Trek Fansipan Sapa

I still can’t believe I did it (because everyone said the weather was too bad) but I did, I climbed Mt Fansipan… and when I say climbed, I seriously do mean CLIMBED because it certainly wasn’t like any other walk I have ever done!

It’s supposed to be the highest peak in Indochina at a height of 3143m and to get to the top usually takes 3 days, unless you are in incredibly good shape, lacking time and want to put yourself through hell and do it all in 2 days. So I thought I’d do it in 3 – on the first day this involved hiking to a base camp at 2000m, the second day was the ascent to the summit – going straight up 1000m – and the third day was easier, just involving hiking out of the jungle.

So from my first day in Sapa I was looking out for people to do the trip with me, which was harder than I expected. Sapa is a really beautiful town which feels just like the Alps, it is really relaxing, and I guess most travellers aren’t on holiday, especially during the rainy season, wanting to do a really tough climb! But I met an Israeli guy (Raz) who had just spent 4.5 years in the army who was interested in the climb, and then the next day we met Selyf (from Wales), who had climbed many mountains in the UK, so we booked the trek together. We did meet a few people who had come back, some having been turned back due to the bad weather, and no one was recommending the trip, everyone was saying it was too tough!!

We were really lucky since there was very little rain while we were on the mountain, but mud was everywhere, it was pretty slippery and dangerous, and while it wasn’t quite as tough as I thought it would be, I don’t know that I would say it was a really enjoyable experience. It makes me appreciate walking in Australia so much more! It was good to have the experience, just to know what it is like trekking in the jungle, up incredibly steep slopes where you are relying on tree roots and rocks, and all the time clinging to bamboo so that you don’t fall, but with all of the mud it was such hard work and pretty miserable! I would definitely be interested in doing some rock climbing now – I think I found going up to be more fun than going down – and it was pretty scary getting down some of the ropes, not having had any experience abseiling or ever having done anything similar!

But what was pretty disappointing, although not unexpected, was that there was no view from the summit, as it was shrouded in mist with the cloud coverage being too low. Whenever I get to the top of a mountain (or hill I guess I should say) what makes it all worthwhile for me is the view at the top, so it was a bit of a let down not being able to see anything. Though I guess it was cool being in the clouds – we couldn’t tell whether or not it was raining or simply moisture circulating within the cloud. And it was so cold at the top! I was pretty well prepared with gloves and a beanie, which the guys were laughing about to begin with (because it is August and supposed to be the hottest time of the year here), but then they wished they had them too!

I met a Canadian girl in Sapa who warned me I needed gloves and a beanie and needed to be really well equiped with gear, she had returned from the summit and had a pretty bad experience, spending the next 2 days recovering in bed! She reminded me so much of myself, so what she said really worried me. I only spoke to her for a few minutes as she was about to catch the train, but she was travelling on her own, having spent the past year as an investment banker, she was about to go to Laos and then she was going to do an MBA.

On the trek we had a guide and a porter to carry our food, the food being a highlight! It was funny as we walked into basecamp on the first afternoon, there was a local kid living at the basecamp who we saw shoot a bird with a slingshot, which was then left to smoke over the fire for the next 2 days. We ate it on the third morning for breakfast with fried rice, as well as chocolate and banana pancakes! While our porter (I think his name was Xao) seemed to know where he was going, I think we were all in better shape than our guide. We reached the summit in only 3 hours on the second day, but climbing down took more than 4 hours.

By the end of it all I had definitely had enough of the jungle, and really enjoyed the last bit of the walk through rice terraces to a White Thai village (an ethnic minority group). Raz and Selyf were great company and all in all we were pretty lucky to make it to the summit, as it rained heavily for the next 2 days in Sapa.

About the Author: Moniqueaway (moniquee)
I have been dreaming of a trip to Vietnam ever since I returned from studying in Thailand 18 months ago. Now that I have finished University I have 3 months to travel before I start work!

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