Sapa's terraced rice fields, cut into the slopes of the Muong Hoa Valley, are the single most photographed sight in the region, comparable in scale and appeal to the tea-garden terraces of Munnar or Darjeeling. Fields turn green in May-June and gold at harvest in September-October, the best window for photography. They're best seen on foot or by motorbike through the villages of Lao Chai, Ta Van, and Y Linh Ho, with homestays available for a multi-day version of the route.