While traveling solo in Southeast Asia region, I created an itinerary for Vietnam that included some of the best things to see and do in this country. I only had about 2 weeks to explore, but was determined to experience a Sapa trekking tour on my own. It was such an amazing trip that I decided to write this Sapa tour review!
Sapa has become a popular tourism destination for travelers around the world who come to trek trails between and around the highland villages of the Hmong and Zao people.
I arrived via shuttle bus from Hanoi in Lao Cai where I took another bus to go into the mountains to Sapa. I had prearranged a Sapa trekking tour led by a local guide whom I hired in Sapa town.
Sapa tours by bus – complete with bovine roadblocks
He picked me up directly from my bus transfer and took me to Sapa where I would spend my entire day exploring it. We didn’t waste any time. I showered, dropped off some clothes to be laundered, and then we hit the road on a rented motorbike!
Our first stop was down the mountain to a little village called Ta Phin where the local Red Zao people live. The women wear traditional clothing and are distinguished by their red scarf headpieces. Hong had arranged for me to visit a family and their home.
Passing Red Zao children
A little Red Zao girl
The woman, her husband, and her three children shared their home with five other women. The Zao are known for their extremely intricate embroidered handiwork. They showed me their little craft area and I bought one of their traditional headscarves from them after they fully dressed me in one of their own outfits.
After leaving Ta Phin, we rode for almost an hour up the mountain to see a few of the amazing waterfalls in Sapa. We made it up to a huge waterfall surging over the cliff of one side of a mountain called Silver Waterfall.
Beautiful Silver waterfall
We trekked up until we reached a bridge that splits it at the middle. It was so beautiful! After hanging out in the splash zone for a while, we got back on the road.
We drove another 20 minutes up the mountain to Heaven Gate where you could see a trench in the mountains that seemed to go on forever until it vanished in the distant haze. Another few minutes down the mountain and we reached another waterfall, Love Waterfall. We trekked about 2 km to reach it.
The waterfall came down over the edge of a mossy stone edge of the mountain and into an ice cold pool. I took my shoes off and let the cold water run over my feet while I gazed up at nature’s incredible creation.
The local guide dropped me back off once we got back to town and I spent the evening walking around the cute little streets. Sapa town has a lot of French influence and the buildings are all brightly painted with European style balconies and clay tiled rooftops.
After a long day trekking on highland, I spent a night wandering around Sapa town
After spending the night wandering around the lovely town, it is time to get back to the busting life of Hanoi before catch a flight to another country. I have to say that this trekking tour is such a unique experience to be hardly happened for the second time. I will definitely come back to this highland in a near future to discover new places and people!
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