Sapa Guides and Tips | CheapAsiaTours.com

Sapa is located at about 1,600 meter above the sea level in the Northwest province of Lao Cai. Due to the geographical location, Sapa does not have a real hot summer. The average temperature here is always lower than 18 degree Celsius.

Tourists come to Sapa throughout the year. However, the town seems to be quiet from May to September as it is the rainy season of year. In Sapa, the Vietnamese tourist season is from June to July, so it’s better for you to reach the town between March and May, and between October and November. You shouldn’t think of visiting Sapa in December since the weather will probably be pretty cold during this month. Saturday and Sunday are well-known for local markets which attract a huge number of tourists; hence, if you don’t want to experience the mountain market, it’s advisable to travel to Sapa on weekdays.

Beautiful Muong Hoa Valley in Spring

How to get to Sapa

Tourists can be easily to arrive in Sapa by public transportation, either bus or train. Travelling by train is highly recommended as it is safer regarding the mountainous roads. It takes about 8 hours from Hanoi to Lao Cai. If you depart from Hanoi at 21:20 (or later), you will appear in Lao Cai at 5h30 am (or later) the following day. For better prepared, you should contact us for book train ticket in advance.

Afterwards, you have to spend about one hour on minibus to travel a 35-kilometer-road from Lao Cai City to Sapa Town. The cost for each tourist is $3USD/person.

Things to do in Sapa

Conquering the Fansipan peak

Regarded as the roof of Indochina with the height of 3,143 meters, the Fansipan is a worth-visit place in Sapa. A tour to conquer the Fansipan peak is designed for those who are strong and healthy enough and have a passion for adventure tours in mountainous areas. In the past, the climbers had to spend many days reaching the highest peak of Fansipan. However, everything seems to be easier by taking a 2-day-1-night tour to achieve the feeling of reaching the peak.

Good news for visitors who have not enough health enough to trek to Fansipan is that Sapa is planning to build the World’s longest and highest three-wire cable car system in order to transfer tourists to the top of Fansipan Mountain. The project is scheduled to complete on National Day September 2, 2015.

Marvellous Fansipan Mountain in Sapa Vietnam

Visiting the ethnic villages

No trip to Sapa would be perfect without a visit to the local ethnic villages of Hmong, Dzao, etc in Sapa. Tourists can admire the beautiful rice terrace fields, stay at the local house as well as experience and explore the daily life along with culture and traditions of ethnic people. Some must-see villages includes Cat Cat village; Sin Chai village; Lao Chai – Ta Van – Ban Ho villages, Ma Tra – Ta Phin villages and so on.

Additionally, you can visit other spots in Sapa such as Ham Rong Mountain, Old Stone Church, Bac (Silver) Waterfall, Love Waterfall, Cong Troi (The gate to Heaven) looking over O Quy Ho mountain pass

Happy ethnic children in Sapa

Where to stay in Sapa

Sapa owns lots of hotels ranging from budget to luxury ones. If you visit Sapa in high-season time, you should book your room in advance. Contact us for more information about hotels in Sapa town at the best rate ever.

Recommended tips

Firstly, you should prepare money in cash in case of not finding any ATM in the town. Debit card, Visa card … are accepted in some circumstances. Next, don’t give money to the local children as a pack of sweets is suggested. Thirdly, you are advised not to buy ginseng or mushroom, etc. because most of them are from China. Lastly, you should bring some warm clothes.
(Source from Little Nomad’s Wordpress)