Trekking through the beautiful landscape of Sapa Vietnam without a guide is a liberating and rewarding adventure. Especially for budget travellers wanting to explore the lush terraced rice fields and rugged mountain trails independently.
In November 2023, I did two solo treks in Sapa independently without a guide. The first was to Muong Hoa Valley. The second to Sin Chai (also known as Xin Chai).
It proved to be one of my most memorable experiences and it’s definitely possible to hike in Sapa without a guide. As a solo female traveller on a budget, I’m glad I decided to do it this way and go on a DIY trek in Sapa to save money. I felt very safe the whole time.
Continue reading, and I’ll share all the details for a self guided trek. I’ve added a map below so you can plan it yourself too!
Check out my Vegan Food Guide to Sapa for all your plant based restaurant and cafe options.
And if you want to visit Bac Ha for a couple of nights and explore the Bac Ha Market, here’s a budget travel guide on How to get from Sapa to Bac Ha by public bus.
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
First, download the Maps.me app. This has paths in it that Google Maps doesn’t have. I would never have found the paths I used if I was only relying on Google Maps.
- Phone (This is your most important item as it will have your map to guide you so you don’t get lost!)
- Sturdy Shoes (I wore runners/trainers and they were fine. No thongs/flip flops!)
- Hat (I trekked near the start of Vietnam winter and didn’t need one for the first trek).
- Sunscreen or cover up.
- Light jacket (If you’re trekking in winter you will need to layer so you can take off layers as the sun comes up)
- Water.
- Small snacks if you’re someone who gets peckish.
1st TREK – MUONG HOA VALLEY (Green line on Map)
6am: My Homestay (Mintu Homestay) was close to Moana Sapa which is down south of Sapa and easy access to Muong Hoa Valley. I left my Homestay around 6am which ended up being a perfect time.
Start walking down Muong Hoa, the main road leading out of Sapa. Stay on the footpath on the right hand side. It was misty when I was walking, not many cars/motorbikes.
Walk 25 minutes until you get to this small dirt path that looks like it doesn’t go anywhere. It does. And it’s magnificent!
If it’s been raining I would not recommend going down this path as it would be really wet and slippery. Make sure it hasn’t rained for a few days before.
You’ll pass wooden houses with roaming chickens, roosters, pigs and water buffalo. The view along this path is stunning. I only met locals and no tourists at this time.
Stop, admire the view, be in the moment.
You’ll get to a more solid path soon, turn left then left again. Time to walk up this hill for about 10-15 minutes.
This is the hill where I saw a gorgeous family of pigs on the path. Give them space and don’t get too close or the mum might run at you haha
Keep on walking and you’ll get to your first stop, Lang Chay Restaurant and Cafe. It opens at 8am.
(I looked at the timestamps on my photos and I arrived at 8:35am….so by this time I’d been walking for 2 and a half hours. I know I did stop a lot to be in the moment, and I was suffering from a small bit of altitude sickness and was walking slowly, so you may get here quicker)
Enjoy breakfast with this breathtaking view. They have a toilet you can use before you leave. Walk out of the restaurant and turn RIGHT and continue walking.
This will be a high path with incredible rice field views. You’ll walk past cows, abandoned shacks, homestays, dogs, families on motorbikes (yes, you will see up to 4 people on 1 motorbike sometimes!).
In about 20-25 minutes, you’ll come across this famous bridge (Cầu Treo Lao Chải San II). It’s very high and long. I’m afraid of heights so I looked straight ahead and walked across swiftly without stopping haha.
After you walk across the bridge, the next 500 metres is a big step hill. Take your time and stop when you can. There’s a restaurant at the top you can stop at to get drinks!
If you keep on walking, you’ll be able to trek high on a hill all the way to Lao Chai village. But when I was there in November, the path was blocked because of a small landslide so I ended up walking back down the steep hill, back over the bridge, and next to the river towards Lao Chai.
By this time, it was getting towards 10am and I was seeing more and more small groups of tourists. I actually didn’t see anyone doing their own trek like myself.
As you walk along the path next to the river, you’ll turn a corner and come across one of the most spectacular views you’ll ever see. Photos don’t do it justice. I sat there for 20 minutes admiring the view it was so incredible and peaceful.
As you get closer to Lao Chai village you’ll many more people and tour groups. It was getting closer to 11am when I arrived in the village. They have restaurants there for food and drinks and souvenir shops.
I’d been walking for 5 hours now and I thought it was time for me to head back. I found a random person on a motorbike yelling “Sapa” and negotiated an 80,000 VND lift back to Sapa. It was 6kms back.
2nd TREK – SIN CHAI (Pink line on Map)
This trek will take you past Cat Cat Village, underneath the Fansipan Cable Car, past schools and through traditional villages.
After I walked past Cat Cat Village I didn’t see any other tourists.
There is barely any shade on this trek so I highly recommend wearing a hat and covering up. I left Sapa around 9:40am and the sun was already up and hot. I would start this before sunrise next time!
Begin by leaving Sapa and walking towards Cat Cat Village. It’s all downhill.
When you reach this intersection, turn right towards Sin Chai.
The road will begin going up. You’ll be walking on all dirt roads. Passing schools, people on motorbikes (kids under 10 driving motorbikes by themselves too!, abandoned buildings, water buffalo, chickens, roosters, ducks, pigs and dogs.
As you walk along this dirt path, you’ll see a lot of poverty. As you walk further away from Sapa, the houses get more run down and basic.
It’s a shocking juxtaposition to witness the Fansipan Cable Car above, that cost around $320 million AUD ($208 million USD) to build, and simple wooden houses below it that people are living in.
After walking for about 50 minutes you’ll reach the Sin Chai village sign.
This is a really special village because you’ll see outside every house, Hmong women in their traditional dress, sewing their traditional clothes and dying fabric. Each house has pieces of dyed fabric drying in the sun outside.
Everyone is so friendly. I came across an elderly lady who was in her 90’s in traditional dress with a giant basket on her back with bamboo sticks in it and she came round the corner with big smiles and “Xin Chao”! (Hello in Vietnamese).
There are no large restaurants on this route but there are local cafes and convenience stores you can stop at to get a drink or snacks.
When I reached the sign below, I’d been walking for about 90 minutes so I did a loop and walked back to Sapa by the high road over looking the village I’d just walked through.
When I reached the beginning of Cat Cat Village, I found a guy with a motorbike to take me back up to Sapa for 50,000 VND. It would have been a very steep walk and it was near the end of my holiday so I was a bit tired haha.
MAP OF TREKKING ROUTES
