora and fauna of these places, visit the villages, enjoy the amazing scenery, and experience triumph when you reach the top. Despite the fact that the Ascent does not require special equipment and training, it is recommended to make it only as part of a group trekking tour or accompanied by an individual guide. There are three starting points for climbing: through the village of Kat Kat or Sin Chai (Sin Chai), tram ton pass (the easiest way). Learn more about Mount Fansipan here...

What you need to take with you on trekking

Hiking in the Valley and in the ethnic villages you will need a minimum of things: warm clothes and comfortable shoes, a change of clothes for sleeping, a raincoat, a bottle of Water, cash, toiletries, a camera. Ideally, you need to have special trekking shoes and trekking poles, but this is not necessary, locals generally walk in slippers. If you want, you can buy everything you need right in Sapa at very good prices (see about shopping in Sapa), or rent equipment and even shoes from equipment stores in the city. A backpack or bag with your basic belongings can be left at the hotel or travel agency where you bought the tour, and go quite light with a light backpack.

For climbing Fansipan you need to prepare more seriously. Of course, you will not need a climbing helmet and cats, but you will have to take a tent, a sleeping bag, a tourist mat, food, water, a gas burner on a two or three-day hike. For a quick ascent (or if you plan only the ascent, and you will go down by cable car) you can go light. When buying a tour, all the necessary equipment is provided.

🕐 Working hours

Trekking happens for one day or several with overnight stays. Excursions from Sapa usually start at 09:00.

💵 Entrance fee / tickets price

A one-day excursion costs from $ 15, two-day and more tours from $ 40. The entrance to the Myung Hoa Valley for self-trekking is 80,000 VND (3.08 USD, see all about Vietnam money and exchange rate).

🚶 How to get there

You can go trekking from Sapa with a group tour, individually with a guide, or on your own.

Group tours

This is the easiest and most inexpensive way. Participation in group tours is offered everywhere in Sapa in travel agencies and hotels, it remains only to choose the appropriate route and prices. It is also possible to book a tour online:

Найти экскурсии онлайн (с отзывами)

Almost everywhere offers a fairly standard route through the Valley of Myung Hoa (Muong Hoa Valley) for one or three days, which may differ only in the details and level of accommodation for an overnight stay in the village, but in our opinion there is no special difference between all these options for experienced tourists, so you can choose any of the excursions that are cheaper and longer. By the way, the cost of excursions depends on the place of purchase, and the same route in the travel agency on the street can be bought for $ 20, and in the hotel for $ 30, so it makes sense to walk and compare prices.
With an individual guide

Everywhere on the streets of Sapa, especially in the center, women dressed in the traditional bright clothes of the inhabitants of tribal villages will offer you trekking to the villages. These are the same guides from among the locals who accompany group tours, and they, for a fee very little more than the cost of a group tour, will guide you along the routes, provide accommodation, food and everything you need. This is also a good option to make a hike, but keep in mind that not all local guides speak English well.
Independent trekking

There is nothing difficult in doing trekking along the Myung Hoa Valley or in the village of Tafin on your own. This will not require any special experience of hiking, or special equipment. With you it is enough to take a light backpack, warm clothes and comfortable shoes, a change of clothes for sleeping, a raincoat, a bottle of Water, cash, toiletries, a camera, and necessarily a navigator or a good map of the area. A backpack or bag with your basic belongings can also be left at the hotel reception. It is not necessary to take food on a hike, along the way there will be cafes and shops in the villages.

Places where trekking takes place are not remote, and most roads and trails are marked on Google Maps and Yandex map editor Organic Maps which you can download to your smartphone and use it as a navigator. Also in Sapa you can find photocopies of maps of the surrounding area, but they are not very accurate: they display the main tourist trails, but very conditionally.

Asphalt roads lead to the villages of Laochai, Tavan, Banho, Tafin, and if you are not sure of your abilities, you can follow them. The most popular track along the Myung Hoa Valley (to the villages of Laochai, Tawan, Banho) goes along one asphalt road TL152, which runs along the entire valley, and to each of the villages there is a branch. Part of the beginning of the route through the valley pass on the asphalt to the checkpoint, where the entrance fee is paid (80,000 VND from tourists).

Checkpoint where payment is made

After the checkpoint, you can already leave the asphalt to the right along the trails, and go through the fields to the villages. For the first day, it is easy to walk to the village of Tavan, where you need to spend the night in a guesthouse or Homestay, or return safely by taxi if you are doing a day trekking. On the second day you can go to the village of Banho, and spend the night there. It is better to get back from the villages not on foot, but by taxi (there are plenty of them in the village, they are specially waiting for tourists), or by passing transport from the main asphalt road TL152.

And then along the fields and trails

Trekking in Sapa, Vietnam

Trekking in Sapa, Vietnam

As for overnight stays, accommodation can be easily found on the spot in the villages, there are quite a few options for Homestays. But to be sure, you can book accommodation in advance through booking systems:
Almost all Homestays in the surrounding villages are represented in these systems. You can choose a hotel, including their location on our map of Sapa and its surroundings.

And finally, a simple trick, how to make trekking yourself and safely, if you are afraid to do it yourself for the first time. Every day from 9 to 10 o'clock excursion groups with tourists gather and go trekking from the center of Sapa from the main square. From the square they go through the streets of Fansipan, Cuay May and then go to the road TL152, leading through the Valley. There are quite a few groups, and it is easy to recognize them by backpacks and accompanying guides and women in colorful traditional costumes. You just can follow any of the groups along the route and that's it.

Groups of tourists with guides in Sapa

It is best to get back to Sapa at the end of trekking by Transport. For group tours, transfer by car or minivan is already included in the price. If you went on your own, then in all the villages there are taxi drivers on duty, ready to take you back to the city. More economically or completely free of charge, you can return if you leave the village on the main road TL152, and there catch a ride.