As more people venture up to Sapa, we are becoming increasingly surprised by the choices people make.
The vast majority of people visit Fansipan Cable Car, Moana, the Alpine Roller Coaster and the bustling Cat Cat. These are great places for a selfie, but are not great places. They offer no real culture. Any attempt at culture is manufactured, manicured and manipulated. These places are nothing more than mass tourism locations complete with ticket offices, souvenir shops, snacks stalls and vendors trying to eek more money out of you everywhere you turn.
The good news is Sapa is so much more. Most typical backpackers wander a little further into Lao Chai and Ta Van villages hoping for more adventure and authenticity never realising that the real Sapa is elsewhere. Travel agents with no knowledge of the area still talk about these villages as being remote, wild and beautiful. They are not. They are touristy. Extremely. But there are real villages and the locals that live there are welcoming, genuine and kind.
But there is more. The great news is that for anyone prepared to explore, Sapa has so many hidden gems. There are waterfalls less than 7km from Sapa town that offer incredible views. They aren’t named and are not listed on Google maps. Thank goodness. Hardly anyone ever ventures there. There are epic rice terraces, winding rivers, wonderful forests and vast lakes to be found all across the district, and most of these location ever see a soul other than locals tending to the land or herding their water buffalo. Most impressive of all is the culture. It’s everywhere. It’s fascinating. It’s beautiful.
We are not film makers. We’re just a small team of people with a passion for the area we live in. This video was shot on an old iPhone and a DJI mini 2 drone over various seasons. We love to explore. We love to ride. We love to wild camp and walk. We love to learn. If you want to learn too, send us a message and we can help you adventure with us. We are a team with decades of local knowledge. We offer true community based tourism that is both ethical, sustainable and enriching. If you’re unsure, please check out our reviews on both Google and TripAdvisor to read the feedback from happy travellers we’ve supported over the years. Thanks for watching.