Sapa Trekking and Homestay (Non – Touristic)

There aren't enough words to describe how much we loved our experience with Sinh and his wife. We opted for the 3 day trek, which for us was perfect. We trekked on a range of terrains: forest paths, mountain side, fields and on the road side. The scenery we saw was breathtaking. Sapa is one of the most beautiful places we've ever seen. The homestays were wonderful and a great way to feel immersed in the community. The Hmong hospitality and the food (OMG) was amazing! Especially the 2nd night in Ban Ho Village. Sinh and his wife were the best guide team we could have asked for, as both of them grew up in a Sapa village. Patient, knowledgeable, funny and so helpful on those slippy hills (I did not pack the right shoes). Sinh, not only knew the area like the back of his hand, he also knew everything there was to know about each of the ethnic minority communities. We learnt about the Hmong, Tay and Red Dao tribes in the Sapa, their way of life and their rare skills with textiles. We especially enjoyed learning about Sinh's own life, how he grew up and meeting his family. We felt that he was more than just a tour guide, he became our friend. Absolutely choose this tour and you will not be disappointed. Notes from our tour: - We got the overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai, getting off the platform there's lots of people waiting to take you on buses to Sapa City, this cost us 50,000 per person. If you can afford to, I would recommend using Sinh's best friend, he owns a private taxi and you would be supporting a local, this cost us 400,000 for a 45 minute drive. (Lái xe: A Dê - (+84) 0912436697), or you can sort it out through Sinh. - We hiked in trainers. These, I think, would have been fine had it not rained heavily in the area the previous week. The paths were muddy and slippery, we needed a lot of help getting down the trails. And obviously our shoes were wet and muddy at the end of each day. Which we just embraced :p Sinh and his wife walked in rain boots, which you can pick up in Sapa. We would highly recommend all weather trekking shoes with a good grip, the weather is variable. - There will be 3ish local women that will come with your group. This is inevitable and not a threat at all. They are very friendly. We would have struggled more without them, they helped us when our shoes lost grip on the paths. They came with us each morning, and helped us. At lunch time, they showed us their crafts, these were authentic batik designs on cushions, scarfs, bags and purses. We bought things as we wanted to support the local minority culture and as a thank you for their help. If you're not interested in buying from them, tell them at the beginning of the trek as they won't ask for anything until the end of the trek. To Bring • Trekking Shoes • Waterproof • Sunscreen • Bug Spray • Clean clothes for after nightly showers (We trekked in the same thing each day) • Waterproof for bags Provided • One big bottle of water per person • All food (with exception of beer, soft drinks etc) • Mosquito nets • Towels • WiFi • Flipflops • Bedding