I would personally advise the time to visit Sa Pa to be in September. Because then, you can challenge yourself to conquer Fansipan, see the waves of clouds and witness the rice terraces that are ‘ruong bac thang’. There is more than 10 interesting experience waiting for you in Sa Pa, but here are the most can’t-miss.
Conquer Fansipan
The Roof of Indochina
Touching the Roof of Indochina is the dream of so many young people. The cable ride to Fansipan should be available soon enough, and there is no fun in that. If challenging yourself is what you want, why are you still sitting around and not be on your way?
See the rice terraces
These are known as ‘ruong bac thang’, rice paddy fields that are designed to grow rice and take full advantage of the mountainous terraces. Sa Pa has some of the largest rice fields in the world in ‘Ruong bac thang’. Nature has not only given the people of Sa Pa with amazing landscape and preferable climates but also blessed them with incredible slight of hands. For hundreds of years, they have created masterpieces that are stairways of rice that leads to the heaven. It is recommended to come to Sa Pa during harvesting season to see the golden color of the rice fields.
Have a bird-eye view of Sa Pa from Mount Ham Rong
Take a look at the town from 1800m above from Mount Ham Rong is an experience that no one should miss out on. See the town from another angle. The streets, houses, hotels, resorts suddenly become so much smaller beneath your feet. Not only that, on Mount Ham Rong there is a flower garden of all colors, swiveling through the small craters of the Rock Garden.
Watch the sunrise, or sundown
As the cold wind makes you shiver, have a warm cup of coffee in your hand, maybe a plate of omelet by the side, look out the window of the hotel with an unbelievable view. In front of you right now is a poetic Sa Pa that is here to melt your heart. Just wait until the sun comes down, the sun starts to fade away behind the mountain range of Hoang Lien Son, Sa Pa is somewhat purple, something about it just spells romantic, or maybe just a little bit heart-breaking.
Take a walk, a slow one
Walking down the streets of Sa Pa will create images that will forever be carved in your heart when you leave this place. Sa Pa has some of the longest walking destinations in the world. You can walk dozens of kilometers, from dawn to dusk, through towns, through villages, through fields, through streams, over bridges… Take a walk to live slower. Observe, find out more about the life, the culture of the locals. Walking destinations include: Old streets of Sa Pa , Cat Cat village, Muong Hoa valley,…
Spend a night with the locals
While in Sa Pa, be sure to spend at least a night with the locals. Dig in on one of the local meals, get a taste of the everyday life of the mountainous citizens. Waking up in the village, away from the big city is an entirely new experience for anyone. Give the people a try, and I am sure you will never forget the place. Homestay service in Sa Pa is surprisingly popular, you can be satisfied with the quality of hygiene as well as food.
Go to the Love and Bac Waterfalls
Bac and Love Waterfalls are located around 12km from town central, on the pathway to Lai Chau. Going all that distance to these falls will all be worth it after you indulge yourself in the refreshing mist of the water. There is a tale about the Love Waterfall. Legends has it that a fairy fell in love with a lumberjack. She was mesmerized by the sound from his flute, but her love was forbidden by gods. So she turned into a yellowed-wing bird and flew up the mountain, screamed out his name O Quy Ho tirelessly.
Sightseeing in Mount O Quy Ho
Also, on the way to Lai Chau, passing Bac and Love Waterfalls, you will see Mount O Qui Ho. From the top, you will see the curved roads that connect the provinces of Lao Cai and Lai Chau. Next to that is the majestic range of Hoang Lien Son.
Sa Pa street food
It would be a shame if you missed out on these Sa Pa specialties. Street vendors that sell BBQ street food is a wonderful thing to enjoy. The always-chilling weather in Sa Pa is perfect for BBQ’s to go along with some traditional, local corn liquor.
Explore an empty Sa Pa
When I say empty, I mean without visitors or not many of them. It is just you, the sound of the forests, the leaves, the rice fields and the majestic mountain range of Hoang Lien Son. You can do this during September and October