Sapa is a “Vietnamese ”:/contikipedia/articles/vietnam village in the foothills of the Himalayas. The lush, green hills and countryside as well as the cultural and ethnic mix of the locals are the big draw to this part of the world.

Near the Chinese border, the everyday life of the village is very rural as the locals survive though subsistence farming. The environment is at an altitude of about 1600m/5200ft and is generally wet and foggy, cold in winter and humid to hot in summer.

The farmed hillsides are covered in terraced rice paddies and the mountains, mist, villages and people combine to provide an almost surreal landscape.

A visit to Sapa is more than just as a tourist standing on the outside looking in. Travelling to the region with Contiki allows you the opportunity to meet and interact with the locals and stay in the stilt houses of the Muong Hoa Valley.