Review Author: Aveen van der Hoven

Review Date: 15 Jun 2025

Review Body: This tour was amazing! We were a group of 7 and did the two day trek with our guide Mae Xuan - she was amazing! We learnt so much about the local area and the people that live there. The views along the trek were phenomenal and staying in Mae’s home was such a special experience. The food her family cooked for us was amazing. We chose to add on a herbal bath after our first day of walking which was the perfect way to recover for the next day. We didn’t cross paths with any other tourist groups and the whole tour felt like a really authentic experience of the local area. Would highly recommend this trip to anyone! The trek was moderately difficult with some uphill parts which were tough in the heat at times but Mae was very happy for us to stop and take breaks when we needed. The only thing we didn’t bring that we missed was some snacks to have while trekking. Water and soft drinks / beer can be bought from Mae’s house and all main meals are included. Trekking time on the first day was approx 3.5 hours in the morning before lunch then another 1.5 after lunch. Day 2 was approx. 4.5 hours and lunch afterwards before being dropped back to Sapa

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Kenneth

Review Date: 04 Apr 2026

Review Body: The trek was truly off the beaten path. During the whole trek, we only saw 2 other travellers, giving us the peace and quietness to enjoy the beautiful valley and tea plantations . This was truly a hidden gem, being able to walk through the villages and be able to have a great look into the Red Dao and Hmong lifestyle. May Xuan, our guide, was the best. She is extremely knowledgeable about the region and cultures of the area, being able to share so much about the how the different tribes live and farm within the region. Her homestay was exceptional, extremely clean and functional! Her husband’s cooking was amazing, and I had some of the best pork belly on the trek. Could not recommend more for people to really take this trip off the regular treks in sapa to experience an authentic journey!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Kevin

Review Date: 10 Nov 2024

Review Body: We had two wonderful days, trekking north of Sapa. Our guide San May was absolutely kind, knowledgable and fun. Throughout the day we came across many beautiful vistas and a few lovely locals. In the afternoon we arrived at our cute homestay, which was exactly as we wanted it to be. Not fancy, very down to earth, we had everything we needed and met wonderful hosts, whith whom we cooked, talked and laughed all evening. Transportation and contact with the Seek Sophie team was perfect, so we can warmly recommend, taking your next trip with them. Thank you!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Ivor Kenny

Review Date: 20 Apr 2025

Review Body: Amazing hiking through remote mountain villages away from the crowd. Stunning views and a great insight into traditional life. Our guides and homestay were fantastic and this was a truely authentic experience. We learned about the indigenous tribes and saw how they farm using traditional methods working with their animals and the environment. Feel blessed to have had this opportunity to visit these amazing warm friendly and gracious people. I would recommend this trip too anyone with a moderately good level of fitness and a sense of adventure.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Bella

Review Date: 01 Nov 2026

Review Body: This trek was amazing. For those who want to go off the beaten path and see the real Sapa. May was an incredible guide - funny, kind, and very knowledgeable. Be prepared to be in the jungle and do some difficult walking. Things will get sweaty! The homestay was wonderful as well. The food we ate that night was some of the best food we had in Vietnam. My recommendation is to sit with the guides and the hosts and enjoy dinner and happy water all together. You won’t regret it!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Reid

Review Date: 01 Apr 2025

Review Body: We thoroughly enjoyed our 2 day trek and home stay. May Xuan is a great guide who looked after us very professionally. And her husband is a great cook. We highly recommend the herbal bath. Beautiful scenery and wonderful to see firsthand about the history culture and lifestyle of the local people. Definitely not a touristy experience. The 2 days were the highlight of our visit to Vietnam.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: James Applewhite

Review Date: 02 Nov 2025

Review Body: We loved every second of our Sapa tour. Our guide, Mẩy Xuân, was absolutely fantastic. Her knowledge of Sapa, the various ethnic groups, as well as the floral and fauna, was incredibly impressive and helped to make our tour both fun and informative. The homemade food was delicious and the homestay very comfortable. Thank you for an unforgettable trekking experience!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Bk lim

Review Date: 03 Mar 2026

Review Body: It is an untrodden path.walking in the midst of rice terrace and forest - using paths that are used by local farmer interesting terrains. Along drainage system, with flowing fresh water. Water buffaloes are also a common sight. Farmers harvesting bamboos. Up and down , round the mountain we trek.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Blanche

Review Date: 08 Dec 2025

Review Body: May Xuan was a very nice host. Her english is excellent and she gave us a lots of i formation about her village, family life snd the differences about the ethnics living around Sapa. The food was also very tasty! We would recommend to bring a sleeping bad since accomodation is very basic.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Anca

Review Date: 23 Dec 2024

Review Body: Trekking in north of Sapa was an experience for me. Su was very attentive and helped me a lot during difficult times. Chuy and Me Xau were very kind to welcome me in their home. Definetly would try again in summer, when the rice fields are green and the weather not so foggy

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Rosita

Review Date: 23 Sep 2026

Review Body: We loved the 2 day trek, amazing scenery and experience. They were very flexible with us, allowing us to delay and reschedule twice due to weather. Our guide Su was very friendly and knowledgeable, and our host family very friendly and accomodating. Highly recommended.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Boris

Review Date: 11 Jan 2026

Review Body: I had a really great experience with May Xuan, my fantastic guide. She is incredibly friendly, speaks perfect english and is very knowledgeable about almost everything. The interactions were absolutely genuine. I highly recommend the medicinal herb bath as well!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Abigail Goosen

Review Date: 10 Mar 2024

Review Body: This was a wonderful experience! This trek allows you not only to see and experience the beauty of the highlands, but also to seek to understand the culture and people. Would recommend!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Gianmarco Caracci

Review Date: 30 Apr 2025

Review Body: We loved May and our Off beaten track tour with Sapa O'Chau. We had a great time and everything about this experience was truly unique. I will definitely reccomend.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Anna

Review Date: 24 May 2026

Review Body: Really authentic experience- May Xuan was so knowledgeable and we had many memorable conversations. Good food and comfy beds- really recommend!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Valerie Blijdenstein

Review Date: 05 Feb 2026

Review Body: Su was an amazing guide. He was kind, thoughtful and taught us a lot! It was a real authentic experience! Very special to be so close with a Vietnamese family and their day to day lives. Unfortunately the weather was really bad, no views and very cold. The homestay wasn’t really accommodated for the cold weather (despite warm blankets at night).

Review rating: 4

Review Author: Sonia Serrano

Review Date: 16 Oct 2025

Review Body: Lo que más me ha gustado ha sido la hospitalidad de la guía y su familia. Me ha decepcionado un poco que lo contratado no sé ajusta a la experiencia real.

Review rating: 4

Review Author: JZ

Review Date: 11 Aug 2024

Review Body: At the start, our guide gave us 2 options — an easier route or the adventurous route. We picked adventurous and had 0 regrets. She wasn’t joking when she said it’s off the beaten track: we had to cross streams by hopping from rock to rock, we walked on muddy terrain (it started raining mid hike) and certain parts of the (not really a) path was super slippery. And yes we both fell at least once but it was still very enjoyable and fun. 
Our guide San May was AMAZING: she pointed out various veggies and plants throughout the journey, farming practices in the region and gave us insight into the daily lives of the Hmong and their culture. She even taught us some common phrases in her language! I have so much respect for her and you can really see how she loves her job of bringing people around her home region.
 Pictures speak for themselves — the views on this hike was AMAZING. Honestly took my breath away and there were multiple times throughout the hike where I looked up and couldn’t help but exclaim “wow!” 
 As for lunch, we INHALED it. It was so so so good. As I mentioned, we had a hike the day before and it paled in comparison (actually it was so bad on day 1 — just 1 plate of fried rice that was doused in msg) but on THIS hike, there was tofu, cabbage (i usually hate cabbage but this was so fresh, fried spring rolls and chicken) Fair warning, if it rains (like for our trek) you might want to bring an umbrella or a raincoat. Makes sure you wear good hiking shoes as it can get very slippery.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: L Dern

Review Date: 17 May 2019

Review Body: I wish I could give more than 5 stars because our tour guide Hu was absolutely phenomenal. We did the 1-day motorbike tour in Sapa and surrounding areas. My boyfriend drove himself (he knows how to drive a motorbike) and I sat on the back of Hu's bike. He drove safely and cared for us so well on the trip. We saw incredible things and so many in just 1 day. Saw 2 waterfalls, heaven's gate, went to a Hmong village had lunch with the most beautiful view (and the food was amazing), learned how to do traditional handcrafts (we made a batic and got to pick it up the next day and take it home with us), saw amazing landscapes and so many rice fields. Hu told us many interesting facts about the things we saw and we also were happy to talk to him about the differences between Vietnam and our country and what it's like to be from a local community in Sapa. He also stopped whenever we wanted to take pictures and he took some great photos of us. Also we were very lucky with the weather. We booked the tour 1 day in advance in their office in Sapa. The price is a bit on the higher side, but it was SO worth it. Also knowing that this company does so much good by helping the local communities, makes me happy to pay a little more to support this. Very long review, I know, we were just so excited about this amazing experience. Thank you Sapa O'chau and especially Hu for being such a great guide!!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Susan

Review Date: 24 Apr 2026

Review Body: I recommend this trek and guide to everyone! My guide was May (pronounced as “Mai”) and she was AMAZING! She is very experienced (more than 10 years), spoke very good English and shared a lot on the land, crops and cultures during trekking. She was also very attentive and provided assistance whenever I needed : my knee was weak so I walked very slowly in the forest or difficult paths/parts. She would slow down and allow me to hold her hand to walk firmly. She also found me a walking stick! I feel like I was spoiled by her! She also made it very clear about the options (easy path through the village or difficult path through the forest) and the time allocation. I felt very safe to walk with her! Despite my bad knee I chose the difficult path before lunch. Turned out we only saw one other group on the trek. Definitely not a path bombarded by tourists! I felt very glad about it! She also suggested good photo spots. The Dao herbal bath was awesome and I recommend it to everyone. During the car ride back to Sapa town centre, she helped to communicate with the driver and stopped for a few minutes at the French Sanctuary ruin on the other side of Ta Phin. Super grateful to have May as the guide! Definitely recommend her and the path. The only disappointment? I didn’t sign up for a longer trek ! I should have signed up for the 2D1N path or the even longer one !

Review rating: 5

Itinerary Day 1

Itinerary Summary: Visit Ta Phin commune, hike hills, enjoy local lunch, stay with Red Dao hosts (17km)

Itinerary Description: The tour starts at 9 am from Sapa town. A car will take you to Ta Phin commune, which is home to the Red Dao and Black Hmong people. You will get to see the authentic lifestyle of local people as you walk along the footpaths. You will also get to enjoy the beauty of the surroundings. After spending around half an hour, you will begin your uphill hike to get up and close with the natural wonders of Sapa. This 2.5 hours journey will take you thorough mountains, valleys, forests and terraced rice fields. You will reach Phin Ho village which is located on the border of Ta Phin and Ban Khoang commune. The village offers you a panoramic view of Ban Khoang valley. You can enjoy the surroundings while relishing a delicious lunch with a local family. After finishing lunch, you will walk downhill through the paddy fields to Lu Khau village, where you will be warmly welcomed by the Red Dao and Blue Hmong people. There is a salmon farm where you will experience the salmon up close. Your trek will continue on a footpath to Suoi Thau village in the late afternoon. Here, you will check in with your Red Dao host for a night’s stay around 3:30 pm. You may interact with your Red Dao host, participate in cooking and appreciate the tasty local food. You may rest for the night after dinner.

Itinerary Day 2

Itinerary Summary: Explore villages, rice fields, local customs, scenic viewpoints, and return to Sapa (12km)

Itinerary Description: In the morning, you will wake up to a cup of tea or coffee and local breakfast, providing you with enough energy to start your trek. In the morning, you will take a short trek around Suoi Thau village where you may observe the daily life of the Red Dao people. Next we will pass by Gia Thau village to view massive terraced rice fields. You will then reach Kim Ngan village. Here, you will enjoy a picnic with a local family and the spectacular natural beauty as the backdrop. After lunch, you will follow a short uphill footpath to Ta Giang Phinh village to see rice fields and the Buddha’s Hand mountain. You will reach the center of Ta Giang Phinh village after another hour’s trek. Here you will visit the house of a local Blue Hmong to learn about the differences of the traditional customs and costume with the Red Dao and Black Hmong people. A car will take you back to Sapa town around 3 pm. On the way, you will get to take pictures of Cold Waterfall and Mount Fansipan Cable Car station. Your trek will end at our office.