Dawn mist
On the water among pines.
สิทธิเดช หนูห่วง — CC BY-SA 4.0 · สิทธิเดช หนูห่วง — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pattarawooth — CC BY-SA 4.0 · TimeVersusMilk — CC0 · สิทธิเดช หนูห่วง — CC BY-SA 4.0
A small mountain lake in the forest north of Mae Hong Son, created by a royal project for hill villages and ringed by dense pine forest, which earned it the Thai nickname Switzerland of Thailand. Its famous sight is dawn in the cool season, when mist floats on the water among the pines and small bamboo rafts glide slowly across it. Visitors walk a path around the lake under the pines, ride bamboo rafts poled by village men, and watch the black swans on the water. In the cool season a national campsite pitches tents on the shore, where Thais stay overnight for the dawn, so it gets busy in the December and January holidays. There is no fixed entry fee, and a raft costs a token sum per group. The road is a winding mountain drive of about an hour from town, and it is very cold at dawn, near freezing in January, so bring warm clothes. The finest months are November to February, with cool misty mornings; March and April are the smoky burning season in the hills. Leave town an hour before dawn to arrive at first light, then combine it with nearby Ban Rak Thai the same morning.
On the water among pines.
Poled by villagers.
Pine forest round the lake.
About 45 km north of Mae Hong Son town
At dawn from November to February, when mist floats on the lake; bring warm clothes.