Well, it’s so great to see you again, in my next post to continue my unforgettable experiences while visiting the Sapa highland in Vietnam. I’m back to share you everything, even the smallest details, of my best Sapa tours.
So let’s go!
1. Children in Sapa, Vietnam
When you walk on the roads you sometimes walk by a school and small markets. We were there during what would be a school day and I was heartbroken to see so many school aged children selling goods on the roads instead of going to school. Every single school building we walked by, maybe three, was unoccupied. For a moment I thought, well they are on summer break, but every other school we encountered in July had students attending classes. So it can be a great thing to do if you help them by buying something from them. You know, the cold weather of this highland is never a greatthing to suffer for hours, especially for these little children.
Children in Sapa
2. When is the best time to visit Sapa
Sapa gets a lot of weather, and true seasons, and by that I mean it gets hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Because it gets so unbearably cold and wet in the winter the rice harvest must be done before then, meaning that if you are after October there will not be any green fields of rice paddy. The winter season begins in November and ends in February and the entire area is wet and muddy which makes it pointless to make the journey up there if you are on a time crunch.
Beautiful terraced paddy fields in Sapa
Rice crops are planted in the spring so unfortunately you will miss much of the beauty if you arrive to Sapa in the winter and it will be difficult to go on any treks. The best time to go to Sapa is between March to May, and after that time frame you get some rain on a daily basis usually in the afternoon, but it is still stunning. While I was there in July it rained a bit every day and it was fine because we were still able to do anything we wanted. In the morning we went on treks or a motorbike ride and when we would return we would sit at a cafe’s perch, drink a Tiger lager and watch the rain come down
3. Renting a motorbike in Sapa
One of the best ways to really see the Sapa countryside is by renting a motorbike, filling it up with petrol and exploring the roads leading to who knows where. Not everyone is comfortable riding a motorbike for obvious safety reasons, but you can also hire a guide to ride with. We rented a motorbike all day for $5, filled it up and saw some of the most beautiful landscapes and quaintest villages. We received a few looks by the locals probably curious about why we were there, but for the most part it was all shy smiles and waves from curious ones. Most of the roads leading to the various villages are not paved yet, but there were crews working on it when we were driving through which is a positive move for the villages. During the rainy season I could imagine them being isolated from the rest of the province because of mudslides and muddy roads, which is a recurring issue there.
It’s definitely necessary to have a guide to drive you for a motorbike tour here
While riding a motorbike is one of the best ways to see the countryside or city, be cautious while riding. Wear closed toed shoes so if you do fall off, at least you can somewhat protect your feet. I refused to ride a motorbike in the city because it is so hectic, though there is a slow speed limit.
4. Villages off-the-beaten path near Sapa
We spoke to a Dutch couple and I was extremely envious of their trip. They hired a Vietnamese driver who took them to different provinces and villages and stayed in the homes of locals. While that was not an option for us, we still had an opportunity to visit the villages within the Sapa vicinity. There are mixed feelings about visiting the villages, such as exploiting their culture and turning it into a culture catered to tourism. The one thing to understand about the women selling their goods to tourists and offering to take them on treks to their villages is that most of the money they earn goes into maintaining their land. As long as you are respectful of their culture and traditions, I personally do not see a problem in working with them and I do not see it as exploitation. They need to earn money and selling to tourists helps them subsidize their costs. I observed how hard they work, they may walk for hours to get into the main city to sell to tourists, something to keep in mind.
Cat Cat village
In Sapa, you are in close proximity to several villages and the easiest one to walk to is Cat Cat which is a H’mong village. It is about 6 kilometers away from town walking down hill. Once you get to the entrance of the village, you will come across a ticket counter, who insists you have to pay to continue walking through the road, but it’s really for access to the Tien Sa Waterfall, which you walk down to from left of the road. Another local was standing there and he told us that to walk through the road we did not have to pay anything because “there is nothing to see there.” Quite the contrary– there were fields of rice terraces, people going about their day, kids playing on a field and live stock roaming about.
On the day of our trek, we trekked towards different Dzao and H’mong Village including Ta Van, Giang Ta Chai, Ban Ho and Seo Trung Ho. The whole trek took about 4 hours and because it is the rainy season the trails were a bit muddy on some sections, but not so much that the trails are impassible. The trek switches from trails between rice paddy fields to wider roads for tractors and cars to be able to pass through, but you can avoid taking roads for most of it, though regardless you are walking through
So, that’s all that I can remember and tell you about my Sapa trip now. It may be not a full story about every interesting I’ve been through, but it’s the most of it.
If you’re still wondering about things in Sapa, why don’t you also make a Sapa tour now to discover this beautiful land?
