Private & tailor-made · 1–4 guests
Heaven Gate Sapa Tour: Private Half Day on the O Quy Ho Pass
The top of the pass in about four and a half hours: the ticketed park at Heaven Gate, the Tram Ton saddle, the Lonely Tree and Silver Waterfall, in the order the cloud suggests that day. Every entry fee is paid before you travel.
A sample day at a glance
What changes when the day is yours
A private car for your group alone
Private, 1-4 guests, and nobody outside your party is added to it
Your own licensed local guide
Fluent in English and explains the road, its people and the weather at each stop — to your group alone, not twenty strangers
Collected at your own hotel
Anywhere in Sapa. No meeting point to reach on your own
Every entry fee prepaid
Heaven Gate, Silver Waterfall and the Lonely Tree. Nothing is collected from you at any gate
No shop stops, in writing
No detour to a souvenir showroom that pays to have you delivered
You choose the hour at the top
Morning for the best chance of cloud in the valleys, afternoon to finish at the top in the late light
Duration
About 4.5 hours
Departure
08:00 or 13:30
Pickup
Any Sapa hotel
from · $38 · / person · ›Check your price ›
Choose your group size · price is the total for the group
Solo traveller$115 BOOK →2 guests$130 BOOK →3 guests$140 BOOK →4 guests$150 BOOK →Free cancellation up to 3 days before · every tour tailored on request
The day, hour by hour
This is a sample day: add, skip or linger over any stop and we will adjust it. The morning departure is shown; the 13:30 departure starts at Silver Waterfall and finishes at Heaven Gate and the saddle in the late light, back around 18:00.
Hotel pickup · 08:00 or 13:30 · anywhere in Sapa
Up the pass road · about 35 minutes · National Highway 4D, past the tea hills and the falls
Heaven Gate Sapa
08:35 · about 75 minutes · paths and some stairs
Main-zone ticket included — no booth for you
4 photos · tap to enlarge
The park that most people mean when they search for Heaven Gate Sapa, about 2,035 m up on the Lai Chau side of the summit. Your ticket covers the main zone: the tall split stone gate, O Quy Ho Pagoda with its rows of white stone statues, the red Quan Am bridge, the peach garden and the 2,035 m marker stone. Your guide reads the sky on the way up and tells you which deck is worth the walk today. Fairy Valley next door is a separate ticket and not part of this day.
Tram Ton saddle
10:00 · about 15 minutes · roadside
No entry fee on this stop
1 photo · tap to enlarge
The top of the road, where Lao Cai province ends and Lai Chau begins. Tram Ton and O Quy Ho are two names for the same crossing, and this is where you see why the weather changes here: the Sapa side is often in mist while the far side is warmer and clearer. Standing at the roadside costs nothing, whatever the platforms around it charge.
The Lonely Tree
10:25 · about 20 minutes · short walk
Viewpoint ticket included
1 photo · tap to enlarge
A small single tree at the end of a log walkway built out over the slope, with the valley falling away behind it, a short drive past the summit, towards the glass bridge. It is a popular photo spot, so your guide will time it around any tour vans.
Back over the top · about 20 minutes
Silver Waterfall
11:15 · about 30 minutes · steps, as far as you like
Entry fee included
1 photo · tap to enlarge
A long fall over dark rock beside the road, with an arched footbridge partway up and a staircase you can climb as far as you want. Much of it can be seen from the bottom, so nobody has to do the steps. In the dry months the flow is thinner than most photographs show, and your guide will tell you so before you climb.
Back at your hotel · around 12:30 on the morning departure, 18:00 on the afternoon one
The top of the pass, in half a day
No stops we did not tell you about, nothing to pay at any gate, and any part of it can be changed.
Group total · everything included
Solo traveller$115 BOOK →2 guests$130 BOOK →3 guests$140 BOOK →4 guests$150 BOOK →Price is the total for the group · free cancellation up to 3 days before
WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081Want a different route, pace or group size? We will plan your day and send you an all-inclusive quote. ›What is in the price
Included
- Private car and driver, hotel pickup and drop-off in Sapa
- Licensed local guide who speaks fluent English
- Heaven Gate ticket for the main zone, with O Quy Ho Pagoda
- Silver Waterfall and Lonely Tree tickets
- Bottled water
Not included
− Lunch and drinks beyond the water we provide
− Fairy Valley, which has its own ticket, and the buggy inside the park
− Anything you choose to buy on the road
− A tip for your guide and driver — never expected, always welcome
− Travel insurance, which we recommend you carry
Is this the right tour for you?
A good fit if
You want Heaven Gate and the view from the top without giving a whole day to the pass.
You would like to choose morning or late afternoon rather than follow a set slot.
You are travelling as a couple, a family or a small group and want a guide who explains what you are looking at.
You want one number that covers the car, the guide and the tickets.
Look elsewhere if
You are one person on a tight budget. The road itself is free, and a taxi from Sapa reaches the same viewpoints.
A view is the only reason you are coming and you have just one morning. On a day of thick cloud there may be nothing to see.
You want the glass bridge or the forest path to Love Waterfall. Neither fits in this half day.
You have a train or a bus to catch within five hours of pickup.
If you want the glass bridge, Love Waterfall and lunch as well, the full day ends at the top in the late light. See the O Quy Ho Pass sunset tour. Or tell us what you want to see, and we will plan a day around it.
Questions before you book
About the day
How long is the tour and when does it start?
It runs About 4.5 hours door to door, departing 08:00 or 13:30 from your hotel. Mornings give the best chance of cloud lying in the valleys; the afternoon departure finishes at the top in the late light. Tell us if another hour suits you better.
Where do you pick us up?
At your own hotel, anywhere in Sapa, with no meeting point to reach on your own. Your guide waits in the lobby for 20 minutes.
Is this the Heaven Gate with the ticket, or the free viewpoint?
Both. You go into the ticketed park for the gate, the pagoda and the decks, and you also stop at the free roadside saddle at Tram Ton.
How much walking is there?
Nothing long, but Heaven Gate has about 75 minutes of paths and stairs, and the stone gate itself is up many steps, which you can skip, and the staircase at Silver Waterfall is optional because most of the fall can be seen from the bottom. If anyone in the group finds steps difficult, tell us and we will plan around them.
Can we change the route or the pace?
Yes. This is a sample day and every part of it can be adjusted: add a stop, skip one, or spend longer at the top. Tell us before you book and we confirm the plan and an all-inclusive price in writing.
Does the guide speak good English?
Yes. Your guide is a licensed local who speaks fluent English and explains the customs and the story behind each stop as you go.
Booking and practicalities
Is the price per person or for the whole group?
For the whole group, from one to four guests: four people pay less each than two, and the car is the same car. Children under 5 travel free and do not count towards the group size; from 5 a child counts as one guest; groups of five or more travel in a larger vehicle — message us for a quote.
How do I pay, and when?
Two ways: pay the full price online by card, or pay a 30% deposit online and the rest in cash on the day of the tour, in US dollars or Vietnamese dong. We can also send a secure payment link on WhatsApp. The booking is confirmed once the online payment goes through, and your pickup time and guide’s name arrive in writing.
Can I cancel or reschedule?
Yes — free cancellation up to 3 days before departure for a full refund, and free rescheduling subject to availability. Within 3 days of departure, 30% of the tour price is charged because the car and guide are already committed. Date changes are arranged over WhatsApp.
What should I bring, and do I need cash?
A warm layer whatever the season, because the top is much colder than Sapa and the wind is strong, plus shoes with some grip. You do not need cash at any gate, since the tickets are bought for you; if you chose to pay the balance in cash, bring it for your guide.
What happens if it rains or the cloud comes in?
Light rain does not stop the day. If heavy rain makes a forest path or a stop unsafe, your guide swaps it for a viewpoint or the tea hills on the pass, at the same price. Cloud can hide the view on any day and is not refunded, but because the day is yours we can change the order or the hour to give you a better chance. If the authorities close the road over the pass, you choose a full refund or a free new date.
Book your half day on the pass
Private car and licensed local guide, hotel pickup, every fee already settled.
Group total · everything included
Solo traveller$115 BOOK →2 guests$130 BOOK →3 guests$140 BOOK →4 guests$150 BOOK →Price is the total for the group · free cancellation up to 3 days before
WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081Want a different route, pace or group size? We will plan your day and send you an all-inclusive quote. ›