Sapa 2-Day Trekking Adventure

What an incredible trip. From the moment we got picked up in Hanoi to the moment we were dropped back off, we were well taken care of. Our guide, Mu, was fantastic and very knowledgeable. We asked a lot of questions and she had insightful answers for each. Fantastic experience!

My tour guide Dao was amazing. I really enjoyed these 2 days through Sapa. Dao made the experience great and memorable. She was very knowledgeable with her as my guide I was able to experience the best local experience.

Our tour guide Chang was the absolute highlight of the adventure . She was funny and kind and very knowledgeable. She was a great photographer and even went the extra mile to get us an opportunity to walk into a rice field and pick with the locals and she herself got muddy for us . Everything was thought of and taken care of. The accomodation at the home stay was also fantastic with the best sleep we have had here . The train was such a good experience , very comfortable and had snacks and water included . Only thing I would encourage is headphone for the sound of the tracks at some points .

Don't do it in bad weather unless you're a true backpacker. And even then don't buy off Viator. Based on meeting others at the homestay Klook and TripAdvisor use the same local company and their prices are cheaper but I used Viator because the ratings were higher. First, the options are confusing. I chose a bungalow room with a 6am departure. The options said the 10pm departure was a sleeper bus and that the 6am option would have WiFi . Got picked up by a car at 6am and taken to where the bus was coming. It was a 22+ passenger sleeper bus with no WiFi and no way to have picked a seat assignment so you're stuck with what you get (upper/lower and window/middle). Several other travelers were confused by the bus option as well because we all thought we booked VIP. Why I would select an upgraded bungalow for $40 more and not have a VIP bus selected is just confusing as an option altogether. And the bus drivers weren't great. Didn't need to speak Vietnamese to understand they were making fun of some passenger who asked about WiFi as if this bus would ever be equipped with any tech. The other passenger probably had the same bait and switch with booking. The bus was not as expected and it was an hour late. And it was heavy traffic and maybe 5-7 stops so the 6 hours turned into 9.5. At which point you miss the first day of trekking because they said it was too late. But shout out to Pam (amazing guide) who allowed me to at least walk Lao Chai village to Ta Van village (~20 min) where the homestay was. And she gave a great brief history and local knowledge and basically salvaged my first day after the bus disappointment. Then you get dropped at the homestay and there is no cooking with the family, they just put you in your room and tell you when to come out for dinner. Place was near Anh Duc homestay. The highlights: it was a holiday so dinner was a great time, with the family and locals and other travelers singing karaoke and lots of happy water. And an icecream shop down the street. Back to the issues. Probably this one is more my fault but the bathroom wasn't great with the shower head between the sink and toilet with nothing to separate it and slugs on the walls. The room was dark with barely any windows. If you prefer hotels you should stick to a hotel and just day trek. The next day the weather was going to be bad so I just left on my own and changed to a more touristy option visiting cat cat village and fanispan buying tickets on my own and getting a grab from the homestay. Thankfully I was able to coordinate with the agency to get my return trip upgraded to a VIP bus, which was as expected (they used G8 Open Tour), left on time, WiFi and provided water and only 2 30-min stops and even got in on time (3pm-9pm). Unfortunately there was a mix up and they tried to put me in a metered taxi when I got to the G8 office that they tried to make me pay for to get back into my hotel in old town from the bus stop. Thankfully I had my ticket on me that confirmed hotel drop off so 5 min later they put me in a free shuttle to drop off. All in all - wouldn't recommend because you barely save money and you can confirm your own limo/VIP shuttle ride and for the same price you're getting a hotel and more freedom with your schedule if you get to Sapa yourself and then choose a day trek option. Unfortunately I can't leave photos since I requested a partial refund based on how the bus and lodging didn't look like any of the pictures I saw online. Went end of April.

Thank you to our amazing guide Mu, fantastic from start to finish. Knowledge friendly and really helped make the experience. My daughter and I really enjoyed it , even when we were slipping down and through the rice fields (bit wet and muddy!) Homestay was lovely too! A great two days n Sa Pa.