The far north - The Rough Guide to Laos - page 266

tidy street of low shop houses, some with roofs constructed of oil drums hammered flat and
laid out like shingles. Situated on the opposite bank of the town's green bathing pond is Wat
Kaeo , the local monastery.
Museum of Phongsaly Ethnic Groups
On the main street ∙ Mon-Fri 8-11.30am & 1.30-4.30pm ∙ 10,000K
Anyone interested in seeing what Phongsali's ethnic groups dressed like before the influx
of cheap Western-style clothing from China should pay a visit to the excellent Museum
of Phongsaly Ethnic Groups . This three-room display of tribal costumes and artefacts is
brought to life by detailed explanations in English. Most fascinating is the second room,
which covers talismans, divinity and birth and death rites, with a table piled high with food
and cigarettes to illustrate the basi .
Phou Fa hill
Daily 7.30am-5.30pm ∙ Summit entrance charge 5000K ∙ The access path is a 5min walk from the big round-
about at the entrance to town, just past the Daopufor Restaurant
It's worth making the stiff, but not unpleasant, walk up the forested hillside of Phou Fa hill,
the top of which is crowned by a modern stupa and offers excellent views over the town and
surrounding countryside on a clear day. A picnic stop halfway up makes a good lunch spot.
As an alternative to the eight-hundred-odd steps, you can descend along the bike track that
starts just beyond the TV tower at the summit.
Ban Komaen
Boun Neua road ∙ Day-trips (6hr of walking) can be arranged with the tourist office or Amazing Lao Travel
(from 154,000K, including lunch and guide)
One of the most popular day hikes from Phongsali is to Ban Komaen , the so-called four-
hundred-year-old tea plantation, high up in the hills around 15km from town. The tea trees
here, some of which reach 6m, are said to be some of the oldest in the world. In season, the
leaves are picked high on the trees by Phu Noi women, and then packed into bamboo cylin-
ders and sold in cigar-shaped tubes.
PHOU DEN DIN NBCA
Phou Den Din is Laos's northernmost NBCA and runs along the Vietnamese border for
over 100km. The scenery here is rugged and mountainous, rising up to the peaks in the
Phou Den Din range, which reach heights of over 1800m and form the border with Viet-
nam. The 2220-square-kilometre park is said to contain Asian elephants and Asiatic black
bears as well as, possibly, leopards and tigers. This is one of Laos's most inaccessible
NBCAs, though it can be reached by boat up the Nam Ou, or on foot. Your best option is to
speak to the tourist office or Amazing Lao Travel in Phongsali for up-to-date information.