SAPA Villages: Y Linh Ho, Lao Chai, Ta Van, Cao May
near Lao Chải Sang Hai, Lào Cai (Vietnam)
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Impressive route through the villages of SA Pa, north of Vietnam. The route is moderate as it becomes hard in sections due to the humidity in the area, and if it rains or has rained there are areas of difficult access that force you to end up crossing mud. On the other hand, it is worth getting lost in the valley in which these towns are located on your own, without a guide, to fully immerse yourself in the area, which we only recommend doing with GPS (mobile) with the predetermined route. , because as soon as you leave the main roads you enter directly between the rice fields, crossing areas where you do not meet anyone for a long time, with spectacular views and whose only companions are the majestic water oxen.
We start the route from our Chapa EcoLodge hotel, already in Ba Y Linh Ho, and we follow the path to the left, without losing sight, which in a few meters gives us a sample of what awaits us, mountains and infinite mountains, carved from beginning to end. end of the famous rice terraces.
In this part you just have to let yourself go and savor the route and the surroundings, because as we say it is a simple well-marked path that takes us directly to the first of the towns where you soak up the authentic Vietnam, Lao Chai, where children play and laugh. , women and men work and we enjoy.
Afterwards the trend is the same, follow the road or the track in case of doubt, we only take a small detour off the main road to cross Lao Chai (on the map we mark the exit as a crossroads, I forgot to mark the entrance but you can see easy) through the terraces directly, something we recommend because it is incredible to go that way. The rest, all forward :D until reaching Ta Van, where the trek becomes a real hiking trail.
We had a small section that we had to cross through the fields through the land of a kind lady, where we were more than once about to slip and fall into the mud, since the main road was closed, we do not know the reason. If when you arrive it's the same just remember, in Vietnam any road is good until someone tells you otherwise (or asks you for money to pass). We went back to the road after crossing the house of some good neighbor and without problem, instead of throwing you out they point you where to leave.
Once this was overcome, we entered the rice fields, literally, getting muddy, always trying to follow a small path that sometimes seemed to lead us into the harvest and we would end up swimming.
All this is the most complex section because you leave the villages and you do not come across anyone, you only cross rice fields, until you reach a bamboo forest that will give you a break from the sun but that is difficult to cross if it is very muddy. What you sweat here is not even half normal haha.
When we manage to get out of the forest, everything that is pure trekking has ended, since we only have to cross the town of Cau May, which by the way is uphill, to top it off.
We decided to walk the entire way back along the TL 152, a road/viewpoint that has a magnificent sidewalk, where you can take a motorcycle or taxi for the return, or you can walk as we did back to the hotel and finish the circular while enjoying the infinite panorama.
*** Has the route been useful to you? If you do it, do not forget to leave us a comment, we will love to read your experience following it. 🏔️☺️
We start the route from our Chapa EcoLodge hotel, already in Ba Y Linh Ho, and we follow the path to the left, without losing sight, which in a few meters gives us a sample of what awaits us, mountains and infinite mountains, carved from beginning to end. end of the famous rice terraces.
In this part you just have to let yourself go and savor the route and the surroundings, because as we say it is a simple well-marked path that takes us directly to the first of the towns where you soak up the authentic Vietnam, Lao Chai, where children play and laugh. , women and men work and we enjoy.
Afterwards the trend is the same, follow the road or the track in case of doubt, we only take a small detour off the main road to cross Lao Chai (on the map we mark the exit as a crossroads, I forgot to mark the entrance but you can see easy) through the terraces directly, something we recommend because it is incredible to go that way. The rest, all forward :D until reaching Ta Van, where the trek becomes a real hiking trail.
We had a small section that we had to cross through the fields through the land of a kind lady, where we were more than once about to slip and fall into the mud, since the main road was closed, we do not know the reason. If when you arrive it's the same just remember, in Vietnam any road is good until someone tells you otherwise (or asks you for money to pass). We went back to the road after crossing the house of some good neighbor and without problem, instead of throwing you out they point you where to leave.
Once this was overcome, we entered the rice fields, literally, getting muddy, always trying to follow a small path that sometimes seemed to lead us into the harvest and we would end up swimming.
All this is the most complex section because you leave the villages and you do not come across anyone, you only cross rice fields, until you reach a bamboo forest that will give you a break from the sun but that is difficult to cross if it is very muddy. What you sweat here is not even half normal haha.
When we manage to get out of the forest, everything that is pure trekking has ended, since we only have to cross the town of Cau May, which by the way is uphill, to top it off.
We decided to walk the entire way back along the TL 152, a road/viewpoint that has a magnificent sidewalk, where you can take a motorcycle or taxi for the return, or you can walk as we did back to the hotel and finish the circular while enjoying the infinite panorama.
*** Has the route been useful to you? If you do it, do not forget to leave us a comment, we will love to read your experience following it. 🏔️☺️
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Seguimos vuestra ruta, mil gracias! Lo más impresionante el bosque de bambú, la cascada y poder volver más cómodamente por la carretera. Sin necesidad de guía.
Hola! Nos alegramos de que os haya servido la ruta :). Nos hace mucha ilusión poder ayudar a que otros disfruten como nosotros y más de rutas cómo esta, que te lleva todo el camino con la boca abierta.
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Ruta muy bonita, pero al salir desde Sa Pa hay que recuperar todo el desnivel hasta el comienzo de la ruta de los arrozales, recomiendo una vez sales del bosque de Bambú y llegas a la carretera principal coger un taxi o moto hasta San Pa ya que el regreso de hace 100% en carretera
Muchas gracias por subir esta ruta, la hice con mi esposa e hijos de 9 y 13 años y salimos encantados, especialmente la zona del bosque de Bambú, ya que había llovido el día anterior y estaba como si fuera una pista de patinaje.
Hola Gemma, Pablo, Adriá y Gerard! Por alguna razón la app no nos avisó del comentario y lo acabamos de ver. Nos alegramos muchísimo de que hayáis podido disfrutar de la ruta tanto como nosotros, y más aún en familia :). Desde luego la parte final saliendo de SaPa hay que valorar la vuelta en taxi, pues la vuelta pierde encanto al ser por carretera pero a nosotros nos apeteció terminar de descubrir cada rincón del lugar, tras tanto arrozal, bosque de bambú y paisajes de ensueño, aún teníamos ganas de más :D
Muchas gracias por compartir con nosotros vuestra experiencia y hacernos saber que os ha servido nuestra experiencia.
Hi :) i'm going to Vietnam on April. I'm intersting your trekking. I'm alone, can I do it? Thank you :)
hello Selena.
The route is very simple and has no loss, and the country is very safe. The people there are very friendly, so we don't think there will be a problem doing it alone. Almost the entire route is through town so you will surely enjoy it a lot. For safety, as with any mountain route, notify your hotel and someone you trust about your route so they know where you are just in case :)