Sapa is a town located in the mountains of the Lao Cai province of northwestern Vietnam. It boasts a picturesque landscape of rice terraces, bamboo forests and small tribal villages.
The journey from Hanoi to Sapa took 6 hours by sleeper bus. I was pretty anxious about the journey as I expected the bus to be cramped and stuffy; not ideal for six hours of overnight travel. Luckily, the Sapa Express turned out to be fairly modern and comfortable (although I still used the aisles for extra leg room).
Upon arrival, we were taken via taxi to a hotel in the centre of the more urban area of Sapa. Here we had a quick shower to freshen up and then had some breakfast.
We met our tour guide in the lobby of the hotel; she was one of the villagers from the valley over the mountain (sounds so Lord of the Rings). She was really nice and spoke pretty good English. Along with the other trekkers, we began our hike through the mountains. As we left the hotel, we were joined by a small group of other villagers who would be accompanying us on our hike.
The hike itself was what you’d expect from 17km up and over a mountain in hot weather. It was tiring but totally worth it as the views were absolutely amazing.
Our guide took us through the village where she lives and showed us her house.
Afterwards, we made our way to the home stay where we spent the night.
During dinner, we got chatting to an Irish couple (Patrick and Muireann) whose travel itinerary is almost identical to ours. We’re hoping to see this guys again soon before we leave Vietnam!
After dinner, we sampled the homemade rice wine. Also, I was lucky enough to try a mealworm or two...
The next day, we continued our hike through the beautiful terraces and bamboo forests of the area. The sun was shining and spirits were high!
It was sad to say goodbye to Sapa as we’d loved every second of our visit.
10/10.