Phu Ruea National Park

Phu Ruea means boat mountain, from the shape of a cliff that looks like a junk's prow, and the summit sits at around 1,365 metres in Loei province. It is best known for cold: the park has recorded some of the lowest temperatures ever measured in Thailand, below zero on occasion, and mae kaning - frost forming on the grass - appears most winters and is enough of an event that Thai visitors drive up specifically to photograph it. A road runs almost to the top, so the summit is reachable without a serious walk, with viewpoints over the surrounding hills and toward the Mekong. The district around it grows temperate crops and has vineyards, with wine tasting at Chateau de Loei. The park, set up in 1979, covers about 121 square kilometres, and its highest waterfall, Huai Phai, drops some 30 metres. Accommodation is park bungalows and camping, and it books out completely for New Year. Outside the coldest weeks the mountain is much less interesting.

Highlights

• The frost - mae kaning on the grass on the coldest winter mornings.
• The summit road - vehicle access almost to the top at 1,365 metres.
• The boat-shaped cliff - the formation the mountain is named for.
• The vineyards - the district's wine country, with tastings at Chateau de Loei.

When to go

December to January for the cold and the chance of frost, which is the reason most people come. New Year is completely booked out. Outside winter the mountain is unremarkable.

What to expect

Genuinely cold - below zero at times, and visitors from the lowlands arrive underdressed. Accommodation books out for the cool season and New Year. Frost is not guaranteed on any given morning.

Nearby

Loei town is east; Dan Sai and Phu Lom Lo are south.

Key facts