Comments on: Real Sapa Trek & Homestay by Sleeper Train | 2 Days | from HANOI, VIETNAM

By: Kelsey

Kelsey — Sun, 16 Oct 2022 11:00:48 +0000

We did a 2 day/1 night trek with our guide Su May.
We had the best time! Su May was very knowledgeable, we learnt a lot about the villages and their culture and lifestyles along our trek. The landscape is beautiful and the trekking on each day was not too difficult. We had beautiful weather (October), with no rain, lots of sun but not too hot for a full day of walking.
Su May and her family were very welcoming during our home stay, and cooked us a delicious dinner and breakfast.

Would recommend this trek and our guide!

By: Shan

Shan — Sun, 24 Apr 2022 00:44:38 +0000

Came across the site for a trekking trip in Sapa with the borders opening up. Signed up for a 2 days 1 night trip with local homestay. The trekking was adventurous as we trekked across rice terraces, on slopes and across rocks. The views are spectacular despite the seasons being a foggy. Needless to say, the tour guides were amazing and displayed great hospitality! Definitely recommend this experience 🙂

By: Jonathan Wilkes

Jonathan Wilkes — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 11:55:25 +0000

This experience was absolutely excellent. Friends Travel organised everything very well and also helped us arrange onward travel following our return to Hanoi. Our local guide around Sapa, Ping, was brilliant. She took the time to explain local customs and answer any questions that we had. The homestay family were extremely friendly and looked after all of us very well. I would definitely recommend this experience.

By: May

May — Sun, 08 Dec 2019 13:22:37 +0000

Overall great experience – beautiful, solid trekking, great guide, comfortable accommodations the whole way. As mentioned in an earlier review, we did get very pressured to buy items by a few local women who hiked part way with us on the first day. Understandable, but very uncomfortable and caught me off guard in the moment. Also, it felt like we were shuffled between many different chaperones with lots of time between each one on the trip back to Hanoi. I would still recommend booking with Friends Travel Vietnam – worth the money.

By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 28 Nov 2019 01:59:51 +0000

Fantastic trip. Enjoyed Sapa valley in mid/late November. Although Rice is long harvested by that time, nature and view are hauntingly beautiful.

The friends travel team was super helpful and reliable in answering all of our questions. Once arrived at Sapa we met our super welcoming and knowledgeable guide Chu who took us through fantastic paths with wonderful views into the valley over the two days.

Thank you for everything – wonderful trip!!

By: Florence

Florence — Sat, 09 Nov 2019 09:44:43 +0000

Great tour – pricey but recommended.
Our guide was fabulous, the honesty equally good. Food served very food too. Everything was very well organised.
The only thing I don’t quite understand (henxe 4 stars not 5) is why get some people on the overnight train where you hardly sleep and that takes 8 hours where the bus takes 4 and gets you to sleep in a proper bed (esp ahead of trekking 12 kms in the Vietnamese mountains).

By: Joanna

Joanna — Sat, 19 Oct 2019 10:42:33 +0000

Our three days trekking couldn’t have been better. Ping our guide knew everything there is to know about the area, she was keen to answer questions but also not imposing if we wanted to enjoy the amazing views and nature. We could not finish the amount of food provided for every meal and it was delicious! The two homestays were a fantastic experience, chickens and cows and all! The transport, timing and facilities of friends travel was impeccable, everything was planned to a t. I would recommend friends travel in a heartbeat…we hope to be back in the future.

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 05 Sep 2019 14:43:27 +0000

Amazing experience and incredible views.
Knowledgeable and friendly guide. Homestay gave an authentic taste of Vietnamese life. Professional logistics. Vegetarian options made available. Appreciated the showers at the office and Eden Hotel in Sapa. Dinner at the hotel was also good.
Some hard, persistent selling from locals who walked part of the way could make for uncomfortable moments.

Overall, very happy with the service provided by Friends Travel Vietnam.

By: Connor

Connor — Wed, 04 Sep 2019 10:28:13 +0000

Our Real Sapa Trek & Homestay experience was fantastic and Friends Travel Vietnam made the whole tour experience wonderful. They answered any of our questions, added small touches like goodie bags for the overnight train and gave us great recommendations for dinner in Hanoi before we left. Our trekking guide was knowledgeable and along with some other local women dragged us up the steep tricky sections of the climb as the track was muddy following all the rain. The foot massage after the first day trekking was a treat and revitalised tired feet. We loved our time in Sapa and would recommend booking tours through Friends Travel Vietnam!

By: Finn

Finn — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 03:32:53 +0000

Friends Travel Vietnam were amazing and made everything extremely easy, as well adding great complimentary touches making our trip even more comfortable. Would definitely recommend booking through them. The trek itself was incredible, had a fantastic guide. Everything felt very authentic and real, homestay was very memorable. Trek was decently challenging which we really loved – wasn’t simply an easy stroll. Was a great experience.

By: Mari Soerung

Mari Soerung — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 09:35:04 +0000

We had a wonderful time during our two days trekking in the Sapa area. Our guide was a lovely woman, and we walked through the beautiful nature for hours before we arrived at our homestay. It was a nice place to spend the night, with good food and a hospitable family. Super happy with the agency, their connections and how organized they seemed.

By: Emily

Emily — Sun, 19 May 2019 08:41:46 +0000

The experience was incredible. Our guide was a local and spoke very good English. She spent extra time telling us about the local village and what life for her is like. The landscape is beautiful. Would definitely recommend Sapa and Friends Travel Vietnam to anyone traveling to Vietnam!

By: Jonas

Jonas — Thu, 09 May 2019 02:33:58 +0000

We had an amazing time in Sapa! The organization was excellent and very smooth. The trip was truly local and we almost didn’t meet any other groups on our trip! We had a very kind and nice guide who shared a lot about her culture and the daily life of farmers in Sapa. Be prepared for tough hikes and wear appropriate shoes (I did the mistake not to). Don’t expect a luxurious stay but a very authentic and adventurous experience that puts things that we see as self-understanding into perspective. I would always book again with Friends Travel Vietnam.

By: Carly

Carly — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 15:23:58 +0000

Absolutely phenomenal! Thank you, Friends Travel, for creating such an amazing, authentic experience! Their office staff are so helpful and generous. And many more thanks to Su May for opening her home to us and leading us through the beautiful countryside. She was a wonderful guide and host, giving us such incredible insight into her life and the lives of other ethnic groups in the region. The food was excellent, and she made sure to have plenty of vegetarian options. Much appreciated! We were sad to part with her at the end of our trek. Our two fellow travelers from Germany were wonderful too!
And it truly was off the beaten track. As others have noted, we crossed paths with only a few tourists over the two days of trekking. Even with heavy fog both days, the scenery we did glimpse was absolutely stunning, especially during the few moments of clearing. Don’t let fear of bad weather stop you – I actually thought the fog created a wicked cool atmosphere, with the sounds of people working in the terraces and water buffalo grazing amongst the bamboo in the hillside above you coming from just out of sight.

By: Claudia Patricio

Claudia Patricio — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 23:41:55 +0000

It was a very, very nice experience this trekking. The team at Friends Travel were excellent and our local guide was amazing. Although the weather was not so good we still had a great time. It was worth it every minute and everything. Totally recomend this tour.

By: Mark Bullen

Mark Bullen — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 10:54:00 +0000

A truly magical and unforgettable experience. The Real Sapa tour was the highlight of our travels, everything from start to finished with 100% professionalism and yet we still felt almost like family. Our guide was from one of the surrounding villages and lived and worked on the rice terraces, she took us to places we would never have seen with other tours in fact on day 2 we didnt see a single other tourist. I cant recommend this experience highly enough, if you want to see the Real Sapa this is the one for you!

By: Hannah Hale

Hannah Hale — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 21:05:39 +0000

This trip was so well put together, and has a personalised feel to it despite the numbers that trust Friends Travel as their tour operator. The tour guide was phenomenal and we were very sad to part ways after our 3 days with her, she made us feel completely at home. The knowledge of the local area that she had meant we could head off the beaten track. The views of the rice paddies below are unforgettable, and the food we had throughout was delicious and wholesome, and catered for my veggie needs despite it being uncommon. We were slightly hesitant to visit Sapa as we heard it was very touristy but were so glad we went through with booking this tour!

By: Rosie

Rosie — Fri, 26 Oct 2018 10:23:21 +0000

Wow…what an incredible trip! Friends Travel Vietnam have absolutely nailed this. From the moment we started the tour we knew we were in for a treat. The team have got the winning formula for a memorable and simply unforgettable Sapa experience. From luxury travel to an authentic homestay and incredibly warm and knowledgable local guide we could not have asked for more. I highly recommend this tour to others looking for a real and authentic Sapa experience – we only saw three tourists over the whole trek!