Sapa lies in a beautiful valley near the Chinese border. It is the north’s main drawcard for tourists looking for magnificent scenery and a diverse mix of ethnic cultures in the countryside inhabited by various hill tribes
Surrounding Sapa are the Hoang Lien Mountains, which the French nicknamed the Tonkinese Alps. These mountains include Fansipan, which at 3143 metres is Vietnam’s highest.
Unlike the nearby hill tribe village, the architecture of Sapa looks distinctly European. This is because for nearly 100 years, up until 1954, many French people moved there from other parts of Vietnam to escape the tropical heat.
Sa Pa District is located in Lao Cai Province, north-west Vietnam, and 350 km north-west of Hanoi, close to the border with China. Sapa is famous both for its fine, rugged scenery and for its rich cultural diversity. French used to consider Sapa as Summer Capital of Northern Vietnam in the early decades of the 20th century. Its naturally gifted beauty keeps attracting more and more people to spend their vacation there since then. Particularly, the place is the foremost choice for all travelers.
Sapa is famous for its special cultural diversity in a combination of ethnic minority groups’ culture. Visitors to Sapa will have opportunities to discover the unique customs of the local residents. Local markets are the town’s typically cultural element, which are always crowded and joyful, attracting hundreds of visitors. This is the common place for minority groups to gather and exchange goods. Market sessions are also a chance for local people to promenade. No foreign visitor could help joining such a market session, a typical cultural element of Sapa.
Description/Itinerary:
Cat Cat, Sin Chai village – Y Linh Ho, Lao Chai, Ta Van villages – Ma Tra, Ta Phin villages
Distane: (7+12+10) Km
Grade: Medium
Day 1
Arrive at Lao Cai station in the morning, our driver will be waiting for you at the station’s exit holding a sign with Friendly travel logo and your name clearly marked.
From Lao Cai, our driver will then escort you in our comfortable mini-bus to Sapa. Throughout this 60 minutes scenic drive up through the mountains, be sure to look out the window at the captivating views of emerald green valleys, majestic mountains shrouded in cloud and intricate rice paddy fields.
Upon arriving into Sapa, you will have breakfast and fresh-up yourselves at our Goldensun hotel. We will then depart from the hotel at 9:00am and walk down 3Km to Exploring Cat Cat – Shin chai village of H’mong – A colonial French discovered area and a renowned resort to officials from the early twentieth century.
Arriving to Cat Cat village, visitors will be visiting the Hydropower station, the waterfall of Cat Cat village as well as learning about the culture, customs and unique people here with traditional crafts such as weaving ,
carved silver, hand forged agricultural tools.
After that you will walk back to Sapa (4Km) for having lunch at our local restaurant
Dinner at 7:00PM – Overnight at Goldensun hotel
Day 2
Breakfast and be ready at 9:00AM. Then we could start our trek down to Y Linh Ho, a village inhabited by the Hmong minority. This is a great opportunity to take photographs of hereditary terraces that are estimated around 100 years old. From Y Linh Ho we will make our way to Lao Chai village where you will visit the Hmong home town. You will then continue to Ta Van, an established Hmong and Giay village. In Ta Van village we will then arrange a mini van to pick you up and take you to Sapa.
Get some time left for resting
Dinner at 7:00PM – Overnight at Goldensun hotel
Day 3
Breakfast and check-out the room before 9:00AM
We begin the day with a 3km by Car then get drop off to trek through breathtaking landscape to the village of Suoi Ho, home to Hmong minority. From here you can enjoy views over endless rice terraces, and you will have the opportunity to see some of the animals used by the locals. Continuing on to Matra village you will come across the impressive ruins of a church dating back to the French occupation in the early 1900s. Take a minute to explore this intriguing sight and take some photos. Trekking to the village of Ta Phin you will be able to meet both Black Hmong and Red Dao minorities. The Red Dao are known for their expertise in herbal medicine as well as usage of plants from the land to treat many illnesses. Your guide will be able to introduce you to some Red Dao women who can tell you more about their many remedies. A Red Dao herbal medicine bath can be arranged for you to experience, so please ask. Transport will be provided from Ta Phin back to Sapa.
Upon arriving back into Sapa arround 2:30PM, you will have a few hours to take shower and spend in town. Depending on what time your train departs, our driver will come to collect you at either 4.30pm or 5.30pm and take you to Lao Cai train station. Dinner in Sapa town before you leave.
Price: 2,700,000VND/pax
Note: It is an additional 600,000 for single room.
Included
All meals, English speaking tour guide, Transportation, Village entrance fees, 2nights at Goldensun hotel
Not Included
Train ticket
Drinks, Personal travel insurance, Tips
You Should Bring
Comfortable trekking shoes, Waterproof jacket, Suncream, Suitable clothing, Mosquito repellent.
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