Sapa Trekking Tour Heldag

I usually try not to be a complicated tourist but this was truly a bad experience. 95% of the time our guide was either silent or talking on her phone or chatting with local ladies who were also following us for some reason. She didn't tell us a single fact during the whole journey, neither about the local people, nor about the places we were passing by. And it was not because she didn't speak English, she actually was quite fine at English, she just didn't care. It clearly felt she wants to finish the tour ASAP and go do her own stuff. We always had to ask something just to get a very simple one-line answer. All 4 people in our group were silent the whole journey and felt unwelcomed and not bounded. And with all the above, it would still be 3 out 5 score if only we were going through the nice path. In fact, there were literally zero "hidden" tracks, bamboo forests or rice fields as we were walking all the way next to either highway or concrete village roads, no rice fields, no hiking, no hidden routes, just a normal concrete road you see on Google. All in all, it made us feel scammed in the end because it was not a tour, there was no reason at all to have a tour where you walk same way as every pedestrian does and don't get a single story or insight in between, it was more of a solo walk with random lady walking somewhere in front of you but where you have to pay for that in the end. I definitely don't recommend this tour and this guide, 1 star. So, Sa Pa is beautiful and it's definitely worth exploring by foot but you don't need a guide like that for this.

I usually try not to be a complicated tourist but this was truly a bad experience. 95% of the time our guide was either silent or talking on her phone or chatting with local ladies who were also following us for some reason. She didn't tell us a single fact during the whole journey, neither about the local people, nor about the places we were passing by. And it was not because she didn't speak English, she actually was quite fine at English, she just didn't care. It clearly felt she wants to finish the tour ASAP and go do her own stuff. We always had to ask something just to get a very simple one-line answer. All 4 people in our group were silent the whole journey and felt unwelcomed and not bounded. And with all the above, it would still be 3 out 5 score if only we were going through the nice path. In fact, there were literally zero "hidden" tracks, bamboo forests or rice fields as we were walking all the way next to either highway or concrete village roads, no rice fields, no hiking, no hidden routes, just a normal concrete road you see on Google. All in all, it made us feel scammed in the end because it was not a tour, there was no reason at all to have a tour where you walk same way as every pedestrian does and don't get a single story or insight in between, it was more of a solo walk with random lady walking somewhere in front of you but where you have to pay for that in the end. I definitely don't recommend this tour and this guide, 1 star. So, Sa Pa is beautiful and it's definitely worth exploring by foot but you don't need a guide like that for this.

Wonderful tour with our amazing guide Mal Ko (not sure if spelt that way!). Took us through three villages as well as her own family home and invited us inside to have a look. Patient, knowledgeable and kind throughout. The trekking parts were great once we got away from the town centre and into the rice paddy fields. A highlight of our time in Sa Pa.

We arrived at Sapa in mid day and was greeted by our enthusiastic guide , Ms Su 😃. We did an afternoon trekking from the Lao Chai Village to Giang Ta Chai village to explore the local ethnic minorities life ,admired the spectacular natural scenery with terraced rice fields . Being a member of the Hmong tribe herself, she was able to explain many things in depth and shared much more into the life of the Hmong tribes.Ms Su is very knowledgeable n attentive. We are very happy and satisfied with her service. Highly recommended guide!👍👍👍

I booked a Sa Pa trekking tour with a local guide named Maucha (I think that's her name), but what I got felt more like a solo hike where I had to fend for myself. Our so-called guide spent most of the time rushing ahead, often disappearing altogether, leaving our group struggling to keep up. We kept losing sight of her, and if it hadn’t been for random local women (who weren’t part of the tour) guiding us — hoping for tips, of course — I would’ve been completely lost in the mountains or worse. The weather was tough — rain, fog, and slippery paths — making it a challenging experience and many people fell. Despite this, the guide offered no support, didn’t mark the way, and it almost felt intentional, as if she wanted us to rely on those other women for tips. Some of them were so aggressive that they pushed me a couple of times as they rushed past, and I ended up falling and hurting my hand. Did the guide check on me? Nope, not a word. We asked her to slow down, but she couldn’t have cared less. I didn't even have the time to disinfect the wound of my hand till later. Overall, it was a frustrating and disappointing experience. The only positives were the beautiful views when we were actually allowed to stop, and the amazing people in my group who managed to keep spirits up — we shared some good laughs despite the circumstances. The food was decent, though at that point it may have just been the extreme cold and hunger talking. To be fair, they were kind enough to let me change my tour dates after I booked the wrong ones — that’s the one thing I can give them credit for. And they were punctual.

This trek was well organized, and the team communicated well regarding pick-up and drop-off. However the conditions for trekking were not ideal. It was extremely muddy and I slipped and fell, having to be stabilized by our tour guide multiple times. With the weather in this area I can't imagine avoiding these conditions unless there are multiple days without rain. I appreciated there were multiple stops along the way for snacks and water (both you must pay for) and washrooms. The lunch was prepared at a homestay, and was traditional Vietnamese cooking with rice, meats and vegetables. I wish our tour guide provided more information about the lands and people, this part of the tour was minimal. Overall, it's a great way to immerse yourself in the culture and villages of the people in SA PA as you walk through a few towns - but be prepared with shoes and clothing that will get very dirty/ruined due to the red clay mud. And bring cash if you'd like to support the local people with their artisan handmade goods!

Breathtaking views all around even with wet rice fields. Very kind and knowledgeable local guide who shared many insights into her life and the life of villagers. Yummy lunch on the last stop. Was really great to be able to do a one day trek to enjoy other aspects of Sa Pa on our other days. Appropriate footwear with good grip, and care along the path is recommended.

It had rained the night before so the paths were very slippery. Saying that the guide was very careful in guiding us down the paths, as well as the local village ladies. We passed through 3 villages and had lunch at the last village. I was expecting a bit more visual and interaction with the villages as we passed through. The only interaction was with the village ladies selling goods. A bit more information I felt could be given on the culture and life style of the village people and maybe some interaction with the workers. I didnt realise that we had walked through 2 villages until after passing through! Overall a great day and the scenery was spectacular.

I’ve been 2 days in sapa with the best guide i have ever had, Mao Co, she has an excellent english, i have learned a lot about other cultures, she helped me and my group in everything and i think he couldn’t have a best guide. We could ask her everything, she is very very funny and the best thing is that we could understand her perfectly, i really recomend Mao Co as your perfect guide.

Great experience make sure to take gum boots. Tour guide is experienced and will help you with any issues along the way. 10/10