Doi Pha Tang

Doi Pha Tang is a limestone cliff at around 1,600 metres directly on the Thai-Lao border, and the draw is a dawn view east over the Mekong valley with cloud filling the ground below and the sun coming up through it. Three viewpoints are reached by short steep climbs from the car park, the highest with a stone arch. The village below is Ban Pha Tang, settled by Yunnanese Chinese - former Kuomintang soldiers and their families who crossed into Thailand after 1949 and were later permitted to settle in these border hills, growing tea and temperate crops - and the food, tea houses and architecture reflect that. Wild Himalayan cherry flowers on the slopes in January. Accommodation is homestay and simple guesthouses, cold at night in the dry season. The mist requires a cold clear morning and does not appear on demand; people drive four hours and get nothing.

What you actually see

• The dawn view - east over the Mekong valley with cloud below.
• The three viewpoints - short steep climbs, the highest with a stone arch.
• The Yunnanese village - a Kuomintang-descended community growing tea.
• The January cherry blossom - wild Himalayan cherry on the slopes.

When to go

November to February, staying overnight to be at the viewpoint before dawn. The mist needs a cold clear morning; warm or windy conditions produce nothing.

Honest expectations

The mist is not guaranteed and the drive is long. Cold before dawn. Accommodation is basic homestay. The climbs to the viewpoints are short but steep and unlit in the dark.

Nearby

Phu Chi Fa is a short distance south along the same ridge; Chiang Khong and the Mekong are east.