Effortless Camping At Phu Thap Boek : Catching The Sunrise Amidst The Sea Of Clouds

If you have been following my blog, you should know by now that I’m a mountain person. Apart from travel posts, I also write about my hiking trips, specifically in Malaysia. Occasionally, people asked me about those astonishing “sea of clouds” (or cloud carpet) view I shared, only to be disappointed to find out that they have to hike for hours or days to get there. I get it, hiking isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

Photo from BAS hiking trip in Kelantan

Good news is, you don’t always need to hike a mountain to see the cloud carpet. You just need to be at somewhere high and cold enough (And yes, you can see that on Genting Highlands and Cameron Highlands too!). When the moist, warm morning air makes contact with the cooler surface air, the water vapor condenses to create fog. And that was what these cloud carpet is all about - a dense fog trapped among the mountain valley which linger for a couple of hours before it slowly dissipates due to the rising temperature.

Sea of clouds from my Mt. Rinjani hike

Sea carpet during my Mt. Merapi hike which I never had the chance to blog about

There are several places in Thailand where you can see this surreal occurrence, most of it located in the north, where the weather drops towards the end of the year.  And there’s this one particular place you can get to from Bangkok where you can see this wonderful view – Phu Thap Boek. You don’t need to climb up the mountain for this, as you can easily drive to the viewpoint.

What most people saw on Phu Thap Boek (Photo credit: Bangkok Best Travel)

Phu Thap Boek (also spelled Phu Thap Berk or Phu Tub Berk)

Home to the Hmong tribe, Phu Thap Boek is a 1768m high mountain in Phetchabun Province, near the border with Loei Province. Although technically in Lom Kao District, those who travel from Bangkok will first get to Khao Kho District as their gateway to Phu Thap Boek. Nicknamed “The Little Switzerland of Thailand”, Khao Kho itself is a mountainous region with cool weather throughout the year (sounds like Cameron Highlands huh?) and has its own charming places of attractions. Most people combined both Phu Thap Boek and Khao Kho in a trip as they are only one hour apart from each other.

Phu Thap Boek

Read on for our camping experience in Phu Thap Boek, how to get there and what to expect.

For a summary of our trip >>> 3D2N Khao Kho Road Trip From Bangkok – Tips On How To Get There, Where To Stay and What To Do in Less Than RM850 / SGD285

Getting from Bangkok to Khao Kho

Fly to Phitsanulok and rent a car from there

Currently there is no direct flight from Malaysia or Singapore to Khao Kho or Phetchabun. The nearest airport to Khao Kho is the Phitsanulok Airport which is only served by Nok Air, Thai Airways and Thai Asia with 1-hour domestic route between Bangkok Don Mueang and Phitsanulok. From this airport, it is another 2 hours car ride to reach Khao Kho. Or…

Rent a car from Bangkok

Like we did. In fact, most people choose to drive from Bangkok instead. The whole journey takes 5 hours without any pit stop (at least 6 after considering toilet breaks and coffee break).

We rented a Toyota Yarris from Bangkok

We rented our car from Europcar Car Rental (website), and we got a Toyota Yaris for RM325 for 3 days. Pick up was done at Amari Don Mueang, which is just opposite the airport, and we chose to return the car at Bangkok downtown on the last day of our trip. You can also return your car at any of the Bangkok airports. You may refer to their website for more pick up and return locations. To rent a car, you need a valid driving license, and this is to be presented during pick up. An extra fee is also required if you are to add a second driver as well.

Car rental: RM 325 (about SGD 108 / 2571 Baht) for 3 days with a refundable deposit upon return

Toll fee: 180 Baht (RM 23 / SGD 7.50) for a return trip

Petrol: 1960 Baht (RM 249 / SGD 82) for 3D2N

Tip: 6 hours on the road is a long journey, so we recommend that you make a pit stop at Lopburi, especially if you happen to visit during the sunflower blooming season (usually Nov-Feb)

Car charter

Getting a car charter could be a good idea if you are travelling with young children or elderly, or if you aren’t too comfortable driving for a whopping 6 hours. You leave the drive to a professional driver and just enjoy the entire trip. The driver normally accommodates to your planned itinerary but also give tips on the best places to go. Do note though, that travelling by car charter (actually a van) will take longer as vans have stricter speed limits.

Bus from Bangkok

You can also take a bus from Bangkok’s Mochit Bus Station for 400 Baht but I don’t recommend this mode of transportation, as it can gets too tiring sitting in a public bus for 6 hours.

Getting from Khao Kho to Phu Thap Berk

From Khao Kho, it is another one-hour drive to the top of Phu Thap Boek. To get there, take Highway No. 21 to Amphoe Lom Sak for 40 kilometers. At Amphoe Lom Sak, take Highway No. 203 for 13 kilometers and turn left into Amphoe Lom Kao. Proceed further for 5 kilometers, passing Ban Wang Ban. Go straight on until the end of the road, then turn left into Highway 1143 for 1 kilometer, and turn right into Highway 2331, passing Huai Nam Rin Village until Km. 18-19, prior to the checkpoint to the park. There will be a direction sign into Thap Boek Village. Turn right and drive for another 4 kilometers.


We read that the mountain roads from Bangkok to Khao Kho are winding and steep, with sharp turns, so most people recommend renting a 4WD instead of sedan to get to Phu Thap Boek. However, having done the trip on our own, I would say a sedan is more than capable for the road trip, and it is unnecessary to get a 4WD. The road is basically like that of Genting Highlands, so if you have drove to Genting Highlands before, it should be a piece of cake.

Stalls selling fresh produce

If you travel in the day, you will see local stall along the roadside selling fresh produce such as vegetables and fruits. We didn’t see this as we drove there when the sky is dark, but we saw them on our way down the next day. The stalls at the top of the mountain sells similar products but we didn’t compare the prices. The vegetables and fruits obviously look fresh to me, and we did in fact bought some strawberries. Despite not looking deep-red, they are quite sweet, perhaps only ranking second to the Korean ones.

Apart from strawberry, we also got a packet of macadamia nuts to snack on

As we neared the top, we saw some resorts built with room perched at the cliff, offering guest splendid view of the mountainous valley and the town beneath it, but we have our heart set on the top.

The Camp Site

We set our Waze and Google Map to Rai Rim Pha, Phu Thap Boek, and this brings us to the top of the mountain.

There you will see plenty of restaurants and food stalls, as well as bungalows lined along the viewpoint. We drove until we saw the campsite and the parking is right below the tents. It’s not difficult the spot the tents as they are in striking hue of blue and yellow. After parking our car, we headed to the tent rental shop to secure a tent. It won’t be difficult to spot the shop, as it is painted green with a green roof. The tents are already set up at the campsite, so you won’t have to pitch one from scratch. Once you make your payment, the staff will guide you to tent you selected.

The bright yellow and blue tents which you can easily locate

The tents are pitched next to the cliff (where the viewpoint is)

Normally only locals will be camping up here and the town is yet to be exposed to foreign tourists (they are some but not many), so do expect to face some language barrier issues while you rent a tent or trying to buy things from the stalls. However, fret not, as body language is always helpful and with the advancement of technology, you can always seek help from Google Translate. We managed to get around perfectly fine. The people here are also friendly, so that’s a plus point.

Camping: 500 Baht (RM 63 / SGD 21) for a 2-men tent and 400 Baht (RM 51 / SGD 17) for rental of 2 sets of mattresses, pillows and blankets.

Camping (own tent): 50 Baht (RM 6.40 / SGD 2.10) per person

Stove and charcoal: 220 Baht (RM 25.50 / SGD 9.35) (100 Baht deposit – RM 12.80 / SGD 4)

Tip:  Pick a tent near the mountain so you get an unobstructed view

Other Accommodation

If camping isn’t your cup of tea, there are also bungalows available in Phu Thap Boek. You get the same view as those of us who camped, but in your own private room. For those with elderly and young children, this will be a better alternative as it can get very cold in the tent as the temperature drops to single digit on some night.

Bungalows

They have their own private balcony to enjoy the morning view

Look at all the bungalows in Phu Thap Boek

Cost: Varies

The Facilities

Don’t worry about not being able to take a shower as there are shower facilities and toiles at the campsite. Located just right in front of the car park, they are pay-per-use and you just simply need to insert coins into the coin slot to enter. The shower costs 20 Baht while the toilet costs only 5 Baht per entry.

Shower: 20 Baht (RM2.50 / SGD 0.80)

Toilet: 5 Baht (RM 0.60 / SGD0.20) per use

Parking: Free

The Restaurants

As Phu Thap Beok is one hour away from Khao Kho town, it makes absolutely no sense to travel back and forth to take care of your meals. Good news is, there are plenty of Thai restaurants there. Most of them sells mookata (thai barbeque-cum-steamboat) which is perfect for chilly weather. All the restaurants here have outdoor sitting area which oversees the alpine scenery.

Mookata set for 2 pax

Mookata dinner: 450 Baht (RM 57 / SGD 19) for a 2-person set

One cafe / restaurant with a view

Besides restaurants, there are also other food stalls selling fruits and snacks such as strawberries, nuts, sweet potatoes, hot-dog roll, condensed milk bread, and cup noodles. You’ll never go hungry here!

You won't go hungry here

Eggs and sweet potatoes

Porridge, soup and noodles

Cost: Varies

The View

Sunset

We arrived after the sun has set, so we kind of missed out the sunset view here. If you are aiming to see not just the sunrise and sea of clouds, but also covers the sunset here as well, I strongly recommend that you depart as early as possible from Bangkok to make it to Phu Thap Boek before nightfall. Otherwise, stay a night in Khao Kho and save Phu Thap Boek for the next night.

Milkyway

On a clear moonless light, the stars will be clearly visible, if you have nothing to do at night, stargazing it is! Bring a tripod and set your camera to capture some milky way. You may be in luck for some beautiful shots. The boyfriend was too tired from driving whole day long, so we went to bed early, ignoring the beautiful sky.

Sunrise and sea of clouds

Woke up early for sunrise

We were prepared to be rewarded we cotton-candy-like cloud carpet the next morning. Sunrise in Thailand is 5.30am (GMT +7) local time, so we made sure to be up by 5am. As we stand at the edge of the campsite, we were engulfed by the morning fog. 

We are within the fog itself... :(

It was so difficult to get a nice shot like those we have seen online, and honestly, I couldn’t see any spectacular view but plain white background. Was the fog too thick or too thin? Too wide? Too spread out?

This is what we saw

I expected to see gorgeous fog engulfing the valley below, not being caught in the fog itself. I decided to wait a little longer. At 6am, tourists started to crowd the clock tower above. Those are the tourists who stay at Khao Kho town and made their here as early as 5am just for the view. I join the crowd at the clock tower, hoping to get a better view. 

The clock tower

At the clock tower, waiting

Still… nothing in the background but white fog.

Back to campsite, still... nothing

As time passed, the sun rose and with the heat from the sun, the fog dissipated, revealing the view of the valley below.

Trying to capture the sunrise

The sun is out

The valley beneath starting to reveal itself

Until it cleared up and the sun came out, but there's no fluffy sea carpet in sight

Then the fog was back but still... all white

Is that a sad face?

Perhaps we were one month early. Perhaps it was pure back luck. Perhaps, waiting for a bit longer would do the trick. But the boyfriend and I decided to walk around Phu Thap Boek, exploring other viewpoints.

Best shot of the day once all the fog is cleared (sadly no sea of clouds)

Cabbage farm

We walked from the campsite to the bungalows to the restaurants and food stalls, each with a viewpoint of its own. We didn’t notice this in the dark the night before, but this place is certainly huge.

Viewpoint from a restaurant

Besides the alpine view, we also saw cabbage farm. Being the centre of agriculture, Phu Thap Boek is one the biggest area for cabbages in Thailand, as this crop grow abundantly in cold climate. At every corner of the mountain, you will see cabbage farms as well as some other crops such as carrots, potatoes and strawberries.

Cabbage Farm

As seen from one of the restaurant

Ideal arrangement

The most ideal arrangement to make the most out of your trip to Phu Thap Boek is to have a one-night stay-over here, watch sunset on arrival, do stargazing at night and enjoy sunrise the day after. However, we arrive only after nightfall, skipped the stargazing part, and left after having no luck with the sea of clouds. So, if you are really into all the above mentioned, either depart as early as possible from Bangkok, or save Phu Thap Boek for the next day.

Part 2 of the trip - Khao Kho

The check-out time for the campsite was 12pm, but we left much earlier before 9am. We were in a tight 3D2N trip and I’ve got an important business call to make in the afternoon, so we were hoping to cover the rest of the places in Khao Kho before we check in to our next hotel in Khao Kho. After buying some fresh strawberries and macadamia to snack in the car, we drove to Khao Kho, ready for our next adventure…

More on: 

➢ Pino Latte Resort & Cafe: More Than Just A Café
➢ Wat Phra That Pha Sorn Kaew : Colourful, Mosaic Temple On The Glass Cliff
➢ B.N. Farm and The Front – Strolling Across the Cosmos Field For a Romantic Afternoon Date

➢ Akirynya Resort : Budget-Friendly Resort With An "Atas" View
➢ The Blue Sky Resort - A Step Into An European Fairytale Resort In The Heart of Khao Kho

➢ Khao Kho Wind Farm - Romantic Wind Turbine Farm Atop The Hill

➢ Best Eats In Khao Kho – Boranniyom Restaurant & Tanrak Talaymok 

Bonus: Other places to camp

Phu Thap Boek can get quite crowded, especially in the morning when tourists came in buses and van for the sunrise and sea of clouds. If the crowd turns you off, there are other places to camp with equally beautiful view of the “Thai Alps” (that’s what they nicknamed it)

Khao Ta Kian Ngo

I didn’t know about this place until after coming back from my trip, but the view here is so surreal, I am actually tempted to come back to Khao Kho. Here, you can get the view of Khao Pu and Khao Ya, which is dubbed “Mount Fuji of Thailand” due to its resemblance. Any car can reach the top although there are limited parking spaces. If the parking is full up there, you would need to park at the foot of the hill and walk your way up.

Thung Salaeng Luang National Park

Also known as the Savannah Forest, Thung Salaeng Luang is another place where you can camp for the night. The national park offers bungalows for accommodation, but you can also sleep at the campsite by booking in advance with the officer of Thung Salaeng Luang National Park.

Khao Kho Post Office

Another popular place apart from Phu Thap Boek is the Khao Kho post office. It is less commercialised but the view is equally stunning. This place is a popular campsite among the locals and may be full during the peak season, but most tourists who are only after the sunrise and sea of clouds will be flocking primarily to Phu Thap Boek.

Epilogue

After travelling half a day to get here from Bangkok, it may seem like a disappointing trip as we weren’t rewarded with that thick fluffy cloud carpet (like cotton candy) which we first saw on the internet. However, we did enjoy our trip as it was a different kind of experience, away from the bustling city of Singapore, KL and Bangkok. The boyfriend and I love countryside and anything that spelled out “nature”, so even though we were kind of unlucky with the sea of clouds, we did enjoy the chill weather and each other companion.

Maybe better luck next time

The other lodging options at Phu Thap Boek is bare and ain’t fancy but it is understandable given the price of the room. The chill weather is a great escape from the heat in South East Asia, and the view (in the right time right weather) is to die for. Who doesn’t love waking up amidst fluffy, cotton-candy-like sea of clouds?

Literally waking up amidst the clouds

So, the next time you are flying to Bangkok and in need of a road trip to unwind from the bustling city vibe, there’s an additional option to consider, apart from Hua Hin and Khao Yai. Hopefully, you have better luck in sighting the sea of clouds!

Happy birthday boy!