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Real Sapa Experience – 2-Day Trekking & Homestay
$185.00
- Incredible 2-Day Trek in Sapa with 1-Night Homestay!
- Local Ethnic Minority Guide For a True Insider Experience.
- Off The Beaten Track, Non-Touristic Trails – Away From the Crowds!
- Includes: 2 X Overnight Train Journeys from Hanoi. All Food + Cooking Class + Foot Massage!
- Read the article about this trek here!
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We are experts in Sapa trekking and are not afraid to say so! (Please check out our Tripadvisor reviews!). We have designed the perfect itinerary for our guests to experience the very best of Sapa. From start to finish, this will become a memorable experience that you carry with you for the rest of your life!
Overview of the Real Sapa Experience!
After a comfortable overnight train ride from Hanoi, we arrive at our destination of Sapa, “The Tonkinese Alps”. Sapa town is a colourful place, brought to life by the unique culture of the H’mong and Dzao people.
We are met by our local ethnic minority guide, who will lead us through the incredible landscapes that Sapa has to offer. From the luscious green of the region’s emblematic rice terraces to the rustic charm of the native dwellings, belonging to Dzay, Dzao, Tay, Xa Pho and H’Mong people, Sapa never fails to capture the imagination!
Over the course of your days with us, you’ll experience culture, breathtaking scenery and unique local cultures. We don’t follow the same trails as the other tour groups, we trek the less trodden, non-touristic routes that skirt alongside the rice paddy fields and buffalo tracks!
On the Real Sapa Experience, you’ll also enjoy a bonus cooking class and 30-minute, well-deserved (by that point) herbal foot massage!
2-Day, 3-Night: Trip Itinerary
- Day 1 – Depart From Hanoi by Sleeper Train (Soft Sleeper Berth) – 8:30 pm.
- Day 2 – Real Sapa Experience – Trekking Loi Cai – Sapa – Cat Cat – Y Linh Ho – Lao Chai (17km) & Homestay (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included)
- Day 3 – Real Sapa Experience – Trekking Lao Chai – Giang Ta Chai – Sapa (12km) & Sleeper Train (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included)
- Day 4 – Arrive Back in Hanoi – 6:00 am
In more detail…
DAY 1 # HANOI TO SAPA – OVERNIGHT TRAIN
Tonight we will depart from Hanoi, by overnight sleeper train to Sapa. The group will meet at our office – 62 Hang Buom Street – in the Old Quarter at 6:30 pm for introductions and information about your upcoming adventure! If you have a big rucksack and you don’t want to take it with you, you can store your luggage safely at our office whilst you are in Sapa.
We will meet again at 8.30 pm to set off to the train station. You will be led to your cabin on the sleeper train, which is a 4-berth cabin. You’ll find the experience comfortable, clean and very enjoyable! You’ll get your own bedding and bottle of water and the sleeper train is air-conditioned with Western-style toilets. You can buy food and drinks on the train. The train departs between 9.40 and 10 pm.
DAY 2 # TREKKING – LAO CAI – SAPA – CAT CAT – Y LINH HO – LAO CHAI
After arriving at Lao Cai Train Station in the early morning at 6 am, you will be met by our driver (who will have a sign with your name on it) who will take you to Sapa Town by bus. The journey takes around one hour.
When you arrive at the hotel, you can take a shower and enjoy a delicious breakfast on the top floor of the hotel with beautiful views of Sapa town and the Muong Hoa valley.
After that, you will meet your local guide at Sapa Eden Hotel at 7.30 am.
Your tour guide for the trek will be from the ethnic minority Hmong or Red Dzao. Nobody knows this land better than Sapa’s indigenous tribal people, so who better to guide you through the lush terraced rice fields and small villages?
As you explore Sapa, you’ll encounter many of Sapa’s diverse groups, such as the Dzay, Dzao, Tay, Xa Pho and Hmong. You’ll discover more about their unique culture as you pass through each village, passing by rice fields and buffalo tracks on the route less travelled!
In the evening, you’ll help to prepare (and then eat!) a traditional Vietnamese meal with a local family. And, after all that trekking, you’ll enjoy a 30-minute foot massage treat!
We spend the night at our local homestay with the family. The accommodation is mixed-gender basic dormitory style with mattresses on the floor. Clean and comfortable, with bedding and mosquito nets provided, western toilet and shower. This is the local way of sleeping and we think you’ll find it surprisingly cosy!
Day 1 Trekking Route: Lai Cai – Sapa – Cat Cat – Y Linh Ho – Lao Chai. 17km in total.
Breakfast lunch and dinner included.
DAY 3 # LAO CHAI – GIANG TA CHAI – SAPA
After a traditional breakfast, we’ll leave the homestay and continue trekking to visit the ethnic minorities of Giang Ta Chai village. On our walk today, we’ll pass through a bamboo forest, beautiful mountain scenery and a waterfall. The trail is quite steep today and can be a bit challenging! (Those with moderate levels of fitness should be fine.)
We’ll continue our journey along the small paths that skirt the rice fields, cross the Muong Hoa River and stop for lunch in a picturesque spot! After lunch, we’ll slowly make our way back to Sapa town arriving around 4 pm.
You’ll then have time to explore Sapa Town at your own pace. There’s the opportunity to shower if you like and dinner will be offered at 6 pm at the hotel. After dinner, the driver will pick you up at the hotel ready for your train, which departs between 9-10pm.
Day 2 Trekking Route: Lao Chai – Giang Ta Chai – Sapa. 12 km in total.
Breakfast lunch and dinner included.
DAY 4 # SAPA – HANOI
We’ll arrive back in Hanoi very early, between 4.45 am and 5.30 am. You are required to find your way back to our office yourself, pick up not included. Our office opens at 6 am and here, a lovely breakfast, coffee and a refreshing shower are waiting for you. We are happy to help you with further tours or ongoing transport.
Please note: Children under 9 years are not advised to join the Sapa trek.
Please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements.
When is the best time to trek in Sapa?
Sapa has four distinct seasons:
- March-June = Spring. One of the best times to trek in Sapa with cool, sunny days and plants and flowers starting to bloom. You can see ethnic minorities planting rice at this time.
- July-August = Summer / Rainy Season. With downpours in the afternoon, you can still trek in Sapa during the rainy season, you just need to bring a rain jacket. At this time you’ll see lush rice fields and rainbows and you may experience four seasons in a day.
- September – November = Autumn. Another great time of year to trek when the rice reaches its harvest and the terraces are lush and green.
- December – February = Winter. Temperatures can reach below zero at night during winter in Sapa, but if you’re willing to brave the cold, the landscape is astonishingly beautiful with a touch of frost on the mountains.
You can trek in Sapa all year round, depending you have the right gear. See our ‘What to Pack’ section for more advice.
Extra Cost for Solo Traveller
If you want to do the Real Sapa Experience alone, there will be a single supplement (extra cost) of $45 US. If you book the Real Sapa Experience as a solo traveller through this website, we will do our best to team you up with other travellers to avoid this cost. This may mean that we propose to you an alternative date where there is already a small group doing the trek. We will inform you by email about the situation when booking.
Friends Travel Vietnam
Friends Travel Vietnam pride themselves on providing trips and tours that go far beyond the norm. In their own words, there are as many travel companies in Vietnam as there are destinations! Friends Travel know that in order to stand out, they have to offer something truly exceptional.
To guide them in this endeavour, they are lead by a set of basic principles:
- Thinking Small – Taking the care and attention to ensure that even the smallest of details is well thought out.
- Thinking Local – In order to make sure that the tours they carry out are beneficial to the local community at the same time as making sure that the very best of that local community is allowed to shine in the eyes of the visitor.
- Thinking About What Benefits The Visitor – It is always of the utmost importance to provide the visitor with an experience that’ll be unforgettable for them.
- Thinking About What Benefits The Trip – A tour with Friends Travel Vietnam should be considered as a unique entity. The entirety of it from the first, until the last moment, adds up to the overall experience, much like a fine multi-course meal or a piece of music. Every aspect of the tour must compliment the totality of the experience.
- Thinking About What Benefits The Planet – An aspect of travel which is often sadly overlooked. Friends Travel Vietnam ensure that the tours they organise have a net positive effect on the planet.
- Friends Travel Vietnam will only provide tours that they would truly like to go on themselves. This carries through every aspect of the tour, the guide, the accommodation, the transport, food etc. Everything has to meet the high standard’s that the company themselves would demand when travelling.
- Honesty is the Best Policy – This can refer to a number of situations. For instance, if bad weather is expected during the time that a customer has booked a tour, Friends Travel will inform them of this and make suggestions as to the ideal clothes for them to bring with them. Sometimes the accommodation provided on a certain tour is in a shared room, or with mattresses on the floor. In each of these situations, the accommodation will be good and highly appropriate for the trip in question. It is, of course, very important that the customer knows what to expect.
- Offer A Small Collection Of Tours, But Make Them Truly Great – Here at South East Asia Backpacker we are guided too by this exact philosophy. There is too much choice in this world of travel. Both we and Friends Travel Vietnam believe that by offering only the very best activities and doing them as well as is humanly possible, we can ensure a truly incredible experience for the customer.
- Customer Care Doesn’t Finish At The End Of The Tour – When you come to the end of your time with Friends Travel, they will be very happy to help you with the next stage of your journey. Whether you need help booking another activity, transport, catering, whatever, Friends Travel will be there to help you with it!
What's Included
What’s Included in the Real Sapa Experience?
- Meals (3 x breakfasts, 2 x lunches, 2 x dinners) – Vietnamese Cuisine
- Trekking tour – 2 days
- Local homestay accommodation
- Train tickets (2 ways soft sleeper)
- English speaking ethnic-minority guide
- Cooking class with locals
- 30 min foot massage
- Trekking shoes & gear, if needed
- All transfers
- All entry fees
What’s NOT Included in the Real Sapa Experience?
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Tips
- Personal expenses
- Travel insurance
Should you tip your guide, porter, trekking crew?
Tipping is at your own discretion and we must stress that we pay our guides well and they do not rely on the tips from tourists in order to earn their living.
However, with the influx of tourism to Sapa, and the different nationalities who come to Sapa to trek, in particular, those nations for whom tips are the norm, tips are becoming more and more expected.
If you feel like you have experienced excellent service from your guide and trekking crew then a tip is an accepted form of saying ‘thank you’ – no doubt it will be greatly appreciated.
Sometimes, you may find that giving a tip is difficult as in Vietnamese culture, it’s common for people to get embarrassed when being thanked or praised. One idea is to gently put the tip in someone’s pocket and walk away giving them a nice surprise!
How much should you tip?
We suggest that you tip 50,000 VND – 100,000 VND per person. This is based on suggestions, local considerations and feedback for a 2-day, 1-night trek.
What to Pack
This packing list is based on feedback from previous travellers. Please use it as a guide only.
Most travellers carry their luggage in a day backpack, though an overnight bag with a shoulder strap is okay if you are travelling light. Backpacks with wheels are NOT convenient.
- Day backpack: You will need a day pack/bag to carry water and personal belongings.
- Shoes: Comfortable walking shoes/boots with a good grip. Sandals/flip-flops the (for evening). Rubber flip-flops for the shower.
- Hiking poles/walking sticks if you like.
- Trekking socks.
- Camera/mobile phone. Plus spare batteries/charger/camera bag.
Personal items: Toiletries. - Personal Health: Mini first aid kit, Personal medication, glasses, contact lenses, sunscreen (high factor), lip protection, hat, sunglasses, insect repellant, anti-histamine, insect bit cream, hand sanitiser, anti-bacterial gel/wipes, motion sickness tablets, after-sun, paracetamol, dehydration powder (salts & glucose), anti-diarrhea pills.
Clothes for extreme weather:
You can trek in Sapa all year round, depending you have the right gear. Please ask us for advice on what to pack depending on the season.
Winter – If you are trekking in Sapa during the late December to February, you will need to bring warm clothing. Woollen hat, gloves, scarf, thermal underwear or several layers, jumper, fleece, woollen socks, boots.
Wet Season – If you are trekking in Sapa during the rainy season, May to September, you will need a rain jacket, waterproof bags for keeping your belongings and waterproof trousers.
Hannah Hale –
This trip was so well put together, and has a personalised feel to it despite the numbers that trust Friends Travel as their tour operator. The tour guide was phenomenal and we were very sad to part ways after our 3 days with her, she made us feel completely at home. The knowledge of the local area that she had meant we could head off the beaten track. The views of the rice paddies below are unforgettable, and the food we had throughout was delicious and wholesome, and catered for my veggie needs despite it being uncommon. We were slightly hesitant to visit Sapa as we heard it was very touristy but were so glad we went through with booking this tour!
Rosie –
Wow…what an incredible trip! Friends Travel Vietnam have absolutely nailed this. From the moment we started the tour we knew we were in for a treat. The team have got the winning formula for a memorable and simply unforgettable Sapa experience. From luxury travel to an authentic homestay and incredibly warm and knowledgable local guide we could not have asked for more. I highly recommend this tour to others looking for a real and authentic Sapa experience – we only saw three tourists over the whole trek!