Astrophotography in Thailand: Dark Sky Parks and Where to Go

Thailand has something most countries in the region do not: a national dark sky programme. The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) runs a register of dark sky places, with national parks, campsites and lodgings across the country, and it publishes a sky quality reading for each one. In 2022 NARIT and the Tourism Authority of Thailand launched the Amazing Dark Sky campaign around it.

That makes planning easier than almost anywhere in Southeast Asia. Here are the places worth knowing, with NARIT’s own sky readings, measured in magnitudes per square arcsecond (higher is darker).

Doi Inthanon and the Thai National Observatory, Chiang Mai

NARIT’s Thai National Observatory sits about 2 km from the summit of Doi Inthanon, at 2,457 metres. Its main telescope is a 2.4-metre reflector. NARIT chose the site because it sits above much of the weather and away from the light of large cities.

Elsewhere in Chiang Mai province, the Chiang Dao area has many lodgings on NARIT’s register, so a trip north can combine the observatory with nights at a registered stay.

Suits: high, cold nights in the cool season, and anyone based in Chiang Mai.

Khao Yai National Park, Nakhon Ratchasima

On NARIT’s register as a dark sky park, with a reading of about 21. Its open campsites at Khao Rom and Lam Ta Khong give a view of the whole sky, and the park runs stargazing activities, astronomy camps and a programme that pairs a forest walk by day with stargazing at night.

Suits: a weekend from Bangkok.

Khao Phra Wihan National Park, Si Sa Ket

The darkest reading in this guide, about 22, which is close to the natural limit. The park spans Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani, 92 km from Si Sa Ket town, and has several wide open areas. NARIT’s listing mentions a viewpoint where Thailand, Cambodia and Laos meet, and the park runs seasonal stargazing and low-light photography workshops.

Suits: deep-sky imaging that needs the darkest sky you can find, and anyone in the northeast.

Mae Wong National Park, Kamphaeng Phet

The Khun Nam Yen campsite sits at 1,226 metres, 24 km from the park headquarters along route 1117. It has a clear view to the north, controlled lighting and a reading of about 21. The park offers packages that combine stargazing with Milky Way photography at its viewpoints.

Suits: camping at altitude in central Thailand, and meteor showers.

Pha Taem National Park, Ubon Ratchathani

At the eastern tip of the country, about 95 km from Ubon Ratchathani, Pha Taem’s flat rock plateaus and low trees leave the horizon open. It is known for prehistoric rock paintings and views of the Mekong, and NARIT gives it a reading of about 21.

Suits: Milky Way nightscapes with rock formations and the river below.

When to go

The cool, dry season from November to February has the clearest nights. The galactic core rises before dawn from February and is well up by April, before the rains arrive. From May to October, monsoon cloud makes clear nights scarce.

Processing what you bring home

Akastroid stacks, calibrates and finishes your frames on your own computer, with nothing uploaded. The free download processes three sessions and allows one export, enough to put one night from Khao Yai or Doi Inthanon through from start to finish. If you buy a licence later, PayPal works for paying from Thailand, with a PayPal account or a debit or credit card.

For what a reading of 21 or 22 means for your frames, see removing light-pollution gradients, and for nights from Bangkok, what to image from a light-polluted sky.