If you choose the option 3* Hotel/4* Hotel, you will visit Cát Cát Village on the first day (Easy/Short trek). 6.00-6:20: Pick up at hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter 12.30: Arrive at Sapa Town with colorful traditional costumes of H’mong, Dzao, and Tay ethnic people. Have lunch at a local restaurant. 14.30: A short walk to the gate of Cat Cat village, which is the home of Black H’mong ethnic people and is located near the bottom of a deep valley at the foot of Fansipan Peak. Our local guide will show you the daily life activities of the locals, trek down to the valley bottom to the waterfall where the French built a Hydraulic Power Station; stop for photos with the bridge and waterfall; then you will walk up hill for the bus to pick you up to get back to Sapa in the afternoon. The trekking distance is about 4m and it lasts for 3 hours. 17.00: Come back to Sapa Town. Have dinner and overnight in a hotel with night activities.
If you choose the option of Bungalow/Private Homestay/Dormitory, you will visit Ý Linh Hồ - Lao Chải - Tả Van on the 1st day. 6.30-7.10: Pick up at hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter 12.30: Arrive at Sapa Town with colorful traditional costumes of H’mong, Dzao, and Tay ethnic people. Have lunch at a local restaurant 14.30: Start hiking through Y Linh Ho then trek through the rice terraces and along Muong Hoa Stream to the Black Hmong village of Lao Chai to see the spectacular landscape of Hoang Lien Son Mountain. You approach Ta Van village where Giay Ethnic People inhabit in late afternoon. The trekking distance is about 9km and it lasts for 4 hours 17.45: Check in homestay; get to know the family of Dzay People. Spend time enjoying the mountain life on Sunset. In the evening, you will have dinner with a local family then overnight at the Bungalow.
If you choose the option 3* Hotel/4* Hotel, you will visit Ý Linh Hồ -Lao Chải - Tả Van on the second day. 7.00 – 8.30: Have breakfast at the hotel, check out the room, and prepare a light pack for trekking. (Large luggage is kept in the hotel.) 8.30: Start hiking through Y Linh Ho, then trek through the rice terraces and along Muong Hoa Stream to the Black Hmong village of Lao Chai to see the spectacular landscape of Hoang Lien Son Mountain. After that, head to Ta Van village - home of the Dzay ethnic people. The trekking distance is about 9km and it lasts for 4 hours 12.30 - 13:00: Have lunch at the village. 13.15: The bus arrives at Ta Van Bridge and transports you to Sapa. Then you will be transfer to Sapa Town. 14.00 - 14.30: Get on the limousine van to go back to Hanoi with two rest stops. 20.30 Arrive Hanoi
If you choose the option of Bungalow/Private Homestay/Dormitory, you will visit Giàng Tà Chải Village on the 2nd day. 8.00: Have breakfast prepared by the family and start a new day with a more interesting trek. 8.45: Keep walking to the rice paddies, where you have a nice photo session of the amazing surrounding landscapes. A trek through the bamboo forest and a stop to have a panorama view of Giang Ta Chai village – home of red Dzao People. The trekking distance is about 5km and it lasts for 3 hours 11.00: Trek through the Giang Ta Chai Bridge to the main road. 12:00: Back to the bungalow for lunch 12.30 - 13.00: Have lunch. 13:30: The bus picks you up to come back to Sapa Town. 14:00-14:30: Get picked up to go back to Hanoi. 20.30: Arrive in Hanoi.
Amazing trip to the mountains in Sapa! Everything was very well organized, the views were absolutely beautiful, and we had a great time. Our guide was a lovely and kind lady who was very helpful and friendly throughout the whole trip. Highly recommend this tour!
Totally do-able with the limited time we had. Two long days but jam packed with wonderful sights and experiences. Our trekking guide was a local with great english who shared her life experiences growing up and living here while we explored the amazing countryside. The hotel we stayed overnight at was beyond our expectations, large clean comfortable room. Great food and comfortable vehicles to travel to and from.
Day 1 review - The journey time was gruelling over 250km of road (5-6 hours). Once there the views were spectacular & quiet, scenic tracks in the country. Su (our guide) accommodated the group's needs and pointed out to us the best photo points. Thank you Su for looking after the group!
Beautiful place to visit. Hotel was wonderful. Hiking downhill (and then taking a taxi back to the top) was great! Tour guide was easy going...(if he would have given us more history - it would have been 5 stars!)
This was so disappointing! The communication was awful and imagine being a foreigner and not being able to speak the language and good luck finding someone who speaks English. I had high hopes because WhatsApp communication was great before the trip started. After that it was a mess. There was no limousine van, it was a car. A smelly car for 5 hours. And no one communicated that change. A driver showed up who only spoke Vietnamese but all he said was Sapa and we were expected to get in the car. No guide, no nothing, no explanation, no answer when I WhatsApp messaged. We arrive to Sapa and the tour guide got switched 3 times again without telling us. Then no car to take us to the first village, we had to walk. Second day was better but again a completely different guide. The Sapa hotel was dirty. After waiting an hour, the concierge said the limousine van wasn’t coming and we were going in another, you guessed it, smelly car. Sapa is beautiful but book a different excursion than this one.
Our guide provided an experience we will never forget. Her knowledge of the area and the ability to explain local culture, history and lifestyle, was wonderful.
A great trekking tour around the beautiful Sa Pa! The tour guide, Eye, was so lovely and knowledgable - couldn’t reccomend more! Stayed in the mini bungalow which was perfect and had beautiful views in the mountains. Food was good too!
I was lucky to have a very smart, compassionate and talented young lady, Ms. VU as my guide. She was very professional and helpful!
We enjoyed a lot the tour and Ai was very nice and kind. Good comunication and she explained all the history and the traditions of the villages very well,we had a great time.
The guide (Ai) was the very big highlight of our tour. We had unlucky weather but she made adjustments for us to enjoy the situation as much as possible in the context. She was funny with very good English. That let us learn a lot about the local culture which is amazing. I can’t even imagine how amazing the whole things would have been with sunny weather
The driver was coughing and gagging both to Sa Pa and back to Hanoi. The bus was dirty. When we arrive at hotel no one was there to greet us and hotel did not have our name. We had to contact the travel agency for information. It was very disorganized. However, the actual tour guide on location was absolutely wonderful on tour to Cat Cat Village. The next day for trekking, the group was too large and we got separated from tour guide. The local women had to help us. Because they help us we had to buy their goods.
We had a great tour to SAPA. Lot of hiking on both the days and quite frankly little tiring and exhausted we all were when the tour ended. Scenes were breathtaking, visit to Cat Cat village was interesting with waterfalls, local music & dance. Views from SAPA VISTA facing the vallley were one of the best you can get from the room in SAPA. I recommend to & fro journey from Hanoy by sleeper bus ( 1x1 setting ). 6.5 hours sitting in limo is not a good idea. Otherwise all good.
The scenery is stunning and the local guide is friendly and informative. The rest of the tour is highly unorganized and ad hoc. Communication from the tour organizer/travel consultant is not great and sometimes entirely inaccurate. If you are well prepared and manage your expectations, it will be an enjoyable trip. Know that the trails are incredibly muddy and slippery. Waterproof hiking shoes are necessary. There were members of our group that were not informed of the conditions ahead of time and were woefully ill prepared for the trekking. One nearly slid off a muddy embankment. The tribal ladies are friendly and will offer you a hand along the way. They will ask where you are from, how old you are, and what your name is. They will then aggressively try to sell you their handicrafts. They will follow you on all of your treks so be prepared to either firmly tell them you won’t be shopping or come with cash and a willingness to buy. The homestay is lovely and the meals are delicious. Despite arriving late in the evening right before dinner though, the bungalow rooms were not ready when we arrived. The transportation to and from Sapa and the tour start was a mess and I would recommend arranging your own to avoid all the hassle and miscommunications with the tour operator. Taking the “luxury van” seemed like a good option, but I would avoid it! It seems travelers that took the sleeper bus had a much better experience. Overall the villages and region are beautiful and the homestay is a nice experience. It makes up for some of the headaches with the tour operator. If I were to do it again, I would visit these villages but not book this tour.
It was our experience in Vietnam that tours consist of transportation to the site, lodging and guides at the site all sub-contracted and loosely put and managed together by an agency. In our case we were driven from Hanoi to Sa Pa, just the two of us, by a taxi driver who did not speak any English. The hotel was great. We initially did not understand that this was going to be the arrangement. We skipped the visit to Cat Cat village (which screamed at us “tourist trap”) and concentrated on the second day hike through the rice fields. Our local guide, Ru, was absolutely superb, and the Hmong ladies that came with the group and helped us navigate an extremely treacherous and slippery hike, saved our physical integrity. Harley managed well the logistics from Hanoi. Our main issues are (1) the lack of accountability. What happens if someone gets hurt in the hike, or something goes wrong while traveling to the site? Will the agency we booked the trip with respond for losses or damage? Will any of the subcontractors? (2) The significant vacuum of information. The customers should know about the odds of fog during different seasons, and hence the chance of a failed tour. We should also be advised when difficult conditions are present, so we can bring equipment such as extra-grip shoes and walking sticks that enhance our safety and gives us more agency. Back to point 1: nothing against the delightful Hmong ladies, but we should be made aware that we are putting our lives in the hands of yet another party, one that does not even have a formal business contract with the tour operator. This said, all ended well; we had a great experience, took great pictures and had great interaction with our guide. That will not always be the outcome. As a client, be ready for significant uncertainty and from time to time even a perilous outcome.
Our walking tour should not have gone ahead. The walking roads were downright dangerous. We should have been taken down by a car. If not for my guide I would have fallen over a number of times and compensation would have applied. The guide was heat and arguably saved me from a serious accident or worse.
Our tour was yesterday Cat cat, Y Linh Ho and today Lao Chai. Our English speaking tour guide was Ai thao thi ai . She was the BEST. A lovely girl and without her I would not have got through. The sights were spectacular and well worth the effort . The conditions were bad with all the rain and previous landslides but we got through it to the end/s. I cannot speak more highly of Ai and she deserves to be rewarded by the company. Put it on your bucket list and she will be rewarded.
Sapa is a must visit, with very beautiful views. My tour guide, LaLa is great - you can find her at LaLa SaPa Trekking Tour so check her tours out. There will be locals following you to try to sell handicrafts - you can't possibly buy from all of them, but please be kind if saying no and remember that they are there to make a living. The tour itself was ok. Agency can be slow to respond to queries at times. The van was good (air conditioned with rest stops), but the driver was late in picking me up from both Hanoi to Sapa, the return trip from Sapa to Hanoi. The driver also dropped me off at the wrong hotel, but the tour put me on a taxi to the correct one. It was hard to communicate with the driver beforehand since he did not speak English, and the tour agency did not tell the name of the hotel beforehand. During the return trip, the driver was almost two hours late. I found out later that there was a miscommunication and he picked up the wrong person, so the tour agency had to put me on taxi to the van. It all turned out okay in the end, but communication could have been better.
Really good trip, was better than I was expecting! Bit unorganised with the buses once arrived in Sapa to and from the villages but it all worked out in the end (after my guide put me on a motorbike coz the bus didn’t turn up). Great scenery, home stay was so cute and all the people were so friendly. Would definitely go again and stay longer next time.
Our guide Zua was one of the best guides I’ve ever had. She was friendly, knowledgeable and had very good English. The views are absolutely amazing, as was our home stay. The limousine car was also very comfortable for the trip from HANOÏ. Hiking shoes are a must. I highly recommend this tour
Amazing trip cannot recommend enough!! The description was a little vague originally, but if you take this trip, you will be hiking down from the town of Sapa into 4 little villages. The hike is very muddy but extremely fun because the locals help you the entire hike. Our tour guide was Ai, and she was amazing; she helped us get the best prices and get the best souvenirs. We stayed at the home stay bungalow and the food and company was amazing. They gave us “yummy water” which was strong alcohol that gives you no hangover! If you go make sure you take a lot a lot of cash so that you can support the locals and purchase brackets, wall hangings, hair bands, clothes, and much more- everything is handmade and extremely good quality.
This trip was so much fun! You really get to experience the local culture and interact with many Hmong women. Everyone is very friendly. Ai was our tour guide and she was so awesome. Some notes if you are considering this trip: -it is very muddy, so come prepared to get muddy! -bring a raincoat or an umbrella because it rains a lot -the home stay bathroom is partly open air, so if you don’t like slugs or bugs book the hotel instead of the home stay or bungalow -a lot of people will try to sell you things so bring cash! -there are a lot of animals walking around (dogs, cats, buffalos, pigs, goats, and more) Overall, this was an amazing experience and I really got to experience local culture. I would recommend but come prepared!
Amazing experience! Well worth the hike. Ai was an awesome guide and told us all sorts of interesting things about the Black Hmong culture and community. Bring lots of cash to buy local crafts (no ATMs) and definitely wear shoes/boots with good traction (and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty)!
Did not give this a 5 star due to the overnight homestay. The family I stayed with were extremely unfriendly and didn't even introduce themselves at all. The only person who spoke English never introduced herself and whilst eating dinner had her mobile phone on some TV show she was watching with the volume on full making it all feel extremely uncomfortable as you felt like you were interrupting her show if you spoke. The trek I felt was absolutely awesome and am so glad I did this but would strongly recommend not to do this homestay. I am sure that there are many other homestays that would be more friendly and be more welcoming.
Best experience! The transport and hotel have been very good, and the trekkings have been amazing! Our guide AI has been fantastic, she guided us up and down the paths with easiness and confidence and has been very helpful and informative during all the trip and at the stops in the village. If you choose to walk Sapa with the wonderful Crossing Tour company ask for her!
The trekking was generally good and the hotel was nice, however the communication with the tour operators was awful, they were responding to the message very late and or guide for the trekking couldn’t speak English so they were they only once we could communicate. Also on our way back the driver was very bad!! It took him 1 hour or so more to drop us off because he was talking to his phone the entire drive! I don’t recommend this trip!
A great 2-day tour to Sapa, well worth the long 6-hour drive from Hanoi (and back). The ride was smooth and comfortable (with 2 stops along the way). We stayed at the Sapa Charm Hotel (4-star hotel) - highly recommended (including the fantastic Hot Pot for lunch/supper). The trip organizer (Harley from Crossing Vietnam Tour in Hanoi) was very kind and helpful and the local tour guide in Sapa (Rua) was charming and very knowledagble. The trek to Cat Cat village on day 1 was OK (considering that we arrived in Sapa at 2pm), though we thought that Cat Cat village itself was a bit too touristy. The trek on day 2 (Sapa - Y Linh Ho - Lao Chai - Ta Van) was just amazing - a 5-hour outstanding (and intensive) trek through wonderful rice terraces and beautiful villages. All in all - a great experience, highly recommended !
A 2-day tour to Sapa from Hanoi, well worth the long 6-hour ride from Hanoi (and back). The ride was smooth and comfortable (with two stops along the way). We stayed at the Sapa Charm Hotel (a 4-star hotel) - highly recommended (including their wonderful Hot Pot for lunch/dinner). Our local tour guide in Sapa (Rua) was charming and very knowledgable. The trek on day 1 to Cat Cat village was OK (considering we arrived in Sapa at 2pm), though Cat Cat village itself is a bit too touristy in our opinion. The trek on day 2 (Sapa - Y Linh Ho - Lao Chai - Ta Van) was just amazing - a unique (and quite intensive) 5-hour trek through wonderful rice terraces and beautiful villages (we were also very fortunate and the weather was excellent). All in all - a highly recommended tour !
Ai is such a good guide and very funny. We really felt like we got the most out of Sapa on this trip! Overnight train was surprisingly clean and fun (we did a private cabin), despite reviews we had read.
By far this has been the most unique and special experience we've had in Vietnam! Harley, the tour coordinator, was great at communicating and sending messages with updates. The drivers were on time. We took a couple of breaks in between Hanoi and Sapa and vice-versa. The mountains and rice terraces were breathtaking! Each village was unique in that they were different tribes with their own Hmong dialect. The best of all was our guide Ai! She was not only professional but she was sweet also. She tailored the trekking according to our abilities and climate. I highly recommend this tour!
Sapa is a unique place where you can experience the nature's raw beauty. Harley at Crossing Vietnam Tour was very helpful taking care of all the details.
The scenery and kindness from the local people and tour guide. Was hoping we would get more of a history/cultural lesson of Sa Pa though. Overall, a good trip.
It was one of amazing tour ever . Thanks to Nam and Zua they were a great help to make everything happen on time. The homestay was absolutely fantastic and clean. People were so friendly. It’s a must tour for whoever wants to see Sapa . Cheers
Spectacular views. Beautiful mountains. People are very friendly. Ai is fantastic, very friendly and shared a lot of good history about Sapa including the culture. She is also a very good photographer. We would highly recommend getting Ai as your tour guide.
Booked this tour with Harley and had an amazing time at Sa Pa! Communication with Tour Guide on the go was super easy and changes to my plan to stay a day longer were easily managed by Harley.
Tour was really good. Harley arranged the tour from picking us up from our hotel by Luxury Limousine van to the hotel stay, the trekking led by Zuo was excellent. However we were not happy with the driver who drove us back from Sapa to Hanoi. He was rather rude and unprofessional. Because of that, I’ll give one star less.
Very Nice trip. We had a very sweet guide, Aisapa, who we can recommend. She was very sweet and Caring. She took us on a tour to Cat Cat Village and recommended activities we could do afterwards like the Glass bridge. This she took Care of too both the sightseeing and transfer. The next Day she took us on a treeking trip through 3 villages and told about the people and how they live. It was very Nice.
Ai was a fantastic tour guide. We spent 2 days trekking 3 villages and the sceneries were breathtaking! Walking through the rice paddies without falling thanks to Ai and a couple of local H’mong ladies. Loved every part of this unique Sapa experience!!! 💚💛🩵
I had an amazing time. It was an authentic cultural experience that I’d recommend to anyone. The tour guide was great, friendly, and extremely accommodating!
We had a great experience. Everything was explained and organized well. Our guide, Ai, did a great job! If they recommend wearing rain boots, wear them!
Very Nice trip with good views and very helpsome guides , which made sure that we made it through the trekking safely.
This was a fantastic way to get out of the over developed town of Sapa and into the surrounding countryside. The experience was made even more special due our guide May, from the Black Hmong village. May's level of English is the best we have experienced in the 3 weeks spent in Vietnam and she answered all my questions about the Hmong lifestyle. She's also bright and bubbly and looked after our group well. She went to lgreat engths to arrange an alternative route for one 76yr old customer who couldn't manage the steep, slippery terrain. (Please do not take on this hike if you are not physically capable). The accomodation was fine however we would have preferred to pay less nd skip the included lunch and dinner as the food was not the best that Sapa had to offer. Definitely give this a go and ask for May as your guide.
I recently had the pleasure of experiencing a guided tour in Sapa, Vietnam, and it exceeded all my expectations. From the moment we arrived, our knowledgeable guide Ai made sure every aspect of our trip was memorable. The breathtaking landscapes of terraced rice fields and lush mountains were made even more special by our guide's insights into the local culture and traditions. They introduced us to the warm-hearted local communities, allowing us to interact and learn from them.
Amazing comfortable ride and scenic routes. Guide is a local and able to share a lot of insights into culture and history as well. Be prepared to have good walking shoes as it can be muddy and a little slippery. Do ask for your itin beforehand to prep well!
Wonderful trip to Sapa- overnight train, cultural tour and hike. Overnight train was very cute- going through train street in Hanoi; cultural tour excellent and hike stunning with an excellent guide- Ai- very highly recommended! In December bring warm clothes and good shoes- else rent gumboots!
Nice tour if you want to experience Sapa but have limited time like we did. Everything was arranged well. Hotel Sapa Vista was good and food was good. Tour and guide was good. We especially liked the second day with trekking through 3 villages and rice fields even though the rice fields were a bit empty, due to the season, still very beautiful. Cat Cat was a bit dissapointing as it feels like it is build for tourists. It looked nice, just not authentic. Nice to breath in the fresh air in this beautiful region.
This backpacking trek was incredible. The views were spectacular and our tour guide Ai was amazing!
Ai was such an amazing guide!! She helped all of my friends out and was so accommodating. I would recommend to anyone wanting to do a backpacking trip!
The trekking was amazing. We visited 3 villages on the first day and our tour guide, Ai, was fantastic. Super friendly and knowledgeable about the area. Our homestay gave us a beautiful bungalow room. Definitely would recommend!
it was amazing!! Ai was a phenomenal guide!! She took us through 3 villages on a 12 km trek. There was 8 of us and she made sure that we all were having a great experience!
Such a great 2 day trek!! The hike was beautiful and our tour guide ai was so kind and attentive. If you are looking for a great way to explore sapa and go on a good, long hike, this is for you!
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