Overall, Sa Pa is a beautiful place and a must visit destination. However, the advertising for this experience is a little bit misleading. We were not given an itinerary, instead we had to rely on the minimal instructions from the various staff we encountered. These instructions were occasionally confusing and left us guessing where we were meant to be for dinner or lunch and also where and when we should meet any transport. For a ’3 day trekking tour’, only 1 of the days was an actual trek. The Cat Cat village looks surprisingly like a movie set and after asking some questions we found out that no local villagers actually live there (this was still a great photo opportunity; just not authentic). The quality of the guides was inconsistent, one day the lady was helpful then the next day the lady was clearly in a rush to get the trek finished. Also prepare yourself for pestering “village women and children” who will follow you the entire way trying to sell things.

Everything was amazing except that when the driver picked us up at the hotel in Hanoi, he spoke no English at all and we had no idea the tour guide would not be on the bus. We did not know what was going on which is a little unsettling. Thank god there was a girl on the bus that spoke Vietnamese and English and was able to get information for us from the driver. Also the return bus ride took 7 hours instead of 5, and we have no idea why.

We loved our tour into sapa. We were blown away with the culture of the people up there and the experience that we had. Without tellling you everything and spoiling it, I highly recommend this activity and think that you would feel disappointed if you don’t do it! The trekking is fairly easy and they have made the tracks accessible to almost anyone. The transfer from Hanoi to sapa is efficient and the hotel was elegant. Not to mention the food!! The food is amazing! All was amazing. Our tour guide could have spoke English a bit better so we could learn more about the places we visited but we asked questions and found the answers ourselves. All in all a once in a life time opportunity not to miss!