Sapa for years has been an enchanted destination for professional photographers, considering its magnificent scenery on a very grand scale plus colorful life of various ethnic hill tribes.
Searching photos of Sapa on the Internet, you will be impressed by the beautiful multi-color green-and-yellow rice terraces – which is exactly what Sapa image is shaped and known about. Still, the opportunity for travelers to take such marvelous photos is not year-round.
The best month - when?
September will be the best month for photographers, in term of pictures. By early September, rice is about to be harvested and the colors of rice terraces, dotted with green and yellow, are just magnificent. By the end of September & early October, the view is still stunning but with less area of rice terraces as certainly a few main parts has been harvested.
Weather - What to expect?
September is the end of rainy season, which makes it a good time to do the trek. You should expect a certain amount of rain here and there, not much as there will be plenty hours of sun as well. Temperature will vary from 16 – 23 Celsius Degree, sunny in day time & bit cold at late night and early morning.
Must-see destinations - What are they?
1. Y Linh Ho, Lao Chai, Ta Van, Giang Ta Chai villages. From Sapa town, it will be a nice walk passing these villages through the beautiful rice fields of Muong Hoa valley, the largest rice paddy terraced among Sapa area. Along the way, you will be able to observe and experience how the local do planting and harvesting.
2. Ma Tra, Ta Phin villages: Leaving the busy life behind to enjoy a nice walk in a far & less touristic area. It will take you few hours easy walking through rice paddy fields and spectacular scenery with few stops on the way to visit Black Hmong and Red Dao minorities’ local houses, to hear their story of their unmixed cultural life.
3. The local markets. The markets are always the colorful meeting places for the hill tribes of Vietnam. Minorities come down from the mountains to sell their produce. Sometimes it is a long hike for the tribes to come to sell or exchange their goods. Others may simply come in order to catch up on the latest news or gossip. With the various tribes in their colorful traditional dress, the smell of exotic herbs and spices, abundant rice wine and food stalls - you can be assured that market day in Vietnam is truly an unforgettable experience. Here below is the weekly calendar for different markets around Sapa:
• Tuesday: Coc Ly Market
• Wednesday: Cao Son Market
• Thursday: Lung Khau Nhin Market
• Saturday: Can Cau Market
• Sunday: Bac Ha Market, Muong Hum Market
We recommend at least two full days in Sapa to have a taste of a few. For more advice and travel tips of an insider, please visit our website www.alotravelasia.com or contact our team at ata@alobooking.net . We have a few amazing trip to explore Northern part of Vietnam including Sapa that you can explore here: Vietnam Northern Highlights 8D7N or Tonkin Elegance 9D8N.
Davi Nguyen
