Sapa, a mist-shrouded frontier town nestled in the Hoang Lien Son mountain range, has long been the crown jewel of Vietnamese tourism. While traditional trekking and manual mountain biking have been the standard for decades, a new revolution is taking place on the vertical slopes of Lao Cai province:

Sapa, the mist-shrouded frontier town of Vietnam’s Lao Cai province, has long been a destination for those seeking the raw beauty of the Hoang Lien Son mountain range. For decades, the only way to navigate these vertical landscapes was on foot or via grueling manual mountain biking.

To guide you through this sensory-rich, active eco-holiday, we have compiled a definitive masterplan of the premier routes, cultural highlights, culinary stops, and exceptional accommodations across the country, featuring expert routing provided by the leading active travel operator, Golden Cycling Tours.