3 days trek (A) / 3 day trek (B)
3 Days Trek (A)SaPa - Sin Chai - Suoi Than (3 days / 2 nights)
(Please click trip code to book)
On the outskirts of the SaPa district you can still experience minority-villages almost untouched by modern life.
Day 1:
We leave SaPa by jeep, and continue to the end of the dirt-track at Su`Pan. The jeeps are left behind, and with a beautiful view of the valley below us we move down to the river and the village of Ban Ho. We cross the river by a suspended bridge and move slowly eastwards. The landscape is dominated by scenic mountaintops and rice-terraces climbing up the slopes. We meet different tribes-people along the path and gradually learn to recognise them by their colorful dresses. One more river has to be passed, this time on foot, in order to reach the village of Thann Phu, a lively Tay-village with rice-mills scattered all around between the small streams. We enjoy lunch in a local house, eagerly watched by curious children, before we again leave the village and head up a smaller side-valley. The path rises gradually to an altitude of 1040 m, and on the other side of this small pass we descend to the small and rather isolated village of Sin Chai (960 m). In 1998 the village had hardly been visited before, so don’t expect any luxury. Enjoy instead the rustic surroundings and the beauty of this people’s solutions to a life of - and in harmony with nature.
We stay in a local house, or tent at your choice, and get settled in while the cook prepares a good evening meal.Day 2:
We are in a Red Dao-village, where the women are characteristically dressed with beautiful jewellery and a huge, red headgear. The day starts early with cockcrow, the content grunting of freely roaming pigs, and the creaking of water-mills grinding rice. In some places rice-paper is produced on a suspended piece of cloth, and like this the village is self-sufficient with almost everything.
For those interested in a better impression of the area in which we are, we set out after breakfast on a 2-hour walk to another Red Dao-village, Suoi Thau (1030 m). The walking is rather easy and we have a magnificent view over the valley to the opposite mountain-range, before we reach the entrance to the village; a unique wooden bridge with a thatched roof, connecting the village with the rice-fields on the other side of the valley. After lunch here, we return to Sin Chai and have the rest of the day free for relaxing, or exploring the village.Day 3:
The Hmong-porters pack our gear and start ahead, smiling or laughing as usual, while we stop on the way for tea in Thann Phu, and maybe for a swim in the river, before we reach Ban Ho and a local Tay-house.
The cook has prepared lunch which we enjoy on the porch, before we head up the escarpment towards Su`Pan and the jeeps, waiting to take us back to SaPa.
We are back in SaPa in time for a good evening meal, a hot shower, a cold drink, and other modern conveniences. And maybe time for reflection on how quickly you can still get in touch with a different culture, largely unaffected by the modern world.
*** This trek is not difficult, or with steep slopes, but you should be able to walk 15 km in one day, on a good path (approx. 6-7 hours.).
