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Sa Pa
A mountain town at about 1,500 m, high above the Mường Hoa valley. Rice terraces step down every slope and Fansipan, the highest peak in Indochina, disappears into the clouds overhead. You come here to walk: village to village through terraces and bamboo, past buffalo in the paddies and H’Mông and Red Dao women in indigo. The town is busy. The valley below it is the point.
What’s there
Mường Hoa valley
The main trekking valley, terraces on both sides of the river all the way down.
Ý Linh Hồ
Where the classic trek starts. A ridge path with the best terrace views of the day.
Lao Chải + Tả Van
A Black H’Mông village, then a Giáy village full of homestays. This is where you sleep.
Bamboo forest + waterfalls
The usual second-day walk past Tả Van, shady and green.
Tả Phìn
A Red Dao village known for its herbal baths. Quieter than the main trail.
Fansipan
Cable car and steps to the roof of Indochina. On a clear morning you see the whole range.
Cát Cát village
Close to town, with a waterfall and weaving. Easy, and busy.
Day by day
- Day 1Morning bus up, or the night bus the evening before. Trek Ý Linh Hồ → Lao Chải → Tả Van, about 12 km. Homestay dinner.
- Day 2Walk through bamboo forest and past waterfalls, lunch, back in Sa Pa mid-afternoon.
- Day 3Fansipan in the morning before the clouds build, Sa Pa town in the afternoon, bus back to Hà Nội.
Short on time?
Two days with one homestay night still gives you the classic trek. Fansipan doesn’t fit in that version.
One more day?
Take a longer trek into quieter valleys, or keep a spare morning in case Fansipan is in the clouds.
