Ethical Cultural Trekking and Homestay in Sapa: An Initiative by Award-Winning ETHOS
5.0
300 Ratings
Sa Pa

Experience ethical cultural trekking and homestay in Sapa with award-winning ETHOS. Explore the stunning natural environment, support local communities, and participate in impactful social initiatives.

Duration: 2 days
Cancellation: 3 days learn more
Highlights

The Spirit Tree

Sapa - The initial day’s hike spans roughly 14km, featuring the first six kilometres as moderately easy, albeit rolling landscape. The journey weaves through paddy fields and indigenous hamlets. You’ll encounter a rigorous ascent of about 2km before pausing to prepare a meal and enjoy it with your host family. Afterwards, there’s a descent towards your homestay.

Rice terraces and bamboo forests

Sapa - Proceed with your hike, which allows for considerable adaptability in terms of length and difficulty. A taxi arranged in the afternoon will escort you back to Sapa.

What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Homestay accommodation
  • Water and refreshments
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Breakfast
What's Not Included
  • Travel insurance
Additional Information

Our Social impact organisation, distinguished with numerous accolades, embodies a history of aiding ethnic minority communities via empowering, conscientious travel experiences. It’s with pride that we reflect on our position in the TripAdvisor Hall of Fame, commendation earned through over half a decade of being the leading tour operator in our area. What we aim for is to offer cultural immersion to those visiting Sapa, while also exercising environmental responsibility, nurturing our tour guide team, and supporting the native communities we cooperate with. At ETHOS, it’s in our essence to constantly uplift our operation and service levels via introspective assessment, innovation and creative thinking. Beyond tours, our community leadership members conduct constant workshops raising awareness and preventing human trafficking. Our tour guides also shoulder crucial roles in various community initiatives, covering the spectrum from education and health to hygiene and sanitation. We’re currently providing support to 49 families across 19 villages in four provinces and executing 26 ongoing developmental projects.

  • Minimum group size of two required for this booking
Location
ETHOS - Spirit of the Community
Meet your guides over complimentary refreshments and hear an details cultural and historical briefing from local experts.
Cancellation Policy

If you cancel at least 3 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(300 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Adrirebi01
Sep 10, 2024
A wonderful experience in contact with the local population - Of the whole trip to Vietnam this was the experience that has remained most in my heart. We did the Simply Hmong day tour and our Guide, Pan, was just fantastic. He accompanied us on the trek through the rice fields to the home of a local Hmong family who hosted us for lunch. We cooked together with the family and Pan and we had lunch together having the opportunity to talk to the host family and to know and observe their customs, traditions and their way of life. Before the tour we had a briefing of about 1 hour in which they explained a lot about Vietnam. I really appreciated the fact that this agency really supports local people and does not exploit them and that the experience was absolutely authentic. Really Recommendation. Thank you Pan!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Timoth_m976
Sep 2, 2024
The most authentic tour in Sapa - We had an amazing experience with Ethos ! Phil and Hao are passionate and kind it was a great pleasure to book a tour with them. We learned a lot about the minorities living in the mountains, their culture and lifestyle and the views of the rice fields were stunning. The tour include the hike in the mountains with a local guide, sleeping in a Hmong village, lunches+dinner and water (and happy water if you want 😁). We didn't see any other tourists during the hike, the experience was immersive (and the meals were delicious) ! If you want an authentic experience in Sapa, this is the place to go. Thank you to our wonderful guide Cha for your kindness 🙏
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hugomay
Sep 2, 2024
A unique experience I will never forget - This was one of the most unique experiences of my life. Basically, instead of being with dozens of other tourists and going into the "touristic" villages, you have a fully immersive experience in the culture of the ethnic minorities of the Sa Pa region. You feel at home directly when entering Ethos. They welcome you and take time with you to explain why they are doing those kind of experiences. Ethos really wants to make people feel the culture of the local communities and work on great projects for them. Our guide, Cha, from the Hmong people, led us through the wild remoteness of the rice fields, through the tropical jungle with every step of the way giving an incredible view. She is an incredible guide, super open-minded with a good sense of humor and a perfect English. We were extremely welcomed through every household we stopped and we will never forget that sense of community. Overall, yes you will pay for more money. But that will be worth every penny. We will never forget that experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Silvianapolitano
Aug 31, 2024
You will live a unique and unforgettable experience knowing you are making a small contribution to an important project - Wonderful experience thanks to an ethical enterprise that really has done and does concretely so much to support the Hmong community especially for children, thanks to the activities done with them you can contribute to their commitment and their constant work in the field, you gain us a unique and unforgettable experience, strong and true, and moreover you help to support this wonderful community, different from the one we know but welcoming and generous with its guests. We were welcomed as if we were family, even without speaking English we felt the hospitality and kindness of these families, our Guide (me) was fantastic, and hoa will catalyze your attention with her stories and explanations, she and her partner do a really great job here and we are happy to have met them.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vincedecopa
Aug 28, 2024
Unforgettable and Unique!! - ETHOS - Spirit of the Community is much more than just a travel planner or tour book agency. Here, fairness, humanity and consideration are paramount. To give you an insight into what this really means: Sapa is one of the places in Southeast Asia where travellers can get to know local minorities. These incredibly friendly and interesting people have been suffering for years from the exploitation of touring companies that send hundreds of people into the villages every day with highly commercialised tourism and completely trample on the culture of the people who live there. Things are different at ETHOS! They place great value on fair conditions, real interest and needs, as well as the promotion of minority living conditions - all for the benefit of your trip, because an adventure to the locals with a guide who belongs to them will be a unique experience. For me, it's not a recommendation whether you should book with ETHOS, but a prescription - all other providers may not engage in the same kind of humanity.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B5450ydanneliesv
Aug 27, 2024
Nature, local communities, and great food - We had an incredibly nice experience when we went hiking for two days with Ethos - Spirit of the Community in the rice fields in the mountains behind Sa Pa. At the start we got interesting information from Hoa about history and the local tribes. During the trek we learned a lot about the local plants and way of life. We passed by nice families where we had a super delicious meal. It was also nice to sometimes help with the cooking. The landscapes were very beautiful. We spent the night with a nice family where our 10 year old son played nicely with their 2 children. Our son was very surprised by their creative way of playing and still talks about it often. Tra was an incredibly nice guide! Thank you Hoa and Tra!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Giacomorn7890gw
Aug 21, 2024
Authentic experience - We did the two-day trek to Buffalo Valley. Beautiful and authentic experience among rice fields and Hmong villages, away from the most tourist routes. Highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Justine
Aug 20, 2024
Un trek magnifique en pleine rizière avec une très bonne guide locale ! - Our experience was so nice ! May, our guide, was able to help us discover the region and all its culture, with a smile all the Time 😁 A big thank you to her and to Ethos!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
671thibautg
Aug 20, 2024
Thanks Marie May - Thank you for everything! It was exceptional, there was everything we were looking for: hiking, meals and accommodation with the homestay, and lots of other activities. Big up to Marie May, our guide, who perfectly explained her culture to us and was able to answer our countless questions. Thank you again for everything 😍
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chloev626
Aug 19, 2024
Motorbike and hiking trips reviews - We spent a week with ethos discovering a lot of different tribes, landscapes and cultural habits (hikink and motorbike trip). Our guides were super good and the local families very welcoming! It was a real cultural exchange for us. We also tried the batique activity that we enjoyed a lot, we were able to create our own little piece. It was truly better than all of our expectations. Thank you again !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 7 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today