Overview
The Real Sapa Experience is organised by true Sapa experts. Over the course of your adventure, you’ll experience culture, breathtaking scenery and unique local cultures – without the tourist crowds! This trek does not follow the same trails as the other tour groups. On this trek, you’ll hike the less trodden, non-touristic routes that skirt alongside rice paddy fields and buffalo tracks. On the Real Sapa Experience, you’ll also enjoy a bonus cooking class and a 30-minute, well-deserved (by that point) herbal foot massage!
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!
Itinerary
Choose the day that you want to leave Hanoi as your start date on the calendar above.
- DAY 1: 9pm pick-up. Hanoi to Sapa overnight sleeper train.
- DAY 2: Full day trekking & homestay.
- DAY 3: Full day trekking & overnight sleeper train, Sapa to Hanoi.
- DAY 4: Arrive in Hanoi 6.00am.
Day 1 : Day 01: Hanoi to Sapa by Sleeper Train
- 12:00 noon – 17:30 PM: Meet and greet at the Friends Travel Office anytime between 12 noon – 5.30 PM for your trip briefing. (Address: 15 Ly Nam De street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi. See map location.) It’s possible to leave and store any luggage not needed for your Sapa trekking at the office, before your departure. You can use the lounge area to refresh yourself or repack and organise your stuff for your adventure. You will receive your train ticket or voucher for Hanoi to Sapa and return and we discuss the pickup location for your train departure for tonight. You will have leisure time to wander around Hanoi’s Old Quarter and arrange your dinner yourself.
- 21:00 PM: The driver will pick you up at the discussed meeting point for your train departure. We will guide you to the train station all the way to your cabin, you will be required to be on time at the discussed meeting point.
- 22:00 PM: The sleeper trains in Vietnam are comfortable and the journey is an adventure in itself. In a shared tourist class cabin, there are 4 beds and each person will have their own sleeper berth with bed, electricity point and privacy curtain. All bedding is provided. The sleeper train is air-conditioned and has Western-style toilets, your luggage can be stored under the berth. Though restaurant carriage is not available, food and drinks are available for purchase. Each carriage also includes one toilet at the end.
Day 2: Sapa – Cat Cat – Y Linh Ho – Lao Chai
- 6:00 AM: After arriving at Sapa’s Lao Cai Train Station in the early morning, the driver will be waiting for you with a sign with your name on it and will drive you from the station on a 1-hour drive to Sapa Town. You will meet at the Friends Travel hotel in Sapa.
- 7:00 AM: Upon arrival at our hotel you’ll be offered a refreshing shower and enjoy breakfast on with stunning views of Sapa Town and the Muong Hoa valley.
- 8:30 AM: The local Hmong or Red Dzao trekking guide who will guide you the next days through this stunning piece of Vietnam will introduce her/himself.
- 9-10 AM: Start your trek on off the beaten track, non-touristy trails of Sapa. From the lush terraced rice paddies to the rustic charm of the native dwellings, Sapa is a place you’re sure to fall in love with! Many diverse groups like the Dzay, Dzao, Tay, Xa Pho or Hmong populate this richly cultural northern territory. You’ll sample their unique delights as you pass through each village where we trek on the rice paddy fields and buffalo tracks.
- 12:00 AM: Enjoy a traditional lunch with a local family. The guide will explain how local life is around here to get a deeper understanding of the unique cultures that exist here.
- 13:00 PM: Continue trekking to the homestay.
- 16:00 PM: After a beautiful day of trekking and adventure in the mountains of Sapa, you will reach the homestay where a local family is waiting for you with a refreshing drink. Your local host will be happy to show you around the homestay, showing the rooms where you will sleep that night and will invite you later that afternoon to a local cooking class. Have a refreshing shower and relax ready for an enjoyable evening.
- 18:00 PM: Help to prepare a local traditional meal with the family.
- 19:00 PM: Traditional dinner with a local family.
- 20:30 PM: Enjoy a 30 min foot massage with a herbal foot bath – for sure you going to love this after a day’s trekking!
Day 3: Lao Chai – Giang Ta Chai – Sapa
- 7:30 AM: Rise early for breakfast.
- 8:30 AM: Time to say goodbye to our family as we leave the homestay and continue our trek to visit the minorities in Giang Ta Chai village. We will pass bamboo forest and stunning scenery and a lovely waterfall along our route. The terrain can be steep at times and slightly challenging. Our journey leads us along the small paths edging the rice fields and across the Muong Hoa River.
- 12:00 AM: Lunch in the great outdoors in a fantastic scenic spot.
- 13:00 PM: After our second amazing trekking morning, we’ll start to slowly head back to Sapa town.
- 16:00 PM: Arrive in Sapa Town at the hotel where we started. The team at the hotel will help you to get your bearings and shower service is available. You will have free time to discover Sapa Town on your own if you like before dinner.<
- 17:30 PM: Dinner served at the hotel.
- 18:45 PM: The driver will pick you up from the hotel, it’s +/- 1-hour drive to Sapa’s Lao Cai station.
- 20:00 PM: Arrive at Lai Cai Train Station. Head to the registration desk to exchange your train voucher for a train ticket.
- 21:30 PM: Depart on sleeper train for Hanoi
Day 4: Sapa to Hanoi by Sleeper Train
- 4:45 AM – 5:30 AM: Arrive back at Hanoi, arrival times are early depending on your train booking, You will be required to find your way back to our office yourself. Local taxi is best.
- 6:00 AM: The office is open at 6 AM, where a lovely breakfast, hot coffee or our famous iced coffee and a refreshing shower are waiting for you and you can use our lounge waiting area.
Trek Facts:
- Route: (Lai Cai) – Sapa – Cat Cat – Y Linh Ho – Lao Chai – Giang Ta Chai – Sapa (Lai Cai)
- Duration trekking: 6-7 hours (Day 1) 4-5 hours (Day 2)
- Length trekking: Approx 17 KM (Day 1) 12KM (Day 2)
- Fitness level required: Moderate
- Scenery: Mountains area
- Accommodation: Sleeper Train. Local homestay.
- Age limit: Suitable for children 9+
Accommodation
Sleeper train: The sleeper trains in Vietnam are comfortable and the journey is an adventure in itself. In a shared tourist class cabin, there are 4 beds and each person will have their own sleeper berth with bed, electricity point and privacy curtain. All bedding is provided. The sleeper train is air-conditioned and has Western-style toilets, your luggage can be stored under the berth. Though restaurant carriage is not available, food and drinks are available for purchase. Each carriage also includes one toilet at the end.
Local homestay: The accommodation at the homestay is clean, basic bedding and mosquito nets are provided, western toilet and shower. Twin/Double bed or dorm.
What’s Included
Includes:
- Pick-up from your accommodation to the train station in Hanoi
- Overnight sleeper train to/from Hanoi
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner whilst trekking (day 2 and day 3)
- Breakfast on day 4 at office (when you return back to Hanoi)
- Pick-up from Sapa train station and transfer to Sapa Town
- Shower and use of facilities at hotel in Sapa Town after train journey
- Local Ethnic Minority Guide (Red Dzao or Hmong) (English speaking)
- All entrance fees
- Overnight at local homestay
- Cooking class
- 30-minute foot massage and herbal bath soak
- Shower and lounge facilities at Friends Travel office
- Free laundry service
Does Not Include:
- Pick-up from Hanoi Train Station to Friends Travel Office on Day 4
- Travel Insurance
FAQs
- I am a solo traveller, can I join this trek? Yes. There is no extra cost when you book this trek as a solo traveller. Solo travellers will be joined with a group if there is a group trek already running that day. If not, the tour will still run with one person with no extra fee!
- Is this trek suitable for families with children? Yes, lots of families have thoroghly enjoyed this trek over the years! However, due to the difficulty level of the trek, children under 9 years are not advised to join the Sapa trek.
- Can you cater to special dietary requirements? Are you vegetarian, vegan or have an allergy? Please let us know when booking (in the additional information box) if you have any special dietary requirements and we will try our best to accommodate.
- What can I do with my luggage? You can leave your luggage at the office in Hanoi and collect it again after completing the tour.
- What start date should I choose when booking? You should choose the date of the evening that you will meet in Hanoi at 6pm as ‘day 1’. You will start trekking in Sapa the next day.
Hi, I’m Nikki and I started South East Asia Backpacker in 2008 after my own first solo backpacking trip! My vision was to create a travel diary for everyone, a place for travellers to share their experiences from the road. After backpacking and writing about Southeast Asia for over 10 years, I saw the opportunity to provide backpackers with the kind of experiences that I’d treasured myself in the region!
We did a 2 day/1 night trek with our guide Su May.
We had the best time! Su May was very knowledgeable, we learnt a lot about the villages and their culture and lifestyles along our trek. The landscape is beautiful and the trekking on each day was not too difficult. We had beautiful weather (October), with no rain, lots of sun but not too hot for a full day of walking.
Su May and her family were very welcoming during our home stay, and cooked us a delicious dinner and breakfast.
Would recommend this trek and our guide!
Came across the site for a trekking trip in Sapa with the borders opening up. Signed up for a 2 days 1 night trip with local homestay. The trekking was adventurous as we trekked across rice terraces, on slopes and across rocks. The views are spectacular despite the seasons being a foggy. Needless to say, the tour guides were amazing and displayed great hospitality! Definitely recommend this experience 🙂
This experience was absolutely excellent. Friends Travel organised everything very well and also helped us arrange onward travel following our return to Hanoi. Our local guide around Sapa, Ping, was brilliant. She took the time to explain local customs and answer any questions that we had. The homestay family were extremely friendly and looked after all of us very well. I would definitely recommend this experience.
Overall great experience – beautiful, solid trekking, great guide, comfortable accommodations the whole way. As mentioned in an earlier review, we did get very pressured to buy items by a few local women who hiked part way with us on the first day. Understandable, but very uncomfortable and caught me off guard in the moment. Also, it felt like we were shuffled between many different chaperones with lots of time between each one on the trip back to Hanoi. I would still recommend booking with Friends Travel Vietnam – worth the money.
Fantastic trip. Enjoyed Sapa valley in mid/late November. Although Rice is long harvested by that time, nature and view are hauntingly beautiful.
The friends travel team was super helpful and reliable in answering all of our questions. Once arrived at Sapa we met our super welcoming and knowledgeable guide Chu who took us through fantastic paths with wonderful views into the valley over the two days.
Thank you for everything – wonderful trip!!