Getting to Sa Pa
One of the things I wanted to do during our stay in Vietnam was to head north to the town of Sa Pa, which is located very close to the Chinese border. I had heard great things about the scenery and people of that region, which has become a base of people seeking clean mountain air and for multiday trekking in the valley. I had booked us on a three-day/two-night trek with an organisation called Sapa Sisters, who employ local women from the Hmong tribe, one of the five ethnic groups who live in the area. Traditionally, guiding has been the realm of men, but this all-female company is looking to break the mould on this.
The first challenge was to get to Sa Pa which is located about 420 kilometres north of Hanoi. Some trains run from Hanoi, which take 7 or 8 eight hours and mostly run overnight. These trains do have sleeper carriages, but after doing some research I decided that this would not be a good option for my 6-foot 5-inch frame. Some buses do the route, but again mostly overnight. So, in the end, I opted for a shared shuttle bus that would do the journey in about six-and-a-half hours, and during the day. This way we’d get the chance to check out some of the scenery along the way.
The plan was to come back to Hanoi after our trekking visit to Sa Pa, so we asked to leave our main bags at the hotel, and we’d only take a small pack for the trekking. Perfect!
The shuttle bus came to collect us around 8:00 am and we were on our way.
The first part of the journey was not very interesting, but we were soon travelling through small villages and rolling hills that were a patchwork of rice fields.
We arrived in Sa Pa in the middle of the afternoon and the shuttle bus dropped us off at our hotel, the Eden Boutique. The name sounded delightful. Right next door to our hotel they were building another hotel, which was essentially a construction site.
Our room was on the first floor. Suspiciously, the curtains were closed. When we opened them, we discovered why. Outside the rubble had been piled high so our first-floor room was at the same level as the rubble pile and there were workers from next door’s construction scrambling over the debris pushing wheelbarrows of material. We were tired from the travelling and wanted to snooze – the issue was that they were working next door directly beyond our room with drills and jackhammers. It was terrible. We tried our best to rest but it was not great, so we instead went for a walk to find somewhere to eat.
Before seeking out a restaurant we walked to find the Sapa Sisters office where we would be starting from the next morning. It was a doddle from our hotel, which we were happy about.
Now to find somewhere to eat. We decided to check out the Happy Cow app, without much hope, and to our surprise we found somewhere that was highly rated close by, called Thong Dong.
The restaurant was more of a café, and we located along an alley that was a steep set of steps. It looked very cute from the outside, so we were very hopeful. We order some drinks, soup and a sandwich. The food was quite pricey by Vietnamese standards, but when it arrived, we were not disappointed at all. It was delicious. We were definitely feeling happier with life, which was all the better when we discovered that they had stopped work for the day at the next door when we got back to the Eden Boutique.
Later in the evening, we went out to have a look around Sa Pa at night. Just down from the hotel in the centre of the town was the train station which had a rather impressive entrance lobby where they had erected a large Christmas tree which they were in the process of decorating, which was interesting to stop and watch them at work for a while.
Close by the train station was a large plaza which seemed to be the hub of activity for Sa Pa town. It was a big draw for tourists and locals alike. Life is very hard in the rural area around Sa Pa, and the presence of visitors with money brings people from the surrounding areas to do their best to get some money from the tourists. Some do this through selling goods others try different means. There were a large number of small children perhaps no more than five to seven years old who were wandering around in traditional costumes, with tiny babies tied to their backs on a sling. They were essentially begging. Others, mostly young girls ranging in age from five to ten years at a guess, again in traditional costumes were in small groups dancing while their parents looked on. They did look very cute and were irresistible to the tourists (including us) for taking videos and giving them some money.
We didn’t hang around the plaza for too long, instead, we went to look at the rather quaint church next to the plaza before heading further in town towards the lake. Our tummies were rumbling a bit, so we were on the lookout for food. We ended up picking up some street food and stopping at an ice cream store. As we started to make our way back to the hotel, we came across a café that was open to the street. They had set up a large TV on the street side and were showing the Arsenal vs Liverpool game. We of course had to stop. There were a couple of small plastic stools free, so we bobbed down on those to watch the game and ordered some drinks. The man at the table next to us, who was Vietnamese, turned out to be a fellow Gooner, and he unusually spoke fairly good English. We were able to chat about the game as it went along. Sadly, Liverpool grabbed a late winner, so it was with a heavy heart that we left the café to walk home. But overall, it had been a good evening!
Day One – Trekking
It has been a very bad night’s sleep. The first part was okay, but the work next door started again around 6:00 am. Originally, the plan had been to stop here for one night after we got back from our trek – that was not going to happen – so I spent part of the morning before we left finding another hotel for us in Sa Pa.
After a disappointing breakfast, we left the Eden hotel, for the last time, and made our way down to the Sapa Sisters office that we had plotted our way down to yesterday along with our bags. When went inside and registered and put our bags into the storage space. Around five minutes later we were introduced to Chai who would be our guide for the next couple of days as we trekked through the valley from Sa Pa. Chai was from the Hmong tribe, and like most of the Hmong she was tiny – she even made Karen look tall.
Karen and I looked dressed up for a hike – complete with walking poles – whilst Chai was in her traditional costume and was wearing Wellington boots.
We were picked up from the office in a minivan and dropped off a few kilometres from the town. Chai asked us for our preferences for a trail today: easy, medium, and hard. We asked a few questions about each option before deciding the medium might be the best. And we were off.
As we walked a lady followed us closely behind. After a bit, we asked Chai about her, and she explained that local ladies follow tourist groups hoping to sell them some souvenirs. We asked Chai to tell her that we were not interested in buying souvenirs. After that, she stopped following us.
It was a grey, cloudy day so disappointingly the tops of the mountains we draped in misty cover, so the only things we could see were down in the valley below. That was a good thing as that was where our trajectory was taking us. The first part of the trail was through a steep wooded area. It was dry today, but there had been a lot of rain recently, so the trail was slick in places. Chai spent a lot of time helping Karen, whilst I just about made it without falling on a couple of occasions using my walking poles.
Eventually, the trail levelled out, so we were walking along the valley. Despite the not-so-great weather we were enjoying ourselves. Chai was a real character, and we had a lot of fun talking to her, and learning more about her, her family and Hmong culture. The trail took us through farms and endless rice fields, where the occasional buffalo would be wading up to its knees in mud.
So, we carried on for two or three hours stopping occasionally to regain our breath and take on some water. The weather seemed to be improving and the cloud base was starting to lift but we still couldn’t see the tops of the surrounding mountains.
Our trail started to climb upwards, and we entered a village. Up ahead we could hear a lot of commotion and at the same time, we saw smoke rising from the top of a hill above us. When we got close, Chai checked what was going on and sadly there had been a fire in one of the houses in the village. It had burned to the ground but luckily no one was hurt.
Not too far from the fire incident, we stopped in a small roadside café. It was a popular spot with the guides and tourists. It teetered on the edge of the hill, but from its windows, you could look down on a picture-perfect scene in the valley below. It was incredible! So, we sat having a cold drink admiring the stunning scenery around us.
After a bit, we set off, and Chai continued to chat with a fellow lady guide, who turned out to be her cousin and was even crazier than Chai. From here the trail largely followed a road, so we didn’t have to worry about slippery mud for a while. About ninety minutes later we arrived in another village where we’d be having lunch in a local restaurant. It was later in the afternoon, so we were the only people there still eating, which meant we were able to grab a seat by the windows overlooking a babbling stream. Idyllic. We were so ready for the food, but they brought so much of it we just could not manage to eat it all.
Before leaving the village Chai took us to a small workshop where the die materials using locally harvested indigo. It looked like hard and dirty work!
For the next two and a half hours we walked along the valley floor, which was easygoing. We weaved our way through farms and alongside rice fields. It reminded us of a rice field tour we’d had in Madagascar, except there we were walking on tiny paths, no more than 30cm across with 2 m drops on either side (which was frightening), but to our relief, there was none of that here.
Late afternoon we rolled into Chai’s village, where we would be spending the night. Our accommodation was a homestay, which was more of a small guesthouse – I don’t think the family who owned it lived there. Anyway, there was one big space shared by all the guests, where we’d be eating, with rooms off of it for sleeping. Our accommodation was outside in a small A-frame building with a private bathroom. Very cute. Dinner time was an hour or two away, so we had a shower and took a snooze.
When we went across to dinner, we met up with the other folks who were staying at the homestay. There was a British couple called David and Minnie, who were both teachers and working in Dubai, and an Aussie Couple Jason and Bea.
As an aperitif, they brought us several plates of French fries that we all hungrily ate and washed down with beer.
The food and company were great. We had an amazing time and after we’d eaten our meal, they brought us some ‘happy water’ to try, which is essentially rice wine. We tried some … and then tried some more. It slipped down nicely. We all ended up taking a lot of shots and going to bed very happy!
Day Two
The good thing about ‘happy water’ is that it didn’t seem to leave you with a hangover. Despite the walking of yesterday we woke feeling perky. We took our showers and headed down for breakfast, where everyone else was waiting. Sleeping in the main building was not so easy with the noise of next door’s dogs, the local roosters and people arriving early to prepare breakfast.
The weather had improved greatly overnight. There was still a lot of cloud around but in it were a lot of breaks of blue sky. More importantly, the cloud level had risen, and we could see the tops of the mountains for the first time. It was a glorious bucolic scene looking out from the deck of the homestay.
We were just about done with breakfast when Chai turned up. She gave us our options for the day, and we decided to go for the easier route.
For the first twenty minutes or so we walked through the village, which was just starting to get going for the day. It was a hive of activity. Despite being remote, this a was popular spot for tourists to stay either as a stopover on a trek, or an escape from the town, so there were some pleasant-looking restaurants and cafes scattered throughout the village.
When we reached the outskirts of the village we veered off onto a trail through the fields.
Once again, we were headed uphill along a narrow track, which was laid with cement. This didn’t help very much as this was as slippery as the mud when it was wet. That said it was better to be going up the hill on this stuff than down.
Chai started to us about her mother, who lived in a distant village but would occasionally come to visit her along these trails. She said her mother was much faster at walking than she was – which was not much of a comfort as she made walking here look so easy!
We kept walking, mostly upwards for three or four hours with the occasional break. It was lovely, and everywhere you looked there was something new and interesting to look at, being a farmer at work, an unusual feature in the landscape or a buffalo who had wandered onto the trail. We made fairly frequent stops so we could just sit and take it all in.
Lunchtime was approaching so Chai led us to a tiny village up in the hills. Rather than stopping at a restaurant, we were going to have lunch at another of the Sapa Sister’s houses. Her name was Peng, and she was the craziest of the lot.
As we were waiting for the food we were joined by David and Minnie and their guide Lang. Things started out relatively normally, the food came and we all happily tucked in, hungry after spending the morning trekking. It would have stayed that way had Peng not brought out the ‘happy water’. This looked different from what we’d drunk the night before, which had been a clear liquid. This was red. She explained this was because it was infused with opium poppies. Wow! The ‘Happy Water’ had come in a large bowl, which soon disappeared. Chai didn’t seem too keen on drinking it but was put under pressure by Lang and Peng and she soon lost her resolve.
Once one bowl was gone it magically refilled. We were quickly getting pissed, and we still had to walk back to the homestay.
Eventually, we made a break for it. Just as we were setting out Jason and Bea arrived. They had taken a longer route.
Chai said the rest of the way was downhill. On the surface, this sounded great, but we didn’t realise this meant going down steep, muddy hills. Soon we found ourselves on glassy mud barely able to stand. I spent quite a lot of time on my bum, sliding down the steeper sections.
At the worst points, Chai would tell me to stay put, and she’d take Karen by the hand and plant her foot on the stope and tell Karen to move her foot and brace against her planted foot. Once there she’d move her foot downwards and then get Karen to move hers to it again. This way she helped Karen down the slope step-by-step. Eventually, with Karen at the bottom, she’d come back and do the same for me. It must have been quite the sight with me over six feet and Chai somewhere south of five feet.
It was very slow progress and hard work. We were very relieved when we got to the lower slopes which were flatter and less muddy. The first part of the day, including lunch, had been wonderful, but the last bit was a chore and tiring – as much for Chai as for us.
We were happy bunnies when we arrived back at the homestay for the evening. It was getting dark. David and Minnie were back before us, as were Jason and Bea – which was surprising as they’d been arriving for lunch just as we were leaving. This showed how slowed we had been coming down off the mountain!
As we’d arrived later, we just about had time to get a shower before dinner.
The routine was the same as the night before. French fries and beer to start followed by dinner. We had a new guest tonight, Sam, who was Chai’s sister who was also staying at the homestay.
Once we were done with the eating the ‘happy water’ came out and more shots were dished out.
Tonight, led by Sam, we introduced drinking chants into the downing of the shots. It did not take us long to finish the bottle! The toils of the day had been long forgotten, aided by the ‘happy water’ as we set off to our room to sleep.
Day 3
We went down to breakfast after a good night’s sleep. It was sad to be having to say goodbye to our new friends, but we’d had a wonderful time getting to know them.
When Chai arrived, she explained it was going to be an easy and short walk today, through the farms and woods along the floor of the valley, which would take us about 90 minutes or so.
About 45 minutes into the walk, we came across an elderly man who was bent over a lady, who was in distress. This turned out to be a couple, and the woman was having some sort of medical episode and needed to be taken out of there. There was no way she was walking out. A local man was with them, and Chai found out that their guide had gone back to get some people to help carry her out. There was little we could do to help, so we pressed on.
On the way, we passed people who were headed down the trail to stretcher the lady out.
We reached the last village where our trek was ending. It had been hard but a lot of fun and Chai had been amazing. The hardest part of the day was to walk from the trail up to the main road where the minivan would be picking us up.
It was around lunchtime when we arrived back in Sa Pa at the Sapa Sisters’ office to collect our bags.
About Sa Pa Sisters
Sa Pa sisters was established in 2009 with the mission to provide a career and income for women in the minority Hmong communities who live in the Sa Pa Valley. As well as bringing income to these women, it also provides opportunities for the Hmong communities as a whole.
It is the only female and Hmong-owned trekking company in Sa Pa. The ladies all speak English and in our experience are a lot of fun!
The best time to visit Sa Pa
Located in the northern Vietnam’s mountainous terrain, Sa Pả basks in a predominantly Humid Subtropical climate, indicated by the Köppen climate classification as Cfa. This classification is a signal for mostly warm temperatures throughout the year, rainfall that persists in all months, usually high humidity, and an absence of dry season.
The best time to visit Sa Pả
Considering the weather conditions, the best time to visit Sa Pả is typically from March to May. During these months, the average temperatures are comfortably warm but not excessively hot, varying from 18.3°C (64.9°F) to 22.8°C (73°F), and rainfall is moderate compared to the summer months. Additionally, longer daylight hours and slightly higher sunshine hours make these months appealing for outdoor activities.
The worst time to visit Sa Pả
The period from June to August is considered, weather-wise, not the most favorable time to visit Sa Pả. These months experience the heaviest rainfall, with up to 480mm (18.9″) in both July and August, and 22 to 23 rainy days per month, which might hinder outdoor activities. The temperatures during these months also soar to their highest in the year, with average highs at 22.8 to 23.3°C (73.9°F)
