Phu Chi Fa Adventures: Top Attractions to Explore

Phu Chi Fa (ภูชี้ฟ้า), also known as the Phu Chee Fah mountain, located in Thoeng sub-district, Chiang Rai province, is one of the highest peaks of Doi Pha Mon mountain range, which serves as a natural boundary between Thailand and Laos. The mountain owes its name to its shape — a sharp peak reaching into the sky with a boundless sea of mist during sunrise — mountain’s beauty defies words, and the romantic atmosphere can compete with any European mountain trip.

This tour is recommended as an additional route when traveling along the Chiang Rai loop or to Doi Ang Khang. Before traveling through the mountainous regions, do not forget to read our article on why brakes can fail on an automatic scooter and how to fix them. Also do not forget our tips for riders in Thailand.

The best time of year to visit Phu Chi Fa is during the winter months from early November to late February. At this time you can enjoy the amazing misty dawn views and light tropical frosts. At this time, the area and viewpoints will be filled with crowds of Thai tourists who travel to the mountains to freeze.

Facts and statistics

Location: Chiang Rai Province
Area: 120,000 rai (192 sq.km.)
National Park Established: 6 February 1998
Elevation: 1,442 m
Prominence: 222 m
Mountain range: Phi Pan Nam Range
Best visiting time: Nov. – Feb.
Visitors: 197,144 (2019)

Heading to Phu Chi Fa

If you are riding a scooter or motorcycle, you can to visit the hill-tribe villages and go further to Doi Pha Tung and other tourist spots quite comfortably. If you are traveling by bus, you can catch your ride at the passenger bus stations in various villages or even hire a songthaew (Thai pick-up truck) to get you around.

If you are traveling with young children, then we strongly recommend renting a car. It will be safer for your family.

Bus From Chiang Mai to Phu Chi Fa

If you want to use public transport, a comfortable bus leaves from Chiang Mai Bus Terminal 3 to Thoeng town once a day. One-way fare is 270-350 baht. Travel time is approximately 5 hours. After that, you will need to hire a taxi, which for an additional 500-600 baht will take you to your destination.

Things To Do

Mae Kachan Hot Spring

Make your first stop at the hot springs along the main road. There are several places worth paying attention to here. Firstly, a fountain, from which a jet of hot water is pouring several meters upwards. Here you can take a photo as a souvenir. Secondly, you will find here hot mineral baths for your feet, where you can sit for a few minutes and relax for free. Well, thirdly, a stone bath with water whose temperature reaches 98 degrees Celsius. When you come to this stone bath, you will definitely be offered to buy quail eggs in a wicker basket, which you can boil and eat right there.

Around you will find many souvenir shops, 7-Eleven, several cafes.

Be careful when shopping for jewelry. Once, in this place, a jewelry seller sold us expensive earrings, which, according to him, were made of real gold. When we returned home, it turned out that it was imitation jewelry, not gold. We had to go to the police, who helped us get the money back. However, time was wasted.

This was not a seller’s mistake, or a language barrier misunderstanding. We are local and speak excellent Thai, and before paying the money, we asked the seller a lot of clarifying questions. However, we were deceived.

Tan Tong Waterfall

Before you cross the border of Lampang and Phayao provinces, you will meet Tan Tong waterfall on your way. By the way, if you suddenly do not know yet, during your trip to Pu Chi Fa, your path lies through 4 provinces of northern Thailand: Chiang Mai – Chiang Rai – Lampang – Phayao. And only after you enter Chiang Rai province again, you reach the top of Phu Chi Fa Mountain.

Dinosaur Viewpoint

If you’ve seen dinosaurs, congratulations! Are you in Phayao! Keep left – there is an exit from the main road. Time for a selfie!

If you’re planning to vacation in northern Thailand for a few days and haven’t yet made up your mind about what sights you want to see, then check out our online Chiang Mai attractions guide.

Detour

Anyway, if you go to Pu Chi Fa, then you go there overnight to see one of the most delightful sunrises in the world. This means you have a lot of time to explore other attractions that you will meet along the way. Why don’t you turn off the main road for a couple of hours?

Phayao Lake

About 70 million years ago, when the lithosphere broke apart, Phayao Lake was formed. In the past, water from the mountains flowed into streams and rivers and turned into small swamps every year during the dry season in the area around Phayao Lake. A lot of temples used to be in the area around Phayao Lake. That was many years ago. Later, when the Department of Fisheries built a water gate to keep water in Phayao, the temple was flooded.

Bor Sib Song Cliff

Bor Sib Song (Well #12) is a tourist attraction of Phayao Province. It is located at Ban Tom Sub-district, Mueang Phayao District. It is a forest and rock cliff. There have many large stones. There is a viewpoint as a cliff protruding (local people call it Phu Chee Fa Noi).

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19.2422326, 99.9104293

After you get to this point – follow the signs. First, you will have to drive on a dirt road, and at the very end you will need to walk about 500 meters. If there was no rain, the dirt road will be dry and you will have no trouble getting to your destination.

Wat Analayo Thippayaram

The large seated Buddha image at Wat Analayo, which is 20 kilometers west of the town of Phayao and on top of Doi Busarakham, is well-known. The temple grounds have many more beautiful Buddha statues in different poses, as well as the Indian-style Rattana Chedi and a Chinese pavilion with Guan Yin Bodhisattva inside.

Where Are We Going Next?

Phu Sang Waterfall

Before reaching several kilometers to Phu Chi Fa, you will encounter another waterfall. Located in the area of Doi Phu Sang National Park, Phu Sang is a famous small waterfall filled with warm water from the hot springs. You can even take a swim! There is also a natural warm water pond where the water temperature is around 35°C nearby.

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Phu Pha Sawan Viewpoint

Also located in the Phu Chee Fah area, this viewpoint offers views of the sea of mist. Visitors can pitch a tent in the camping area or find accommodations at one of many resorts in the area nearby.

Points of Interest

Main Viewpoint

According to Wiki, the height of the mountain is 1,442 meters (4,731 feet). The very top of the mountain offers a 360-degree, panoramic view of rare beauty. To see the sea of mist and to watch the sunrise, you will have to take a 1,5km hike up the mountain from Rom Fa Tong village, located next to the trail.

Your walk will have to begin early in the morning while it’s still dark, so you can welcome the first light of a new day. On the way down, among the wild Himalayan cherry trees, you can stop to watch the birds and study the nature around you.

The Best Time to Watch the Dawn, Sunrise and Misty Sea

If you want to meet the dawn on the top of the mountain, you will want to use this website to check the time of sunrise on the day in question at this link – https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/@19.850653,100.4516864

Note that “sunrise” is the time when the sun has already risen above the horizon. Thus, to see the dawn, you need to hike to the top of the mountain about 1 hour earlier.

But do not forget that you will need time to prepare for the day and get from your guesthouse to the foot of the peak and climb to the top. If the sunrise is at 6 a.m., then to see the dawn you need to wake up at about 4 a.m. to be at the top of the mountain at 5 a.m. That is if the sunrise is at 6 a.m., then to see the dawn you need to wake up at about 4 a.m. to be at the top of the mountain at 5 a.m.

After dawn and sunrise, you can also see how the misty sea dissipates and the mountains that separate Thailand and Laos appear from the thick white fog.

The entire morning and round trip to the top of the mountain and back will take about 3.5-4 hours. Therefore, do not forget to bring drinking water and sandwiches with you to the top of the mountain.

Watershed Management Ngao – Ngao

This is the spot to enjoy the beauty of blossoming wild Himalayan cherry trees. There are more than 5,000 trees in the area. There is also a camping area where you can pitch your tent and toilet and other facilities provided for the tourists.

Phu Chi Dao

If you go a little further, after you pass Phu Chee Fah, you will reach the Phu Chi Dao viewpoint. Starting to go to the top of the mountain in Thailand, reaching the highest point you will find yourself in Laos. On the way to the top, you can take a picture with the border post, and then tell your friends about the illegal crossing of the state border of the country which they probably do not know about =)

Doi Pha Tang Viewpoint

Located near the main viewpoint of the mountain, this is another spot that is perfect for an additional change to see the sea of mist and more wonderful scenic views against the backdrop of the Mekong river.

Correct point on Google maps 19.931140, 100.519447

Doi Pha Tang, Hill #104

Image source: https://readme.me/p/28899

This is possibly the best viewpoint in the area. It offers a 360-degree view of the mountains and the misty sea. There are many places around that are perfect for your Facebook or Instagram photo report. And, most importantly, this place is not as popular as the main summit, and therefore there is a very high chance that no one else will be here. But there is one small caveat. You can only get here by SUV. You can hire a guide with an off-road vehicle at any local resort.

After visiting Phu Chifa, you can head to Chiang Rai and continue your journey through northern Thailand.

Phu Chi Fa Weather & Forecast

At the time of writing this guide, the daytime temperature in Chiang Mai is 32°C, Chiang Rai is 29°C, while the nighttime temperature at the top of Pu Chi Fa is only 6°C.

Before you go to the mountain, be sure to check the local weather forecast and take a rain jacket with you, just in case. Also, do not forget warm clothes if you spend the night in camping. Below you see the weather forecast for this week. Note how cold it is in the mountains at night right now, compared to the daytime temperatures in the cities on the plain at the foot of the mountains.