Sapa Vaellus

Se on hauska ja ikimuistoinen kokemus. Matkaoppaamme Pam on erittäin avulias ja lähestyttävä. Kierros, jossa sai lisätietoa vaatteiden ompelusta ja värjäyksestä, oli hieno kokemus! Mahdollisuus kokea vietnamilaista kulttuuria ja perinteisiä vaatteita oli kierroksen paras osa. Myös sateenkaarirata ja vaellus olivat minulle hauskoja. Jos sinulla on mahdollisuus pyytää matkaopasta, harkitse Pamia, hän on ystävällinen ja supermukava!

This was an absolutely awesome trekking experience. Although the weather was rainy and the trails muddy, we still had a blast and enjoyed the great tour guide Dao!), the fantastic views with a thunderous WOW factor, the villages themselves, the provided lunch, etc. An experience of a lifetime.

Our guide was so nice and did a great job showing us around Cat Cat Village. She was patient and knowledgeable and answered all questions we had. We also enjoyed the scenery of the village and show at the end. The one part I would change is the set dinner at the hotel. The food was very sub-par. With spending such a short time in Sapa, I would have rather not had that meal included and then gone somewhere else for a better quality dinner. Aside from that, it was a very enjoyable experience.

Ellie speaks good English. she suggested a later meet up time due to rainy weather & helped my friend along the slopes. views are beautiful. Must wear hiking shoes as fields were muddy

scenery: Awesome, going through the paddy and corn fields, Village to village. We are lucky some lady is working on her paddy field so I have good shot. difficulty of the hike: Easy hike but the downhill is actually quite steep. Our hiking day is shine bright but not freaking hot. Track is dry, not muddy so it was easy. It surely will be slippery downhill if it's muddy guide: Different guide texted night before and another texted me in the morning. They change our guide but both of them is friendly and easy to communicate. itinerary: We take this so no need to go find lunch after coming back. And food is simple but good. mostly vegetarian, and only chicken. Drinks is separate but the price is cheap and reasonable. The only things I'm a bit annoyed is how persistent the village kids/lady trying to sell things. Try help a bit and 10more coming. Nego until satisfied coz their opening price is scam. I bought from the lady that help me during hike, consider as her tips so it's fine.

We enjoyed our time with May. She customized the walk based on our ability (we took many breaks, I needed them). She made bamboo canes for each of us to helped with the uphill walk. She also explained each of the medicinal properties of the plants she picked along the way. She was caring and attentive. Our walk ended with lunch (reminded me of my mom's cooking) and a herbal foot bath/soaked. Since we are both Mien (aka Red Dao in Vietnam) and it was just us, we conversed mostly in Mien. It was interesting to learn the subtle differences in our language based on our geography (Thai/Lao Mien vs Vietnam Mien). If I were to visit Sapa again, I would do it again. Note: there were women (Red Dao and Hmong) who will try to sell their textiles to you at the end. I know I can get the same thing at the market at a cheaper price, but I didn't have the heart to bargain for a few dollars. I just bought at stated price to support.

Hiking difficulty: moderate. Cat Cat Village is quite commercialized. The rice terrace hiking scenery is nice, but the itinerary arrangement is so-so and not very compact. Basically, a whole day is spent on the round trip. Waiting for the bus back takes a long time. The food at the hotel is very bland and quite average. The hotel room we stayed in had a serious sewage odor from the toilet; it was very smelly.