Private tailor-made journeys of a life time
(+84) 942777545
sales@vietnamescapetours.com
Need Help?
Private tailor-made journeys of a life time
Feb 9, 2023
By Thao Le
Sapa is a small town located 350 km north of Hanoi, which attracts many domestic and foreign tourists, especially trekking lovers. Sapa is famous for its poetic natural scenery, the unspoiled scenery of the northwest mountains and forests. The villages are spread around the town, alternating with terraced fields lying around on the hillsides. Sapa is truly a destination not to be missed in every Vietnam Tour Package, so we will recommend the best villages to trek in Sapa.
Lao Chai and Ta Van are two large villages in the Lao Cai district. This is the home of the Giay and Hmong ethnic minorities, about 7 kilometers from Sapa town. To get away from the hustle and bustle of modern life, you will be immersed in the wildness of nature and the mountains of Sapa, along with the warm and enthusiastic welcome of the indigenous people here. The trekking route is about 8 km long from the highway in the center of Sapa town, passing the stone church, and then turning to Muong Hoa street. Here you will be able to enjoy the fresh air and get rid of the fatigue of a hectic life. You can stay overnight at a homestay in Ta Van to experience the life of the local people and practice their own customs. Visitors can also enjoy the cuisine of the indigenous people: home-grown vegetables, local chicken, and other rustic dishes. The best time to visit is during the wet season, from April to June, or the ripe rice season, during September and October.
Lao Chai - Ta Van, Sapa
About 18 km from Sapa town, Giang Ta Chai is one of the most sought-after trekking tours. The trek from Muong Hoa valley to Giang Ta Chai is about 10 kilometers long, passing through Ta Van village. Here, visitors can admire the poetic and wild beauty of Cau May Bridge, even though it is just a bridge with rudimentary wooden pieces linked together by rattan ropes. This is the main living place of the Red Dao and other ethnic minorities, who live in agriculture and traditional crafts such as embroidery and silver inlay. Coming here, you will also experience and explore the village through singing and dancing activities and making handicrafts by hand in the traditional way of the local people. In addition, visitors can try and rent eye-catching Dao ethnic costumes to capture the most memorable moments of their journey of discovery.
The most suitable time to go trekking here is the period from September to November when the weather conditions are extremely cool and pleasant. Moreover, this is also the time when the terraced fields turn yellow, creating an extremely alluring nature.
Cat Cat village, about 2 km from the center of Sapa town, is a small, rustic village in San Sa Ho commune. Starting the journey, you will be walking on a winding road leading to the village. On one side are the high mountains, and on the other is the sapa valley with immense terraced fields. Next, visitors will set foot on a paved road with only two rows of people wide enough to go, nestled between two rows of houses close to each other selling souvenirs, brocades, as well as typical Sapa foods that visitors cannot take their eyes off. Going a little deeper, you will see simple wooden houses, arranged between the terraced fields of the H'mong. They are small but very cozy. It can be said that the middle of the village is the most prominent place to stop in the journey to discover the village. There are quite a few interesting things for you to explore here, such as the white waterfall that makes a murmuring sound all day, causing the wooden Ferris wheel placed in the middle of the endlessly rotating stream to guide the water into the village. You will also appreciate the beauty of Silver Falls, and gazing out at the mountains and forests of the Northwest will help you forget about your fatigue.
Cat Cat Village, Sapa
Located about 5 km from Sapa town, visitors start their trekking journey at the first stop, which is Ma Tra, and then trek on a flat asphalt road for 7 km to Ta Phin. This is the home of the Hmong and Red Dao communities. Visitors can see the terraced fields that stretch along the roads, which is a unique feature of Sapa village. Depending on the time of year, you can choose to go in the rainy season from April to June to see the image of people planting rice or in the middle of the period from September to November to see the yellow color of ripe rice. You will have a chance to exchange cultures with the ethnic minority community here and participate in entertainment activities such as dancing and singing, as well as traditional handicraft activities such as weaving. You can enjoy lunch with the simple but very unique dishes of the people here.
Ma Tra - Ta Phin, Sapa
Vietnamese for "xoi bay mau," steamed glutinous rice with seven colors, is a traditional delicacy served at Nung Din ethnic celebrations in the province of Muong Khuong (Lao Cai). The processing technique is therefore passed down from generation to generation. The seven hues of this dish—pink, vermilion, scarlet, brilliant green, yellow-green, banana leaf green, and yellow—are all derived from natural trees, so you may feel completely safe when consuming them.
Xoi Bay Mau, Sapa
Anyone visiting Sapa should try the delicacy of dried buffalo meat because of its unique flavor that is found nowhere else. This dried buffalo meat may be used to make a variety of recipes. Many people choose to eat it with salt that is lemony, and peppery, and to wash it down with glasses of fragrant corn wine. The combination of the smoke's fragrance with the salty, sweet, and spicy flavors is marvelous. Although the first mouthful may be a touch hard, you will quickly get addicted to this meal.
Thit Trau Gac Bep
Táo mèo is a kind of liquor that has long been connected to Sapa and the H'Mong ethnic community. It is created from wild apples (Docynia indica), which are picked, soaked, fermented in water, and then macerated for a number of months in rice wine. The beverage is amber in color, has a somewhat sweet flavor, and smells of caramel and apples. The tremendous health advantages of this traditional beverage are frequently highlighted.
Tao Meo Wine
When you come here, you will come across a lot of shops or hawkers that are completely handmade. Each bracelet will cost about 10,000 VNDVND, or about $0.5. or you can also buy a small purse for about five dollars. You can also buy the traditional costumes of the Dao girls of the Muong, which are delicately and meticulously designed by hand, so it can take months to complete a dress. The material is usually made of cotton, linen, or silkworm fabric dyed completely with natural fabric colors to create beautiful costumes.
Brocade and Handicrafts
Various items from jam to Mac Khen (a local spice) and shiitake mushrooms are all very typical spices to make dishes with the flavor of the Northwest mountains. You may use them any way you choose—as tea, in food, as an herbal bath additive, or even as part of a relaxing massage.
Because Sapa has known to take advantage of its advantages to develop tourism, it has a lot of shops selling things for trekking. Coming here, there are many shops selling clothes and shoes for trekking. If you have forgotten to bring or have not prepared for trekking, you can choose to buy things in Sapa. Although these items are not authentic, the equipments here are quite cheap and durable.
In addition to being used to decorate clothing and make it appear more opulent, silver jewelry is an essential component of ethnic traditional costumes and is also employed as a tool to ward off ill luck, demons, and harm to one's health. The H'Mong and Dzao are well recognized for their silver circular necklaces that are strung together. The status of the wearer is frequently indicated by the bracelet's weight. These jewelry items' forms can also be used to distinguish between different cultures.
Silver Jewelry in Sapa
With the above information about the best villages to trek in Sapa, and interesting activities to experience, I hope that you can choose suitable places to accommodate your own itinerary. If you want to discover the beauty that is both majestic and poetic, come to Sapa now to explore the 2-day Sapa easy trekking tour and The Ethnic Homestays of Sapa 3-day tour to have the opportunity to experience Vietnam tours.
