For one of Southeast Asia’s best sunrises, head to Thailand and the hills of northern Chiang Rai province

Few sunrises in Southeast Asia can beat the one you’ll see on most winter mornings from the top of a mountain in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand

Head there between December and mid-February for the highest chances of witnessing a memorable dawn

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One of the best sunrises in Southeast Asia can be had from the top of a mountain in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand, such as Phu Chi Fah (pictured). The best time to go is between December and mid-February. Photo: Steve Thomas

Published: 7:00am, 31 Dec 2019Updated: 7:00am, 31 Dec 2019

There are amazing sunrises to be seen all over Southeast Asia, but few – if any – can beat the natural light show you will find on most winter mornings over the mountains in Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand.

The sunrises there draw chill seekers from all over the country, and adventurous foreign visitors, to the mountains in the province’s southeast, and to Phu Chi Fah Forest Park, during the cold season. There, the sun emerges from a cloud inversion – a white mist that carpets the valleys – and its colour changes from deep, cobalt blue to magenta-fringed to golden yellow.

Yes, you do need to get up early. You need to hike uphill in the darkness, and wait, shivering in the cold, for a while too. The rewards for doing so, though, are handsome.

The village of Rom Fah Thai (commonly referred to as Phu Chi Fah) is 95km (59 miles) east of Chiang Rai town, and sits around halfway along the Phi Pan Nam Range of mountains that loosely define the Thailand/Laos border. The summit of Phu Chi Fah is 1,442 metres (4,730 feet) high, and its distinctive cliff face can be seen from afar.

Phu Chi Fah has one of the best sunrises to be found in Southeast Asia. Photo: Steve Thomas

There are several other peaks along the same ridge line, some of which have paved access. Doi Pha Tang (see below) at the end of the ridge is the farthest flung.