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Private tailor-made journeys of a life time
Jun 12, 2020
By Linh Vu
The most frequently asked question when people talk about Sapa is “When is the best time to visit Sapa?”. Along with the comfortable climate, Sapa attracts many visitors in one year and it is the perfect destination for those who love the adventure and wildlife of the Northwest of Vietnam. However, the beauty of Sapa changes every month, and not everybody knows which is the best month to visit Sapa. So in this article, Vietnam Escape Tours will provide you the information about the best time to visit Sapa based on your needs.
Besides the question “When is the best time to visit Sapa?”, many tourists also ask “Is Sapa worth visiting?”. To answer this question, we will need to understand more about this town.
Although Sapa has gone through many years of development in tourism, it is still one of the most beautiful destinations in Vietnam. For the first time being here, maybe you will be overwhelmed by the giant cable car stretched across the mountain or a large number of hotels in the town. However, the core beauty of Sapa Valley – the enormous mountains and the gorgeous terrace rice fields remain the same as always. The town has its charming point that can’t be judged only by the hotels and new buildings.
If you find the center of Sapa is a bit too busy, just 10 minutes driving from there to any directions and you will find yourself surrounded by nature. The villages in Sapa are connected by narrow lanes and the best way to explore it is hiking, up and down the hills, and between the majestic rice paddies. Plus, most of the time on your trip to Sapa, you will be accompanied by a couple of buffaloes of cute ethnic children which is a unique experience can’t be found anywhere else. Furthermore, the local culture and tradition of Sapa are the reason that makes Sapa a worth visiting place. You will see the local Hmong and Red Dao people dress in traditional clothing made by themselves. Many of them will happily take tourists into their houses and teach them about their culture. They are also willing to share their stories of old times and let you join local activities. Now, we hope that you’ve already had the answer to the question “Is Sapa worth visiting?” in your mind.
Tourists who desire to enjoy the beautiful flowers blooming in the mountains of Sapa should between February and May. These are the best months to visit Sapa to see the sun, enjoy the wind and the fresh air. Visiting Sapa in spring, you will see the flowers covering the hills, the valleys, or the roadsides. Among all the famous types of flowers, the peach flower is one of the most charming. It only blooms at this time of the year so tourists shouldn’t miss the chance to admire this beautiful flower. The best time to see the peach flower is from February to April. From May, it will begin to decay and not as beautiful as previous months.
Besides, Sapa in this period is enjoyable so you will see more clouds floating. And in this period, you will see the majestic rice fields covering in green color as the local people only start a new harvest season.
Peach flower blossom in Sapa
If you want to admire the breathtaking lush rice paddies, the best month to come to Sapa is between June and August – summer. In the summer, the plain region is extremely hot but in Sapa, the air is much cooler and you could feel cold in the night time.
Aside from the pleasant weather, tourists will find the beauty that can only be found in this period. If you visit Sapa is one of those months, you will see the darker green rice fields creating a picturesque and peaceful scene of the countryside of Vietnam. And one of the most interesting to visit Sapa in summer is that there are many fresh vegetables, fruits harvested from the tree. There is nothing more grateful than taking a Sapa tour in the fresh air, take a bite of fresh fruit, and enjoy the charming landscape.
The green rice field in Sapa
To observe the golden rice fields, the best month to visit Sapa is from September to November. From September, the rice begins to ripen and Sapa will change into brilliant gold color covering all the mountains and valleys. The golden rice fields will last until early October before being harvested. Therefore, you should arrange a tour to Sapa early to catch exceptional photos of the fields. During the day time, you can visit Muong Hoa Valley to do trekking to Ta Van, Ta Phin Village to witness the breathtaking rice fields.
The golden rice field in Sapa
Vietnam is known as a tropical country so many people think that there is no chance to see snow in Vietnam. But from December until February, the weather in Sapa becomes harsh winter with the temperature drops quickly and sometimes reaches 0 degrees. This is when you will have a chance to watch snowfall in Sapa. The whole town will be covered with clouds and the white color so you will feel like floating in the sky. For a more adventurous and fascinating snow scenery, you can take the cable car to go to Fansipan Peak – the highest mountain in the Indochina. However, the snowfall doesn’t occur too ofter so tourists should check the weather forecast carefully before going.
White snow in Sapa
Sapa is in the top list destinations in a Vietnam Tour Package of most of tour companies in Vietnam and aroud the world.Because Sapa lies in the mountainous area of Vietnam, at the momment you can’t take a flight to Sapa. There are 3 most common ways to travel to Sapa from Hanoi, which are by sharing limousine car, sleeping bus or by sleeping train.
A sharing limousine car is a great option to travel to Sapa from Hanoi. The limousine car consists of 9 seats and provides comfortable 6 hours of travel. Normally one seat on the car offers a massage seat, free wifi, free bottle of water, and a USB charging port. The best advantage of this option is that you can choose the pickup and drop off point. The driver will pick you up directly from your hotel and deliver you to the hotel in Sapa. The travel route is via the new highway pass by green rice fields following by impressive countryside scenery. This is also the option of tour companies when arranging the Sapa Tours from Hanoi.
The limousine car departs daily at 07.00, 09.00 and 13.00 and you will reach Sapa at 6 – 6.5 hours afterward. The price for one seat on the limousine car is around $20 - $22 depending on the brand you choose. And if you choose the VIP seat, they might charge for some extra money.
The sleeping bus transfer is a cheaper option to travel from Hanoi to Sapa. Tourists go by bus will not have to change the station at Lao Cai because it will go directly to Sapa. However they will only drop passengers outside the town, so you still need to take another transportation to get to your hotel. The bus has many departure schedules during the day, so you can choose one that fits best with your plan.
The buses will pick up passengers from their office in Hanoi and the ticket normally costs $12 or $15.
Taking the sleeping train is a great choice if you want to get to Sapa from Hanoi. The train from Hanoi Station will not take you directly up to Sapa Town. It will stop at the closest railway station which is Lao Cai station and tourists will have to take a mini-bus or a van to go to Sapa which is about 39 km away. The two sleeper trains from Hanoi depart daily at 21.35 and 22.00 and will arrive at Lao Cai train station at 05.30 and 06.05 in the next morning. Since you arrive early, you can leave your luggage at the hotel and join Sapa tours then come back to the hotel for check-in.
The cheapest train ticket is $23 sold by Vietnam Railways. However, the beds are not very comfortable and it is the basic option. Many other companies are operating the train to Sapa, such as King Express, Sapaly Express or Pumpkin Express with ticket prices vary from $27 to $33.
There is no correct answer on how many days to spend in Sapa because it depends on your purpose of travel. It also depends on how long you plan to visit each place because some places can be done visiting during the day but others require to spend a few more days. For example, the simple trip with homestay and local village visits, tourists only need 2 days or more to enjoy the scenery and explore it by hiking.
For those who don’t have too much time to spend, 3 days tour in Sapa should be enough to visit the villages and trek to other areas.
Sapa is a great choice of any holiday in Vietnam and it will take you on adventures that you will never forget. As it is not as crowded as Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, tourists will find this unique town a quiet place for relaxing in the magnificent mountainous landscape. We hope that this post helped you have a clear idea about which is the best month to visit Sapa. If you have any difficulties while planning a trip to Sapa, contact us for the best advice.
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