Sa Pa is a very popular tourist destination with trekkers and photographers. It covers quite a large area but for landscape photographers, it is best to stay anywhere but Sa Pa city which is a bit of a tourist trap. There are certainly lovely restaurants and hotels, as well as a large mountain village atmosphere to enjoy in the city center but to really experience Sa Pa you need to get out of the city. For photographers the greater Sa Pa area is full of wonderful opportunities.
Rather than staying in Sapa city visit one of the outer more authentic areas. From south to north they include:
My favorite areas in the Sa Pa region are the two extremes — the far south and the far north. In the south Sa Pa starts in Nam Cang. My favorite area in Sapa. It is remote enough to still have a wild feel about it. You are likely to be the only tourist in the area. One thing to note about Nam Cang and the surrounding areas of Muong Bo is that the rice season starts and ends a full month earlier here with harvest completed often by the end of August.
Moving up from Nam Cang is Ban Ho or what I call the Topas area. It is anchored by what is often considered the nicest hotel in the Sa Pa area, the Topas Eco Lodge. The rice resort has a very large rice field to it’s west. Like Nam Cang come early for the golden rice time, late August to early September is best. Heading north from here you enter the better known areas south of Sa Pa city like Ta Van and Y Linh Ho. All have some special spots worth checking out but starting to become more commercial. The advantage is they are easily reached from Sa Pa city as a day trip should you base yourself there.
Past Ban Ho you have some great locations in an around the Muong Hoa Valley. These include Ta Van, Y Linh Ho, Lao Chai and other villages. You can spend weeks exploring this area with accomadations ranging from the simplest of homestays to luxury eco lodges. Many are fairly close to the main road, DT152 so you have good access to Sapa city for dining, spas, and other services. Some of these area, like Ta Van are getting quite commercial but you can easily seek out ra remote traditional homestay for an authentic local experience.
North of Sa Pa you have Ta Phin. I’ve never clicked with this area as a photographer though the ancient French Church ruins are worth a visit. Head an hour or so north of Sa Pa and it again gets wilder again and there are fewer tourists. The next big area is Muong Hum. A funny little town, with few services, but a lively weekend market and a nice enough hotel to base yourself for the remote area of Den Seng and on to Y Ty. Foreigners can’t overnight in Y Ty without a special permit. They take a week or so to get from the immigration office in Lao Cai. Some times they require you to have a guide accompany you. It is worth the effort if you have not been but now the roads are much better between Muong Hum and Y Ty and there are many worthwhile spots to photograph in places like Den Seng on the way to Sa Pa.
Y Ty is a large area, very remote, with few services. Best to travel at least in pairs as the motorcycle repair areas are much further apart than most of the region. Definitely take in the Saturday market if you can arrange to be in Muong Hum or Y Ty on a Friday night. It is one of the best markets in the region and not geared towards tourists like Bac Ha, etc.
After Y Ty you need to turn back to Sa Pa or Lao Cai as you are at the border with China.
I don’t mean to ignore Sapa city. There is a lot to do there and if you are traveling with non-photographers it may make sense to spend part of your time there. You have Fansipan Mountain, Cat Cat tourist village, Moana’s Instagramable spot, and lots of great dining, shopping , and spa service options. But if you’re a landscape photographer, get out os Sapa to one of these remote areas.
