SAPA Vietnam | WHAT TO EXPECT | CRAZY Homestay Experience! | WE Tried RICE WINE! | Cat Cat Village

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Vlog 9 is from the hills of Sapa, Vietnam!
YES we filmed this one slightly tipsy! ENJOY!

How To Get From Hanoi To Sapa

We had a choice of transportation including bus, train and private van / limousine available to us. We chose the private van / limousine option in the end as it was cheaper than the train, more comfortable than a busy bus and surprisingly not that expensive either! £10 per person for this service and it took 6-7 hours to arrive in Sapa. Seeing the rice fields heading into Sapa was a real treat! Drive in the day to enjoy the views, not by night bus.

The day we arrived, the weather seemed nice! Not many clouds in the sky, busy town centre and a nice lake in the middle... our homestay was down in the valley so we had to hire a taxi from the centre. He ripped us off charging extra, as well as dropping us 500m before our homestay. Be warned about the drivers!

Sapa Homestay Experience

Have you ever stayed in a homestay before? Well this was our first time, and we really enjoyed it! Not in the beginning... we were a bit unsure being around a family, many guests and very friendly hosts haha, but we soon began to embrace the experience!
We booked with Sapa Warmstay Homestay, the hosts were AMAZING and made us feel very welcome... we didn't actually meet / spend time with the main family who lived in our house until the last day... more on that in the vlog haha!

Trekking in Sapa

We booked onto a trek / hike through our homestay and it paid off big time, one of the best hikes we've done so far on our travels!
The valleys in Sapa are incredible IF you pick a clear day to do it...
Our guide took us through many villages and we met some of the locals bumping into many fury friends (we love dogs)!
I'm sure there are plenty of walks that are free without a guide, but with only a few days in Sapa and no guarantee of good weather, we felt the need to have an expert show us around.

Honestly, we'd highly recommend getting a guide as they truly know all the best spots to go, way off the beaten track!

We planned to do more than 1 hike in Sapa but due to bad weather, not really possible. We did drive around a village called Ta Phin... really pretty! Just wish it had been clear to really see more. Rice fields everywhere!

Cat Cat Village, Sapa

We'd read so many mixed reviews on Cat Cat Village that we ALMOST didn't visit this little village whilst in Sapa, however with it being just on our doorstep, we took the plunge and paid a few pounds to explore Cat Cat village.

Upon entry, everything seemed normal, traditional, families sat around cooking up meals etc. As we crossed the bridge into the village, it began to look a little 'staged' and a bit fancy, not like a working village!

It was pleasant enough with many gimics and decorated spaces for us to marvel at. It's certainly not an eye-sore or anything bad, just not a lot of culture in Cat Cat village.

One thing we did love though was the animals! So much life down one of the small streets heading down near to the river... we fell in love with a little puppy, so fluffy and friendly, even the piglets enjoyed his company!

Sapa Weather

Although we had one full clear day to enjoy our trek around Sapa and it's beautiful valleys, we did have to wade through 3 full days of the thickest fog we've ever seen!

Sapa is well known for it's changeable weather... so if you are thinking of visiting, make sure you give yourself enough time there to allow the occasional good day and the majority bad! Especially early in the year, we were there in February.

Thoughts on Sapa Vietnam

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Sapa, regardless of the weather!
Although our homestay was superb, the location was a little out the way of the main centre which is where all the best food spots are!
It's fine if you can drive a scooter / motorbike, otherwise be prepared to do A LOT of walking up hills like us, or paying taxi drivers around the clock haha!

Trekking in Sapa is a MUST. If you get chance, visit Ta Phin, it's a beautiful little village with a lot more culture & tradition than Cat Cat Village.

Check out Cat Cat Village too, it's still very pretty and a nice couple of hours walking. Hopefully you can find the street with all the animals roaming free!

Stay in a homestay...

They are cheap, social & friendly environments to be in.
If you like the peace & quiet of the countryside away from the centre and you're happy to eat home-cooked food, there's many home-stays in the villages down in the valley. Or just pay for transport into the town when needed!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read about our experience in Sapa, Vietnam.

If you have any thoughts on our vlog, leave us a comment below!

Next stop; Ninh Binh