Nestled in the Hoàng Liên Son Mountains in Vietnam’s northwest, Sa Pa seems out of reach for most travelers to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, although it offers a unique view of Hmong life for those that make the journey. This tour combines two night trains to allow travelers to travel north to Sa Pa and see the area’s highlights with only two days out of Hanoi. Even if you’re only in Vietnam for a short time, this tour makes a visit to Sa Pa possible. Trekking down to Lao Chai village to visit the Tay and Dzay tribes then keep going along the bottom of the Sapa valley to get to Ta Van village, which supposed to be the most beautiful one in the area. Trekking to Cat Cat villages of Black H’Mong tribe. Enjoy the waterfall in Cat Cat and beautiful scenery along the way.
Posted By : Niamh_M
This tour is well worth it. Be warned, the trek is not for the feint hearted, its a lot of uphill rocky terrain in very hot humid conditions, but the scenery is beautiful. I think we clocked about 20k over the 2 days (a lot of steep ups and downs). Our guide Mi was fun, friendly, knowledgeable and took great care of us. The timing of the tour (early morning until about 2pm) means you have plenty of free time for napping, shopping, exploring on your own etc.
The overnight bus was as comfortable as expected, bring a sleeping mask and ear plugs. Double check you have power in your unit before pulling off (some didn't have power which meant dead phones upon arrival and little time to charge up). The hotel is basic but had everything we needed, the food is average but we were very hungry after the hikes and it did the job. We got some snacks in Sapa afterwards where there's tons of choice. The area has many reasonable massage places to relax your muscles after the hike.
One thing to note which was a slight spoiler, the local women and children selling bags, trinkets etc are very intense when in Sapa itself. Despite us buying a few bits to support them, we were harangued throughout the trip and made to feel guilty at times for not buying something off every person.
Finally, we were supposed to have the overnight train included as transport from Hanoi, but we're glad this got switched for a cabin bus in the end.
The tour is well organised, offers a chance to learn about Vietnam's minority populations and a nice escape from the busy cities.
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Posted On : 2022-11-18 22:35:16 
