Phongsali, one of Laos’s most remote and pristine provinces, rewards intrepid travellers with extraordinary natural beauty and an evocative off-the-beaten-track charm. Set along the border with China’s Yunnan Province, the region is renowned for its sweeping vistas of rolling jungle, deep valleys and terraced rice fields, as well as some of the most dazzling star-filled night skies in the country. The provincial capital, also called Phongsali, sits high on a cool plateau beneath 1,625-metre Sky Mountain, offering crisp mountain air and breathtaking panoramas. Strong Chinese influence is woven into daily life here—seen in the town’s traditional timber-and-stone houses, the widely spoken local Chinese dialects, and the distinctive baggy trousers worn by the Chinese Ho community. The surrounding mountains are threaded with beautiful trekking routes that lead to remote hill-tribe villages where centuries-old customs endure and traditional dress remains part of everyday life. Atmospheric, authentic and wonderfully unhurried, Phongsali feels like a journey into a quieter, older Laos.