Thousands flock to Chiang Mai mountains to greet 2022s first sunrise
Nearly 10,000 people flocked to Thailand’s highest peak – Chiang Mai’s famous Doi Inthanon – to watch the last sunrise of 2021.
“On Thursday [December 30] we recorded a total of 8,485 visitors, while the numbers on Friday would have been closer to 10,000,” Kriangkrai Chaiphiset, chief of Doi Inthanon National Park, said on Friday.
“Before the arrival of Covid-19, Doi Inthanon usually recorded about 20,000 visitors daily during the New Year holidays.”
Kriangkrai said since no camping was allowed, tourists showed up as early as 4.30am to catch sight of the rising sun and enjoy the cold weather. Some stayed on to hike up the 4.8-kilometre Kiew Mae Pan path, which takes about three hours to complete.
Meanwhile, more than 400 tourists set up camp at Doi Suthep-Pui National Park in Chiang Mai’s Muang district to greet the first sunrise of 2022.
“The camping area in Doi Suthep is full,” a park official said. “Some tourists also opted for other camping sites nearby like Suan Son Lodging, Monthathan and Mok Fah waterfalls. Though these areas are not on mountains, the weather is cool enough to attract people.”
