Sapa - Vietnam’s Hiking Destination
The town of Sapa is located 350kms northwest of Hanoi in the province of Lao Cai. Situated close the borders of China and Laos, it is Vietnam’s most northern and mountainous region. It is somewhat remote and only became accessible to tourists in 1993. Sapa is home to a number of natural attractions, the most famous of which is Fansipan, the highest peak in Vietnam. If you want to enjoy some casual hiking or serious hiking, Sapa should be on your travel itinerary.
While the rest of Vietnam experiences hot and humid weather during the winter months of (Jan/Feb), Sapa can be much colder. The fog rolls in from the mountains or a thunderstorm quickly approaches - the weather is totally unpredictable. This can make hiking conditions very tricky. We hiked the day after a short thunderstorm and the trails were wet and slippery.
Beautiful mountain scenery greets you as you arrive in Sapa. From my hotel room I could see the Hoang Lien Mountains, which are part of the south-eastern extent of the Himalayan chain.
Five Tribe Hike
One of the more popular hiking activities is to hire a native guide and hike (12kms) down the valley passing through five different villages. Most of the guides are women as the men tend to work in the fields. Very few men would learn another language while the women would and be able to earn money by guiding or selling handicrafts in the markets. Having the ability to speak English could bring welcome income into the the family. Our guides name was Pang, and the tips she received allowed her family to send their children to a better school and have running water and a refrigerator.
There are several hill tribe ethnic minorities in the Sapa valley. The main ones are the Black Hmong, Red Dzao, Tay, Giáy , Thai and Phù Lá. Our guide was from the Black Hmong tribe. Each tribe had a distinctive head dress or coloured blouse to differentiate themselves.
Hiking Assistants
Before we got started three ladies hooked up with us. Not sure of their purpose at first, we soon appreciated their help with the first section of the hike. Their payment, the sale of the weavings and handicrafts they are carrying in the baskets on their backs. Of course we bought from them.
Our guide Pang, took us carefully down the muddy and slippery first section of our hike.
The hiking was not difficult. It was just the outcome of landing in the mud on your butt that kept you cautious - especially walking on the edge of the water filled rice fields. Good time to take a ten minute break when we finally got the bottom of the valley.
It’s all about the scenery
From the start of the hike to the trek through the last village, its an amazing kaleidoscope of rice field patterns and green pastures. You sense that you are walking through an area that has not been changed by the advances of the twentieth century - and it hasn’t for the most part. What a great hike on a beautiful sunny day.
Sapa is a bit out of the way for most people working on a South East Asia trip. Maybe after looking at these photos you will change your mind. Very interesting, very different experience.
