Overview
The rice terraces are cut into slopes steep enough that they read as contour lines from across the valley, and they change completely with the season: flooded and mirrored in May, green through summer, gold in September before the harvest. Scattered along the valley floor are more than a hundred carved boulders of unknown age and meaning, protected as a national relic. The villages take homestay guests, which is the honest way to visit and the main local income after rice.
Highlights
Walk down the valley and take a car back up; the gradient is one-directional for a reason. September is the gold and May the mirror — those two weeks are the busiest of the year. Hire a local guide from a village rather than a Sapa agency: the money stays in the valley.