Let’s join a fancy trip to this romantic town
Taking a night train from Hanoi to Lao Cai, and then 45 minutes more from Lao Cai City by bus, Sapa appears in fanciful fog. Thanks to the height of 1,600 m above the sea level, the average temperature of the area is always 15-18°C, cool in summer, but a bit cold in winter.
Sapa takes its pride in its unique climate in Vietnam. It is highly seasonal, with a subtropical climate in the summer and a temperate climate during the winter. Mean annual temperature for Sa Pa town is 15.4°C, with a maximum of 29.4°C and a minimum of 1°C. The warmest months are July and August, and the coldest months are December and January. Snow falls in some years on the highest peaks. In the morning and afternoon, it is as cool as in spring and autumn. Yet, at noon, it is as sunny and cloudless as in summer. In the evening, it drastically changes into coldness just as in winter. This is actually a unique advantage, making Sapa different from anywhere else in the nation. However, travelers should be noticed that there might be sudden thunderstorm and heavy rains at noon in summer. Yet, subsequently, a rainbow appears turning Sapa into a beautifully magic land with seven colors! So, remember to bring your best camera so as not to miss this magnificent view!
April and
May are the best time for tourists
to watch the most scenic beauties of
Sapa,
or else it might be cold and foggy before that and rainy
after that. During
these two peak months, the town
is blossoming
with pink
and white flowers, and green
pastures
in valleys. The clouds that settle
in the valley
in early morning
would quickly disappear.
Beauty Spots and Resorts
The scenery of the Sapa region in large part reflects the relationship between the ethnic minority people and nature. This is seen especially in the paddy fields carpeting the rolling lower slopes of the Hoang Lien Mountains. The impressive physical landscape, which underlies this, has resulted from the work of the elements over thousands of years, wearing away the underlying rock.
Most tourists
agree that it would be regretful if the leisure
and relaxation time
in cool and fresh weather
is not accompanied
by visiting
trips to
Sapa’s
prideful natural beauty spots, such asHam Rong Mountain Silver
Waterfall, Rattan Bridge, Bamboo Forest and Ta Phin
Cave. The town
is also the starting
point
for many mountain
climbers and scientists
who would like to discover
the Fansipan
Mount, the highest mountain
in Vietnam with 3,143 m height. Can you imagine
that Hoang Lien Mountain
Range
is called “the Alps of the North Sea area” since
Fansipan
Mount also marks its greatest height among others
in the
Indochina
Peninsula
as well. The pyramid-shaped mountain
is covered with clouds all the year round. On top of the mountain
is filled with frequent below zero temperature, especially at high
altitudes.
On approaching
the town, the very first thing
tourists
may find
is the detached wooden mansions and villas perched on top or side of the
hills, behind
thick pine
forests, hided by fog
in the morning.
Old and new villas with red roofs now appear and then disappear
in the green rows of pomu trees, bringing
in the beauty of European towns.
Flowers
Sapa-the land of love
Sapa
is
home to various families of flowers of captivating
colors, unique
in the vast country. When Tet, the Lunar New Year Festival, comes, the
whole township of
Sapa
is
filled with the pink
color of peach blossom brought from the vast forests of peach just outside the
town. Sapa
is
regarded as the kingdom
of orchids. Here, orchid lovers are even amazed by the choice, when trekking
in the forest filled with several hundred kinds
of orchids of brilliant colors and fantastic shapes, such as Orchid Princess,
Orchid of My Fair Lady's Shoe. Some orchids are named after lovely singing
birds such as the canary,
salangane's nest, and more.
Specialties
Foreign tourists are actually fond of scarce and precious specialties of Sapa, such as forest’s product, handicrafts, delicacies (smoked meat, “thang co”, “cai meo”, san lung wine, corn wine, etc.), typical of ethnic minority people.
Most
travelers do like to bring
some of the local fresh vegetables back home for presents. Thanks to the fresh
and cool air,
Sapa
is
the ideal land for fresh temperate vegetables such as cabbage, chayote,
precious medical herbs, fruit trees (plum, pear), and so on.
Cultural diversity
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.
What is
more, tourists
coming
to Sapa
at weekends have the great chance to learn about local ethnic people's
courtship and martial life, through the
Sapa
love market and wife kidnapping
ceremony of the H’Mong group. The ceremony will begin
on April 29th. This
is
part of a five-day festival, titled Festival on the Cloud, to mark the
beginning
of the Sapa
2006 tourism
year, in
the northern mountain
township of
Sapa,
in Lao Cai Province.
If ever asked to drop a quick comment, even the toughest person must admit the romance and peace of a magnificently cool and beautiful Sapa! I hope you should spend a short summer here, and you will soon share the idea!
Sapa Budget Tours
- Sapa Day Tours - Sapa Day Excursions - Day Trips Sapa Vietnam
- Sapa Walk and Bac ha Market
- Sapa Hard Trekking Two
- Sapa Hard Trekking One
- Sapa Medium Trek Two
- Sapa Medium Trek
Sapa Trekking and Adventures
- Fansipan peak conquering VIP tour (3 days - 2 nights)
- Fansipan peak conquering VIP tour (2 days - 1 nights)
- Fansipan peak conquering Deluxe tour (4 days - 3 nights)
- Fansipan peak conquering Deluxe tour (3 days - 2 nights)
- Fansipan peak conquering Deluxe tour (2 days - 1 nights)
- Fansipan peak conquering Standard tour (4 days - 3 nights)
Sapa Cycling Options
- Sapa - Binh Lu - Lai Chau(with biking)
- Sapa - Lao Chai - Ta Van - Ban Ho
- Sapa Biking Tour - Ban Ho Village
- Sapa Biking Tour - Binh Lu - Lai Chau
- SaPa - Bac Ha Market with biking
- Pedalling The Remote Sapa\'s Northwest
Sapa Luxury Holidays
Traditional Minority Discovery Packages
- Green Sapa bus (Hanoi – Sapa)
- Eco Sapa Limousine Van (Hanoi – Sapa)
- Private car Hanoi Sapa
- Hanoi Sapa Private Cabin bus
- Coc Ly market with boat trip
- Cao Son market -boat trip on Chay river- Sapa Tours
Sapa Classic Trips
Northern Mountain Discovery Packages
Topas Ecolodge Sapa tours
- Topas Ecolodge and Market Package 3D/4N
- Topas Ecolodge and Market Package-2D/3N
- Topas Ecolodge and Victoria Sapa Package – 4D/5N
- Topas Ecolodge and Victoria Sapa Package – 3D/4N
- Topas Ecolodge Package – 3D/4N
- Topas Ecolodge Package 2D/3N
Top hotels in Sapa
Vietnam Top Hotel
