Hotels near Fansipan Mountain, Sa Pa

Be careful when planning a visit to Fansipan Mountain. The cable car is sometimes closed for maintenance in January–February. It can be hard to find up-to-date information online. We arrived and unfortunately found it was closed, so definitely check ahead before making the trip.

Unless you're very confident in your ability to handle the 600 stairs at that elevation, book the ticket for the funicular to take you up to the summit! You can book the Sapa funicular (both ways), cable car to Fansipan (both ways), and the funicular at Fansipan itself (one way - up) on Klook to skip out on the lines. Go on a weekday if you can help it to avoid queues.

Be fit. There is a lot of walking uphill to get to the cable car after you alight from the train from Sapa. I'd suggest you go after lunch as the tour groups all go early in the morning and it was like a dog's breakfast trying to get tickets at the train station and mayhem from the amount of tourist groups pushing and shoving like it was such an urgency to get to where they had to go shoving people out of the way to get to the train. It was laughable seeing them running frantically to the train like they'd miss out when the train came every few minutes. The day we went was not a cloud in the sky. By afternoon though there was mist on the mountains. It was a very hot day last week when we went. If you are terrified of heights and climbing lots of stairs think wisely before going up. It will test your fears of heights. I would definitely not go on a wet day. Very easy to have a fall. Overall magnificent being up so high and able to overcome my fear of heights.

dress warm, the weather on the peak could change, or have a risk to catching a cold from wind chill. Bring along a thermal bottle fill with hot tea or coffee. Tea or coffee at the rest stop range from 100000VND to 200000VND. The buffet is worth the try. Plan to go up the peak as early as its open then trolling down those steps to the cable station. Spare a couple hours at the restaurant to sample over 60 local dishes

Be careful hiking to the top, there are many cattle trails which can lead you off the path. They previously had park guards posted to prevent tourists from doing the hike independently. It's a fantastic cable car ride to the summit. The temples at the top of the mountain are so peaceful and it's a great place to spend a few hours meditating. People are generally very respectful and quiet. Even in the mist it's beautiful but if you see a clear day with the mountain peak visible, I recommend heading up straight away! It's not so common.