Introduction
Sapa is all about walks through beautiful rice terraced countryside dotted with ethnic minority villages. There are lots of options, so you can tailor your plans around your fitness levels and your available time.
The new cable car to the top of Mount Fansipan may be a disaster for the natural beauty of the area - but locals are flocking to it. You’ll probably end up taking the ride too, as we did - no matter the misgivings.
Overnight stays in a village can be a good experience and can be arranged for a single night on a short trek, or on a longer trek over 2 or 3 nights. Daily walks out of Sapa town or slightly longer journeys by bus or motorbike are also recommended.
As you’d expect, the most accessible walks and villages are also the most visibly impacted by tourism. Even so, they can still be very interesting, and because the locals are clearly enjoying some benefit from the commerce, you often feel less intrusive as a visitor.
Walking through local villages can sometimes be awkward. While the locals are very accustomed to travellers and are usually very friendly, unsurprisingly perhaps, on occasions, there can be a degree of ambivalence in the greeting. At the opposite extreme, you may find yourself longing for some of that ambivalence if you end up fighting off overzealous sellers.
Some travellers choose to cycle in the spectacular countryside around Sapa. This is not for the faint hearted however as there are some very long steep climbs. Traffic can also be a hazard on winding roads.
Here are some of our ideas of things to see and do in Sapa.
