Sapa hill tribe trek
Based on the recommendations of many people we have met, after
Halong
Bay we decided to set off for the remote hill station of Sapa
(near the border with China) to do some trekking up into the hill tribe areas.
Sapa was an old French outpost 50+ years ago, and its outskirts are home to many
tribes of people living in the mountains. Our itinerary was to do a full day of
trekking, followed by a home stay with a hill tribe, another full day of
trekking, and then a day and a half exploring the actual town of Sapa.
We took the night train from Hanoi to Lao
Cai (3km from China), arrived at 5:30am, and then grabbed a bus to Sapa. At 1600
meters, Sapa is literally quite cool. It was immediately refreshing to feel like
we were back in the Bay Area. We found our guide and soon were off into a jeep
which dropped us off out in the country-side where we started our trek. The hill
area was beautiful. It actually reminded me a lot of what the lower-level
regions of my Nepal trek looked like. Rice terraces were scattered among the
hills, water buffalo aplenty, and villages dressed in various garb not common to
the USA Throughout our time we came into contact with 3 tribes: Black H'Mong,
Red Dao, and the Tay people. For the most part this was a great experience, but
tourism has obviously had its effect on the people.
The people try to sell you things along the path, and some of the villages even
have electricity and a TV. We sort of felt like we were somewhat intruding into
their lives, tolerated at this stage in their history because of the prospect of
the almighty dollar being transferred their way. This is surely a different
place than it was 10 years ago from what we've heard. It would surely be a
different trip if you took a sleeping bag and just headed off on your own, as
long as the Vietnamese government didn't see you do so.
Never-the-less, we had a great homestay with a very nice family. The food was
amazing, and it was great to have to bundle up with heavier blankets at night.
The cicadas (sound like high-powered grasshoppers) were deafening at night,
which was quite a sound to hear, and added to the experience, along with the two
dead snakes we crossed at various points in the path.
After probably 15 miles of hiking in 2 days, we returned to Sapa to take in the
sites. I hired a 23 year-old Vietnamese boy to take me on his motorbike up to a
nearby waterfall and the highest pass in the area. At one point, we stopped at a
point overlooking the massive valley below and sat down and talked. We began
discussing the differences between Vietnam and the USA, then the effect of the
Vietnamese-American war on both sets of people, and finally our spiritual
beliefs. He told me about how he does not subscribe to a faith, and when it was
my turn to share I said I was a Christian and asked if he had ever heard of
Jesus, and he said he hadn't. I asked if he'd like to hear about him and he said
he would. I did my best to explain, in simple and broken English, the gospel of
the Bible, and how Jesus is different than Buddha for instance (of note, there
is now a Christian church in Sapa, although he said that he only thinks people
go there for weddings). While he was somewhat surprised at the reality of the
gospel story, he was very curious, and I pray that God may have planted a seed
of faith to be watered.
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
