An Overall Guide for Traveling Sapa by Motorbike [Update 2024]

The terrain of Sapa is mountainous; hence, highland roads and alleyways are easy to the eyes. A motorbike will help tourists experience every corner. If you are a nature lover, then a motorbike will be your number one choice to stop off and continue your trip.

Additionally, Sapa is a place of jaunty outside activities, such as camping or picnic, so a scooter will be a breeze to travel for a memorable excursion. Also, you enjoy the stunning scenery without any limitation of time or schedule.

Reaching Sapa by motorbike may not cost a fortune and avoid car sickness. Someone who is a car-sick usually is obsessional about travel sickness. Motor scooters will be the ultimate solution to deal with this solution. It is a piece of cake for tourists to pull over by the side of a road to drop in local pubs or stores because motorbikes provide comfort and convenience instead.

O Quy Ho Pass - Ban Khoang Village - Ta Giang Phinh Village 

O Quy Ho is one of the difficult and winding passes in Vietnam, O Quy Ho Pass inspires a lot of adventurous travelers. On this route, you will drive to the North Part of Sapa to O Quy Ho village where you can stop at the viewpoint and look over the magnificent landscape of rice paddies and mountains. 

After O Quy Ho, you will get to Ban Khoang Village, which is the home of Red Dzao and Hmong minority groups, you will meet friendly, and very hospitality that would like to invite you to their house and drink homemade rice wine. If you have a guide accompany you, then this is the best chance to understand their daily lives and local culture. Then further than Ban Khoang Village in Ta Giang Phinh Village which is an underrated destination among travelers in Sapa. The village is hidden among the mountain valley and surrounded by beautiful rice terraces.

During rice harvest season, it is a spectacular view of golden rice fields and blue clear sky above, what an unforgettable memory. In case you have more time here, stay overnight and trek to Ngu Chi Son Mountain and admire the view from above, a scared mountain shapes like five fingers.

Sapa motorbike via O Quy Ho Pass

Sapa - Y Ty Loop

Y Ty is a beautiful and charming village further up North and lies on the border of Vietnam and China. In each period of the year, the village has it owns a beauty and outstanding from other places in Sapa as well as in Vietnam. Located at an altitude of over 200m above sea level, with a special location, Y Ty is popular among travel photographers for “sea cloud”, its golden rice terraces, and snowfalls in the winter.

In order to get to the village, you will drive up the mountains, hair-raising passes, and drive through Den Sang Forest which creates a mystic atmosphere and unique vibe for this place. With this loop, you can finish the trip in one day; however, we strongly recommend doing it in 2 days, together with a chance to a night at one of few homestays will give you more comfort.

There are two routes to conquer Sapa – Y Ty loop. You can ride via Lao Cai city on the 4D highway as a literal loop. Or you can take the road DT158 from Ban Vuoc to Ban Xeo before retracing your outward route back to Sapa on road DT155 and highway 4D. Both paths have the same length of 195km and offer a spectacular picture of the Sapa mountainous area.

Sapa Motorbike Via Y Ty Loop

Sapa - Sin Ho Loop

Sapa – Sin Ho Loop is really unique experience and one that really shows the wonders of Northern Vietnam. Driving on this loop, you will pass through some of the highest peaks with the most scenic view and at least densely populated in the country.

If you want to explore local culture and off the beaten track then this route is perfect for you. However, the road is a bit dangerous for some fainted heart people as it’s on a high plateau, steep and curvy. From Sapa town, you will pass Silver Waterfall, drive through Tram Ton Pass, through a number of villages home to Thai and Dao minority groups, and to the scenic mountain top town of Sin Ho.

Sapa Motorbike via Sin Ho loop

 Sapa - Ban Ho Village 

On this route, you will head down Muong Hoa Street towards Ta Van, Cau May or Ban Ho village – all clearly signposted from the main road. Ban Ho is around 25 kilometers from Sapa town and a good spot to aim for: villagers are used to tourists and food and homestays can usually be arranged.

The road around the village hugs the side of the mountain with unobstructed views of the valleys and mountains to the south, with some truly jaw-dropping landscape onto the stepped paddy climbing up the slopes. 

There are many options for you to rent a motorbike in Sapa. It’s not difficult to find a place in Sapa town; you can either rent a motorbike from small hostels or hotels or some motorbike renting store. 

Places of motorbike rental are on the rise because of a bulk amount of visitors. It is not tricky to rent a motorbike, but the price is certainly different from one place to another. We try to choose some reputable ones to help you a little bit to make your trip more perfect.

Sapa Hoc Ly

• Address: No8, Hoang Lien, Sapa District, Lao Cai Province
• Phone number/Zalo: 0915.190.874

Situated in the heart of Sapa, this motorbike rental has built customer confidence and attracted more attention from a great number of domestic and foreign visitors because of its high quality and reasonable price.

Anyhow, the Old Church is just around the corner. You can ponder on calling at the destination because it is 100 meters or so. An array of vehicles from which you can choose, including Honda Air Blade, Wave, Honda RSX, Nouvo, and many more.

The price, which is affordable for all the visitors, can fluctuate between 80.000 and 150.000 VND. 

The house owner who is almost available for help if someone needs support is cordial, easy-going, and helpful. You as well as your beloved people can enjoy the whole day by the sole motorbike.

Tam Tran Sapa – Motorbike For Rent

• Address: No10 Hoang Lien, Sapa District, Lao Cai Province
• Phone number/Zalo: 0974.473.740

Tam Tran Sapa is considered “a crowded pit stop” for motorbike renters. Vehicles are fixed up and cleaned at all times to get rid of dirt for safety and comfort. Fare is exceptionally reasonable, including the cost of helmets. The host serves enthusiastically and warmly. You can appreciate and feel clear when you enter the house.

Lao Cai Tourism Centre

• Address: No2 Fansipan, Sapa District
• Phone number: 0203.871.975

Sapa motorbike rental is in the center of Sapa District, which attracts more attention because many visitors need to hire motorbikes for contemplating the landscape. You only 100.000 VND per motorbike for a day-long trip.

The house owner continuously checks with all motor scooters whether they operate well to ensure that tourists will gain beautiful experiences.

Mr.Chinh

• Address: 44 Fansipan, Sapa Town, Sapa District, Lao Cai Province
• Phone number: 0988.628.515

If you are looking for a location for motorbike rental with dirt-cheap price, it is very this one. The price can be beyond your wildest dreams for a journey in a whole day.

Being in Sapa Town, it's just a child’s play to find out the place. If you are a careful person, you can call them first to discuss motorbike rental.

Manh Hung

• Address: Sapa Town, Sapa District, Lao Cai Province
• Phone number: 0986.557.236

The price of motorbike rental here is higher than the others. However, you get what you pay for. The fare can range from 100.000 to 220.000 VND to own a good motorbike.

In addition, it does not take a long time for you to hold on to finish a procedure, just by the minute.

Rent motorbike in Sapa

Riding a motorcycle in Sapa is a fun experience, especially for travelers who like adventures. To enjoy the trip at its best, there are few things that you need to know.

When renting a motorbike, you should do a test ride, and make sure every part of the bike you choose is in good condition as well as working properly. Feeling comfortable and safe on your motorbike is highly important. Keep in mind some parts of the motorbike that need to be checked carefully as follows:

• Check the profile on the tires, roads can be slippery.
• Are the motorbike’s head and backlight working?
• Are the direction lights and brake lights working?
• Is your fuel meter working? You would want to know when you need to gas up again. Even though Sapa is pretty much developed, the gas station density is not as many as in the city, so you should fuel up when it used more than half of the tank.
• Also checking if your horn is working properly.
• Are both breaks working properly, are they not too loose or too tight?
• See if the motorbike starts without its kick start.
• Check to see if the kick start works, make sure to put your bike in neutral for this.
• Check to see if there are no oil stains on your engine, there should not be any oil leaking.
• Ride in all gears to make sure that the gears do not shift back to neutral (this would indicate a damaged gearbox).

Also, there are a couple of things you should consider bringing with you on the trip

• A helmet, obviously. Normally, at the motorbike rent store, they will provide you a free one. However, if you have one helmet of your own, you bring it with you as it is essential to feel comfortable.
• A raincoat or poncho in case it’s raining 
• Sun cream for when it’s sunny. Don’t estimate the sun here, as it can get you to sunburn if you expose too much skin in a long period of time.
• A lightweight, compact windbreaker is important to have.
• A waterproof jacket if you are riding in the winter months, even if it’s not raining, the weather can be misty and very foggy.
• A sim card with full data will come in handy when you looking at the map online. If you prefer to have a digital detox, a sim card is still highly recommended. For some scenario that your bike breaks down on the way, and you need to call your bike renter for help.

Fun to do Sapa motorbike trip

While riding a motorbike in Sapa, remember to stay focus on the road, don’t let yourself be distracted by the view. If there any part on the way you find it spectacular, you should stop by the road and watch the view.

You now have all information on riding a motorbike in Sapa. It might be a bit tingling to think about but it is totally worth it when you give it a go. Besides, if driving on your own sounds scary, you can look at BestPrice or some travel agencies that provide motorbike tours in Sapa. These tours will give you peace of mind as you will have a driver and you are able to enjoy the scenic view from the back of the motorbike without worrying about being distracted. 

Ms. Minah

Image Source: Internet