Top best sites for trekking in Sapa ?

Sapa in vietnam is renowned for its majestic limestone mountains, endless rice terraces and cultural richness of minority ethnic groups. It is also known by many trekking enthusiasts. Here you can hike in one, two or more days to experience in-depth the life of the natives as well as the wonderful nature. Here are some ideas for Sapa trekking spots to suggest that allow you to best explore this mountainous region.

How many days for trekking in Sapa ?

Trekking is the best way that helps you make the most of the beauty of a mountainous region like Sapa . Here you can do treks ranging from light to medium or advanced level with 2-6 hours of trekking per day. For the more robust, a trek in 3 or 4 days can be considered. You can spend a few nights with locals to better immerse yourself in local life.

If you don’t have time, a Sapa trek organized in one day is enough to contemplate the beautiful landscapes typical of the region. However, it is not recommended to follow such a program because you will be exhausted and you must take into account the long distance Hanoi-Sapa. So, a 2-day trek is more reasonable to discover this region.

If you want to better reveal the beauty of this wonderful destination, take a 3 or 4 day Sapa trek . With 3 or 4 days of trekking, you can immerse yourself in the daily life of the locals and contemplate delightful landscapes while relaxing in a pleasant atmosphere far from the urban madness.

4 days seems like the perfect length for an in-depth exploration of Sapa. We suggest devoting remaining days to visiting other sites.

Particularly, if you want to visit a weekly market, choose the dates when markets open: Can Cau market (Saturday), Bac Ha market (Sunday), Coc Ly market (Tuesday), Sin Cheng market (Wednesday), Muong market Hum (Sunday).

Trekking in Sapa – Best trekking spots

1. Muong Hoa Valley

The Muong Hoa Valley is located southwest of Sapa and at the foot of Mount Fanxipan. It is home to beautiful ethnic villages like Y Linh Ho, Lao Chai, Ta Van … A trek in the Muong Hoa valley promises an enriching experience with, among other things, meeting minority ethnic groups in the region.

Along the Muong Hoa valley, you can contemplate magnificent rice terraces and majestic mountains while discovering the daily life of the locals and their work in the fields. Here you can do treks following the Y Linh Ho – Lao Chai – Ta Van loop (19 km) or Ta Van – Giang Ta Chai (16 km).

Y Linh Ho Village

It all starts with a descent on a path or on a suspension bridge which will take you to the village of Y Linh Ho , the best village in the Muong Hoa valley. It is home to many small houses scattered and perched on the mountainsides surrounded by endless rice terraces.

Naturally, hiking is the only way to discover local houses. This village is therefore a better site for doing a Sapa trek . There you meet black Hmong in their dark costumes of black and navy blue dyed with indigo.

By visiting there, you discover the green corn fields, the golden rice terraces with an original culture.

Lao Chai Village

Following Y Linh Ho village, Lao Chai village is also a good choice for hiking in Sapa. Lao Chai is a town 7 km from the town of Sapa and populated by black Hmong. The local population is known for planting corn, cassava and particularly for their fabulous work in the fields. From a distance, houses look like mushrooms that grow after rain on a golden or green surface of the rice terraces.

Ta Van village

4 km from Lao Chai, the village of Ta Van is accessible by a small and narrow road. This site is the Dzay home. If the Hmong like to live on the steep slopes, the Dzay build their houses and cultivate in the lower lands. Trekking to Ta Van is an opportunity to contemplate delightful scenes embroidered with rice terraces, mountains and people.

Giang Ta Chai Village

Located 18 km from Sapa town. Giang Ta Chai shares the border with the village of Ta Van. They can be combined together to create a very special Sapa trek itinerary, Lao Chai – Ta Van – Giang Ta Chai . It is considered the best spot for most excursions and trekking in Sapa.

This village is sheltered by the red Dzao who wear black clothes (trousers and a long tunic with embroidered cuffs and lapels). During a trek to Giang Ta Chai village, you will have the opportunity to explore rice terraces, a bamboo forest and superb waterfalls.

2. Ma Tra Village – Ta Phin

Ma Tra and Ta Phin are two villages inhabited by the Red H’Mong and Dzao, near the town of Sapa. Both of these sites are home to very majestic and charming natural landscapes and cultural values. The 7 km hike from Ma Tra to Ta Phin offers you breathtaking views of the marvelous beauty of rice terraces, countless fruit trees such as peaches, pears, plums…

3. Bac Ha

Nestled in the northwest mountains and more than 2 hours by car from Sapa town, Bac Ha town is the best place in the region for trekking. This site is less hectic than Sapa but just as attractive with its discreet and authentic routes.

Ethnic villages

Bac Ha, a small, quiet town northeast of Sapa, is the common home where many minority ethnic groups (colorful Hmong, Phu La, Tay, etc.) live in harmony. When you arrive there, you have the opportunity to meet colorful Hmong in the Lau Thi Ngai and Ta Van Chu villages , Phu La in the Lung Phinh village , Tay in the Thai Giang Pho and Na Lo villages .

A trek to ethnic villages offers you the opportunity to see farmers working in the corn fields. A night with locals is an unmissable experience that lets you discover their daily life and their secret in making corn alcohol.

In addition, you can discover the Ngai Thau village, inhabited by colorful Hmong, by horse cart. From there, you will walk up the corn hill to admire splendid landscapes through plum gardens. You visit the homes of the locals to learn the technique of weaving and dyeing.

Bac Ha weekly markets

Weekly markets are undoubtedly a particularity of mountainous regions. The weekly markets of Bac Ha are the place where you immerse yourself in the colorful and particularly noisy atmosphere of an open-air market.

The market is generally divided into two main corners, one for the purchase of bags, embroidered clothes, traditional medicines or bottled honey, the other intended for horses, dogs, cats… Here you can see the the originality of the trade in poultry and livestock between local minorities.

In Bac Ha, Bac Ha and Coc Ly market are the best known. The Bac Ha market opens every Sunday with the presence of no less than ten ethnic groups populating the region and its surroundings, while Coc Ly takes place every Tuesday and immerses itself in the local culture of the colorful Hmong.

Hoang A Tuong Residence

In a splendid natural landscape of rice terraces and mountains, an exceptional residence appears from afar called the palace of Hoang A Tuong or the palace of the King of the Hmong . This compound of the most powerful and important family in Bac Ha was built for 7 years (1914 – 1921).

This building is a mixture of two styles of French and Asian architecture. It is designed by two architects, a French and a Chinese. This palace stands on a peaceful hillside which offers panoramic views of picturesque surrounding landscapes. Here you immerse yourself in mysterious nature embellished with impressive architecture.

When is the best time to do a Sapa trek ?

Some local guides say that September is the best time to trek in Sapa as the weather is temperate and pleasant without fog and the rice terraces are beautiful.

During the summer months, from May to September, your hiking is more favorable as you have a large number of trails to choose from.

Should you have a guide or not during your trekking in Sapa ?

Without a guide, you can still visit villages near Sapa like Lao Chai, Ta Van with a map. However, if you want to discover more distant villages, you must accompany yourself with a guide.

With a guide, your hike becomes easier. Among the different routes to reach an ethnic village, the guide will find the most suitable track for you to facilitate your trekking. In addition, you will also learn beautiful things about the culture and daily life of ethnic groups. In particular, he will be your best translator in the event of exchanges with the locals.