The pointing cliff
A rock finger over Laos.
Pulperm Phungprachit — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pulperm Phungprachit — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pulperm Phungprachit — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pulperm Phungprachit — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pulperm Phungprachit — CC BY-SA 4.0
A mountain peak on the Thai–Lao border east of Chiang Rai, about sixteen hundred metres high, ending in a rock cliff that juts into the air like a finger pointing at the sky, the meaning of its name. From its tip you look over a deep valley in Laos, which on cool-season mornings fills with a sea of white mist with mountain tops rising from it. Visitors arrive before dawn and climb a short but steep path of about a kilometre from the car park over grass and rock, then wait for the sun to rise over the mist, one of northern Thailand's most famous sights. The summit is open with no railings for the most part, so keep away from the cliff edge. Entry is free. Dawn is very cold in December and January, close to freezing, so bring warm clothes and a torch for the path. The villages below have simple guesthouses, and staying nearby is the only way to reach the top before sunrise. The finest months are November to February, with cool clear mornings; March and April bring smoke from hill burning. On holidays the path is packed with thousands of visitors at dawn; weekdays are far calmer.
A rock finger over Laos.
At cool-season dawns.
Between Thailand and Laos.
Thoeng district, on the Laos border, about 2.5 hours east of Chiang Rai town
Stay in the villages below and set off an hour before dawn; the drive from Chiang Rai is about two and a half hours.