The night before the tour started I was contacted by the representative of Local Team and I was told the conditions on how the walking could be done. I was told that they would only start the tour if I assured them I was going to be paying them 28 USD (700k Dong) after the trip. That’s something I have never been asked in a walking tour, a fixed amount like that. That amount it’s almost the same as when you ask the price for a trekking trip in the travel agencies downtown in Sapa. So you are basically hiring a normal trekking that has been hidden in the Guru plataform as a “free walking tour”. They do exactly the same itinerary and take you to the exact same places as all the other places that the travel agencies offer you. I ended up downloading the app “All trails” that allows you to see different trekking paths all over the city and it was amazing. I enjoyed it way more by my own than with the tourist traps. In case you still want to go with a local, they can guide you and help you through the path, you will find them once you start walking the path by your own and they will approach you to try to follow you and afterwards they will ask you for some money. I think that is way better since you are cutting the middle man (the Local Team organizer) and basically giving money to the local people in a more direct way, plus saving a few bucks. I wouldn’t do this “free” walking tour in Sapa.
