Sapa Ta Phin & Ma Tra Private Half-Day Trekking Tour

We had a lovely morning with Lo Thi Sao our Hmong local guide who was bubbly, lovely and informative. She picked us up at our hotel in town and sent us back at the end. We enjoyed walking through villages and fields with Sao as she shared stories of her life, customs, people. Impressed that she picked up English through interacting with tourists, though it was a shock to discover her so young and already a mother of 3. Lunch was simple but tasty with ice views, and we liked listening to someone who grows her own crops, rears her own animals, weaves her own clothes and even builds her own home. This was a less popular route with tourists, and we could avoid the bigger groups as such. It was foggy, but fine as long as it didn’t rain (just sprays). Sao politely told the local ladies wanting to follow us to stay away as we wouldn’t shop. We sadly saw a puppy being run over by a scooter - more common with roads being built. We enjoyed our private hike with Sao very much.

The private hiking route is different from the Lao Chai village visited by most tour groups. It visits the Ma Tra and Ta Phin villages of the Mong people, which are less crowded and quieter. Our guide, Phenh, is a lovely and friendly Mong girl. She explained in detail the life, customs, crops, and fabric making of the villages. We walked for more than 3 hours and fully understood their culture. We had lunch in a beautiful restaurant at noon, and then walked through beautiful fields and beautiful bamboo forests. It took nearly five hours to complete this fulfilling journey. I must say that Phenh is really a great guide. She is warm and meticulous, and she will carefully help us with many difficult muddy roads. She allows us to understand the lives of the aborigines in a three-dimensional way. This trip is really unforgettable! ! Reminder to wear long sleeves and trousers, and hiking shoes, to safely walk up and down hills on dirt roads. If you come after rain or before rain, you must wear non-slip rain boots. This trip is really unforgettable!!!

Our local guide Zing from Black Hmong village is awesome. She is very patient to lead us through the rice terraces, farms, villages, giving us great info about their life and culture along the way. We are very grateful to God for the great weather with no rain. Can see quite many parts are a bit muddy , but thankfully with no rain , our shoes did not get dirty. Great lunch. Highly recommended.

our tour guide Khu was great and informative. good thing we rented boots because parts of the trek was muddy due to the rain. although the boots were far from comfortable especially on rocky roads it was better than getting the shoes ruined. we only got to finish probably 80% of the course because we were so tired and not used to hiking for a long time. i am thankful we did not slip and fall especially on the rice fields. highly recommended experience!

Amazing experience. The view is very beautiful, trekking about 8 km, The trekking route is easy, with beautiful views of rice fields and hills. We are guided by Nhu who was very helpful in explaining everything from the history, culture, customs, and life of the indigenous people, namely Hmong. Lunch was also delicious. Thank you Nhu and SaPa 😍.

What a day! We were lucky to have warm weather and clear skies — usually the views play hard to get, but today they showed off in full. The rice terraces were absolutely stunning, like something out of a dream (or a very fancy desktop background). Our guide, a wonderful Hmong woman (zu) with great English and an even better sense of humour, made the day. She shared stories, laughed with us the whole way, and introduced us to her lovely family during lunch — a real highlight. My legs are sore, my shoes are muddy, and my heart is full. Would absolutely do it again! Something that I would recommend for next time, is that the guide/drive get in contact with us at least the night before, as the morning of, raised a lot of question marks on what the go was. However this was later explained as Hmong people don’t have the opportunity to learn how to read and write. TEACH THEM AS MUCH AS YOU CAN - They learn from us!

The Ma Tran and Ta Phin private trekking tour was definitely a highlight of our trip to Sapa. Our guide Sao was super lovely and accommodating providing us different alternatives considering the weather. She was super informative about each of the different questions we had and as we explored through the small local towns of Ma Tra and Ta Phin. Would definitely love to have done another tour with her again and recommend doing this tour for those who are keen.

our guide peng is GOOD! she share a lot of culture in her tribe with us.thank you for leading us on such a memorable and enriching trek through the terraced fields. Your knowledge of the local culture, history, and the natural surroundings made the experience so much more meaningful. It was truly a privilege to have you as our guide.

It was a very fun and interactive trip! we learned so much about the life of Northern Vietnam ethnic groups and also their local traditions and beliefs. Nhu, our guide was very knowledgeable and very accomodating to answer questions. the hike route had a lot of interesting stuff showing local life along with beautiful views

We had an amazing experience trekking through the village in Sapa, thanks to our wonderful guide, Phinh! She was incredibly friendly, warm, and accommodating, making us feel welcome and at ease throughout the journey. Her knowledge of the area and its culture was impressive, and her clear explanations added so much depth to the experience. Despite the muddy winter trails, the trek felt relaxing and enjoyable, and Phinh’s cheerful demeanor kept our spirits high. We truly appreciated her guidance and would highly recommend her to anyone visiting Sapa!