Illustrative image, not a photograph
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Doi Pha Hom Pok

Thailand's second-highest peak, climbed from the country's highest campground near the Myanmar border

Difficulty
Hard
Duration
About 2.5 to 3 hours return from Kiew Lom Campground, once you are already at the trailhead
Summit elevation
2285 m

At 2,285 metres, Doi Pha Hom Pok is Thailand’s second-highest peak, in a national park hard against the Myanmar border north of Fang. Most visitors camp overnight at Kiew Lom, the country’s highest campground at around 1,920 metres, then walk the roughly 3 kilometre marked trail to the summit for sunrise. The mountain sees far fewer visitors than Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s highest peak, largely because reaching Kiew Lom itself requires rough 4WD track rather than a paved road.

Highlights

  • A sea-of-clouds sunrise from Thailand’s second-highest summit
  • Kiew Lom Campground, the country’s highest, as an overnight base
  • A genuinely remote mountain with far fewer visitors than Doi Inthanon
  • Wild rhododendrons in bloom on the upper slopes in the cool season

Getting there

Fang is about 2.5 to 3 hours by road north of Chiang Mai. From Fang, Route 4054 leads roughly 7 to 8 km to the park entrance; from there, only 4WD vehicles can continue the rough track up to Kiew Lom Campground, arranged locally rather than driven independently in most cases.

Safety tips

Nighttime temperatures at Kiew Lom can approach freezing in the cool season, a genuine surprise for a tropical-country trip; a proper sleeping bag matters as much as trekking gear here. The 4WD track up from the park entrance is rough and occasionally impassable after rain, so confirm current road conditions rather than assuming the drive will be straightforward.

What to bring

  • A warm sleeping bag rated well below freezing for the Kiew Lom overnight
  • Layered clothing; temperatures swing widely between day and night
  • A head torch for a pre-dawn summit push
  • Cash for the park entrance and any local guide or transport arrangement