Sunrise on Phu Chi Fa Mountain

Thailand Trip 2017

Chiang Rai | Thailand

04 Dec 2017 | Mon

Day 05 of 22

Sunrise on Phu Chi Fa Mountain

Today’s visit to watch the sunrise on top of Phu Chi Fa Mountain may just end up as the biggest highlight of our trip!  Wow, that is all I can say!  Looking down over the valleys, you see the mountain tops peeking through the fog below – this place makes you feel like you are watching the sunrise from the heavens.  Also, while we were waiting, we also had the Supermoon shining behind us!

Phu Chi Fa translated means “Hill that Points to the Sky” which I think is a perfect description.  One side of the peak is in Thailand and the other side is Laos – which allows you to be in two countries at once.  At 1628 m high (5,341 ft), it may not be the tallest mountain in Thailand (that honor goes to Doi Inthanon at 2565 or 8,415 ft) but I think it is the most impressive looking – especially with its cliff-like edge overlooking the Laos mountains.

We woke up at 3 am in order to have enough time to reach the base of the mountain (about an hour away from our Home Stay).  Once you arrive there you park your vehicle and grab a ride on a special songthaew truck (2 bench seats along each side of a truck bed).  After a short time on a long and winding road, you reach the upper gathering area.  Here you will find a small market run by Hmong people.  After you jump off the songthaew you will begin a 30-minute journey up an uneven, somewhat slick path, in the dark, to the top of Phu Chi Fa.  But as you can see from the pictures above, it was worth it!