Is Sapa still worth visiting? Want to dive deep into natural scenic beauty? Sapa is your place! It is a mountainous town with lush green rice fields in the northwest of Vietnam, near the Chinese border.
If you want to know if Sapa is still worth visiting, in this article we will cover all the things you need to know when considering a visit to Sapa and our experience trekking . If you’re in a rush, feel free to skip ahead to any of the sections below:
Explore unique blend of cultures and connect with nature. Sapa is a great place to spend weekends in the Vietnam region. You can see the mountain ranges, waterfalls, and valleys, or go wild with adventurous mountain activities. From traveling around to hiking, Sapa province has a lot to offer. Sapa is home to several ethnic minorities and tribes, such as the H’Mong, the Dao, and the Dai, all of which offer homestay experiences for tourists.
Is Sapa still worth visiting? Let’s discuss all that you can do in this mountain paradise. By the way, if you want to learn about our homestay experience, then make sure to read to the end!
Is Sapa still worth visiting? A travel guide for Sapa Vietnam
Traveling in Sapa, Vietnam, is all about exploring wonderful places and making lifelong memories. Read on for a travel guide on a number of things to consider for your trip to Sapa, Vietnam.
Must-visit places in Sapa
Fansipan Mountain: It is the most notable highlight of Sapa – the largest mountain with the most stunning view.
Cat Cat Village: Known for its natural beauty, Cat Cat Village is a peaceful place. It is the home of H’mong culture, and they also offer homestays. For our experience at Sapa’s homestay, read on below!
Muong Hoa Valley: It is a center of attraction among tourists for sightseeing.
Tram Ton Pass: It is another dreamy mountain known for its forest views.
Sapa Love Market: It’s a part of Sapa’s unique culture where people come, socialize, and try to find their partners for marriage.
Sapa Stone Church: It is an important landmark in Sapa where many cultural activities take place. Tourists love to visit the Stone Church to admire its French architecture.
The best things to do in Sapa
Trekking: Trekking is a must-do activity in the mountains of Sapa. While you are on the trek, you can interact with locals and view the rice fields. For us, this was our favourite activity during Sapa, where you get drawn into the local village culture by walking through Sapa’s mountainous rice fields on a three-day trek.
Motorbike Ride: For all the bike riders, Sapa offers motorbike tours around the fantastic landscaping of the town. You can book your motorbike tour with expert riders.
Cable Car Ride: To climb the Fansipan mountain, you can enjoy a cable car ride. In contrast to hiking, a cable car only takes 15 minutes to reach the top.
View the Rice Terraces: The rice terraces hold the beauty of Sapa. Many travellers visit Sapa just to see these rice fields. Even better when you are walking along them, so if your game, we definitely recommend taking a trekking experience.
Glorious Sapa mountains
The beauty of Sapa lies in the Sapa Mountains. There are several stunning mountains you must visit in Sapa province. The Fansipan, Ham Rong, and Ngu Chi Son mountains are the most popular ones.
Fansipan Mountain is the highest peak located in the Hoang Lien Son mountain range. On clear summer days, the view from the top of the mountain is unforgettable. It’s a great place for hiking. Also, there are cable cars if you don’t want to climb.
Ham Rong, on the other hand, is a dragon-shaped summit and looks like a dragon craning from an overview. You would find it quite different from other mountains in Sapa. Being near the Sapa Church, it is home to different cultures, traditional practices, and a lively atmosphere.
Lastly, Ngu Chi Son is the 15th highest mountain in the Vietnam region. It looks like a hand with five fingers pointing straight up to the sky. The stunning and strange shape, immersed in white clouds and covered in rice terraces, is undoubtedly worth visiting.
3-day trek vs 1-day trek
If you’re considering a visit to Sapa you can’t leave without venturing with a local into the mountain villages even for one day. Now while there’s no right or wrong way to trek, and you can never be too under prepared when you’re in Sapa as the city centre will surprise you with an array of shops filled with trekking gear of all levels.
3 day trek: The best thing we did was stay two nights with the Hmong people at their homestays. They didnt speak a word of english but our guide did and translated, but really a smile is recognised in all languages. It may sound biased but if you have the time; 3 days of hiking sounds painful and tiring but we never felt more alive and excited for what we might see on each new day. We carried nothing but a day bag and water, and started each morning with a carb fueled breakfast. You dont need much except some good shoes and determination.
1 day trek: Now we didnt do a one day trek ourselves but we shared the first day with some Swedish backpackers whom we spent one night with at the first homestay before departing by midday the next day. So really they got to do a day and a half of trekking which also seemed close to 20-25km all up. With that option of a one night homestay to really feel the cultural experience of staying up in the villages. On the other hand the option to leave your Sapa centre hotel early in the morning to trek with a guide through some of the nearby villages and return by dark, if that fits your schedule and budget.
So whether you’re visiting for a week or just a few days you’re sure to be able to squeeze in a trek. You dont need to be the fittest person or experienced person – just expect an eye opening time and go along with the weather and trust the local guides – they’re truly the superhumans here. Which ever trek experience you choose you’re sure to have one of the best memories.
3-day Sapa itinerary
For an ideal experience in Sapa, you need to spend at least three days there. So, let’s have a look at a sample Sapa itinerary we recommend to make the most of your trip.
Day 1: Start your day early in the morning, have breakfast, and head to Fansipan via a cable car ride (if you choose to hike Fansipan save it for a longer stay and go with a guide). After a long day exploring Fansipan Mountain, you might treat yourself and book in for a local massage before the next couple of days.
Day 2: Up early for a short hike to Cat Cat Village, there you can enjoy the traditions of the H’mong ethnic community and visit the beautiful Cat Cat Rose Garden. After that, you can check out some of Sapa’s amazing waterfalls: Silver Waterfall and Love Waterfall. Check in to a village homestay for one night.
Day 3: On your third day, trek from Lao Chai to Ta Van. It’s a short and simple trek. Leave early in the morning, and you’ll be done by the afternoon. Rest for a while, and make sure to stop by the Sapa Night Market for souvenirs.
Is Sapa still worth visiting? Our experience of Sapa
Getting to Sa Pa, Vietnam, is an adventure in itself!
We booked this adventure through a Hanoi tour agency, which helped build out our Northern Vietnam itinerary to cover three experiences: Sapa, Ninh Binh, and Ha Long Bay. With a bit of negotiating, it ended up costing a couple hundred bucks, but the convenience for us made it well worth it.
We had a 5 a.m. start the next day departing Hanoi from our hostel, involving us jumping onto a cramped sleeper bus. The bus seats themselves can be a struggle if your taller than 6 ft, so make sure you upgrade and take the VIP bus for a more comfortable ride.
After surviving six hours of windy-hill climbs, we had finally arrived in the misty Sapa. It was almost midday, and we were walking to several cafe stops, not necessarily sure of where to begin the hike, until we had a WhatsApp call from a friendly H’mong villager named May, who arrived dressed in H’mong village attire with a big smile from ear to ear. She assured us our backpacks would get to the accommodation lodging before we did, and so we packed our day bag and kicked off our 3-day trek in Sa Pa.
As we walked through Sapa’s city centre, we saw the local markets, street food stalls, and locals selling handmade crafts. After a quick pass through the town centre we headed for more mountains.
Our guide, May, showed enthusiasm throughout, and just as we started climbing up the first hill within minutes, Jacinta and I were drenched head to toe in sweat, and the humidity was insane. Then, the rain pelted down on us. What a time to be alive! We were trekking in the middle of Sa Pa, Vietnam, with May, hiking higher and higher. We picked the more challenging route, which allowed us to see the breathtaking views of Sa Pa.
As we got to the top of the first mountain, the rain ceased and the clouds were starting to clear, which was a temporary relief as we passed over a small rock wall on the ascent to the top. Here it is just nature, the mountain, the cliff edge, and you. The village of Sapa can be seen down below in the distance, and overlooking the horizon are clouds in the sky. With the wind blowing in your face, you feel the fragility of human life in comparison to the mountain – such a surreal moment!
May shared many cultural tales about her tribe’s ways of life, from living off the land to their traditional arranged marriages. One story she shared from the Hmong tribe was how they would use these leaves to create a sound to communicate with their lover. May gave us a demo of playing the leaf, it wasn’t easy as it only works with a certain type of leaf. I don’t recall getting any fire kindling in our bellies from that, but it was a good effort and a neat story.
We continued through the hike, hitting the 15 km mark, drenched in sweat, May kept our spirits high with fresh fruits and stories saying, ‘just a little more to go’ – a little more was a stretch from the truth.
Feeling fatigued from the cement-paved roads, we stayed on this route for hours more, walking till dark and finishing the day after 8 p.m. We met fellow travelers at the first homestay having dinner together, and shared a drink of what the locals call ‘happy water’, a locally made rice wine combination. A popular drink among the locals.
Over drinks, we got given these bracelets to wear and said thank you before May headed off for the night. Mama Moo took over as our guide. Ushering us into a bonding night with everyone and plenty of happy water.
After dinner, we all went upstairs to call it a night, a memorable way to celebrate a birthday and a challenging 20 km trek in the hills of North Vietnam.
For us, we loved the full 3-day trek in Sapa and homestay experience and would recommend it to everyone seeking a memorable adventure without tonnes of tourism.
Final words so is Sapa still worth visiting?
So is Sapa still worth visiting? Sapa is truly a place that you must visit at least once to see the wonders of nature. If you know the best spots to visit and activities to do in Sapa province, you can surely make your trip memorable. In our opinion, the three day trekking adventure we did was one of the highlights of our time backpacking Southeast Asia’s Banana Pancake Trail.
We hope this guide and our experience have helped you plan your trip to Sapa.
So, are you ready to journey into Sapa?
Useful links for your trip to Sapa:
- Book your transfer to Sapa with 12GO Asia
- Stay in the city centre and book affordable accommodation with booking.com
- Pick a trek to suit your trip with GetYourGuide
Craving more adventure? Dive into the Banana Pancake trail and learn everything you need to know for an unreal backpacking adventure around Southeast Asia.
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