It’s hard to believe how majestic Sapa is if you just see it from photos. It is far more superior than I could imagine when setting foot on this region for the first time, as nature has gifted this land with such various favors that I had to make a Sapa tours review on it to express my delight.
I did not prepare for this Sapa tour at all – just made a decision immediately after a discussion and packed my luggage in a night before catching an overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai. When arriving at Sapa, I just then realized that I had to spend more time looking for additional information and searching for the hotel, street food location etc… Therefore, I wrote this Sapa tour review to share with you some experiences on Sapa trip I have obtained after my very own wandering journey on the fog town!
Sapa tour review – Which season to go?
The best time to head into Sapa is from September to November, or between March and May. The weather during these periods is pretty dry and sunny during the daytime, and quite cold at night.
In April and May, the ethnic minorities will farm hand on the terraced paddy fields. It is also the time when flowers start blossoming. Meanwhile, September and October are grain seasons, so every corner in Sapa will be filled with beautiful color yellow. You cannot imagine how stunning it is: Sapa has a yellow coat on its hills. However, when it comes to October, many crops will have been harvested by farmers.
Stunning terraced paddy fields in Sapa during travel months
Sapa tour review – What to prepare?
It depends on your demand, but basically, you will need these basic items:
- Wallet: Including money, identity card, insurance etc…
- Clothes: You should make it light and compact but warm enough. During summer you can wear a coat only as it is pretty warm in the daytime. However, you will need a thick coat, gloves, scarf to keep you warm in winter, as the temperature could drop below 10 Celcius degree.
- Boots: You will mainly walk on foot and do some Sapa trekking. It is recommended that you should prepare hiking boots or sneakers.
- Camera/DSLR: Of course why not! You should take shots of every beautiful scenery in Sapa! It is best to bring a DSLR with you to ensure the best photo quality. Remember to bring along your SD card and backup battery just in case.
- Sapa map: Available in every grocery store or bookstore. This will help you a lot not to get lost or save your precious time during the excursion.
- Snacks: You need light but energy-rich food when trekking in Sapa. You had better prepare some biscuits, milk, chocolate bars… depending on your preferences.
- Personal belongings: You should bring your toothbrush, toothpaste and hand towel along.
Some useful items you need to prepare before going to Sapa
Sapa tour review – Which transportation to choose
There are 2 means of transportation to reach Sapa:
- Shuttle bus: You can catch buses of Vietbus, Hung Thanh company… My Dinh bus station. As the Hanoi – Lao Cai highway has already been done and used, this is the fastest and most convenient way to go to Sapa
- Train: Used to be tourists’ favorite transportation before the introduction of the highway, as you will have to catch a shuttle bus from Lao Cai to Sapa after arriving at Lao Cai station. It will take approximately 8 hours to go from Hanoi to Lao Cai.
In addition to the overnight train, shuttle bus is another choice for tourists
