My husband and I are planning to go to Sapa for 1 night/ 2 days in January. Can anyone advise what the logistics are for getting out of the town to the villages and walking in the rice terraces? Do you take a cab or just walk from town? We realize Sapa is very touristic now and will tolerate that just to be able to experience the scenery outside Sapa. Is there any direction in particular that you recommend for the steep terraces and special scenery ?

Note that one night is never 2 full days. I'm assuming you will take the overnight train from Hanoi to Sapa, os you will not have had good sleep the night before, you will arrive to Sapa which is not only crammed with other tourists, but with locals vying for your tourist dollars. The hotel you stay at can arrange transport and a hiking guide for you. Sapa is surrounded by the kind of scenery you describe, no matter which way you go you will see it. If you want less contact with the crowds, you could opt to stay out of town, where you would hike to the place you will stay and hike around that area. It won't be devoid of other tourists, but not as packed as Sapa.

Thanks. Yes we plan to take the night train both ways therefore giving us more like 2 short days. Do you know anything about Topas Eco Lodge which is 18km. Outside Sapa? Since you said no matter what direction we would see the scenery I describe , perhaps this would be the best choice.

Friends of mine stayed there and loved it!

Great, thanks.

We stayed at Topas Ecolodge many years ago when we used there drivers to travel the Dien Bien Phu loop back to Hanoi. A pleasn5 enough place and One of the better places in and around Sapa (which is not saying a lot!) we also stayed at the Victoria, very famous but vastly overpriced.

With the amount of time you have there I would recommend booking a guide in advance to make the most of the time you do have. Normally, I would suggest you get as far away from te town as possible - the "usual" day walk from town is Cat Cat ( or something like that) which I would avoid.

You will likely be inundated with offers from guides just by walking the streets. You get what you pay for generally. You could trycontacting Topas to see what guided walks they suggest. As always in Vietnam, set out EXACTLY what you are looking for so there are no misunderstandings - it doesn’t hurt to repeat your requests several time either!

Haven’t used them but Sapa Sisters seem to get good feedback NB by now they have probably got many imitators so make sure your find the genuine one.

Thanks again Crellston. Much appreciated.

I hiked with Sapa Sisters in 2012, and I thought it was a wonderful experience. The organization was quite small back then, and I believe there were only four "sisters" at that time. I took back to back day hikes with Little Zhou, and boy, she has had quite a life. She was a bit rebellious, so she lived in Hanoi, married a Chinese guy, had a baby, got divorced, and moved back to Sapa. During our hike, she was a remarried seven months pregnant lady. Needless to say, we had quite a cultural exchange, and the hiking was almost secondary.

I think you will enjoy hiking with any of the "sisters." If you are respectful, and friendly, you can engage her in an interesting discussion. We hiked in different directions both days. I enjoyed the second day better when we went to a cave, away from all the other hikers. Just tell her you want to get away from the crowds.

Thanks Californialady