Where to get the best views above the clouds

There are few things more blissful than taking time out to lie down on some grass and just watch the clouds floating overhead. The languid pace, the cooling white against blue, the mystical shapes that hypnotise you as they dissipate. For some dreamy, next-level cloud-watching, and too-good-to-be-true photos, check out these high-grade destinations.

Ban Ja Bo Village, Thailand

Double-down on that heavenly feeling at the elevated, mountain-side Ban Ja Bo Village, where you can take a seat at a suspended bench at a simple little noodle hut and eat a steaming bowl of boat noodles while you swing your feet above the clouds below. Just imagine it – curlicues of fragrant broth twirling up from your bowl as mystical clouds swirl around the surrounding mountains right in front of you. Just – wow. Sunrise and sunset views are even more captivating too.

Nearest Jetstar destination: Chiang Mai opens in new window

Fansipan Mountain, Vietnam

Vietnam’s highest peak is often swathed in cloud – and you can dive head-long into the fluff by riding the 6282m-long cable car across the Muong Hoa Valley and right up to the summit of Fansipan Mountain. Once you’re at the 3143-metre peak, you’ll see thick, bright cloud ahead, sometimes thinning out and wafting around the temples, pagodas, statues and smaller peaks below.

Nearest Jetstar destination: Hanoi opens in new window

Mount Batur, Bali

Climbing Mount Batur, which is part of UNESCO’s Global Geopark Network and an active volcano, is a whole mess of thrills. Firstly – you’re climbing an active volcano. Secondly, if you book an early morning trek up to the summit in time to catch the sunrise, you’ll see an incredible blanket of clouds start to appear before you, dappled in the gold of the early morning sun. Oh, there are also hot springs there if you need an extra layer of bliss to your experience. Aim to visit between April and September for prime conditions.

Nearest Jetstar destination: Denpasar

Queenstown, New Zealand

Buckle up for this view. New Zealand is known as ‘the Land of the Long White Cloud’, and its landscape regularly busts out some jaw-dropping natural beauty – swathes of cloud like white velvet curtains behind undulating mountains - but flying into scenic Queenstown has been rated as one of the Top 10 Airport Approaches. You glide over snowy mountains then you’re cocooned in thick cloud until you come to see crystal lakes shimmering within the valleys below. It’s like the best kind of channel surfing.

Nearest Jetstar destination: Queenstown

Mount Haleakala, Hawaii

Mount Haleakala, set within the Haleakala National Park, sits 10,000 feet above sea level on the island of Maui and its surrounding clouds go technicolour mad at sunrise and sunset. The mountain’s peak is actually above the clouds, so part of the two-hour drive along Haleakala Crater Road actually passes through the clouds as you make your ascent. Once you’re there, watch the most pristine field of cloud glow with all the wild and fiery shades of a perfect Hawaiian sunrise or sunset.

Nearest Jetstar destination: Honolulu

Unkai Terrace, Hokkaido

Translating to ‘sea of clouds’, unkai are clouds that look more like a shimmering ocean than your regular, cloud-y clouds. One way to take a dip in this natural wonder is by taking a gondola right up from Hoshino Resorts to the Unkai Terrace. Sitting at 1,100 metres, this terrace puts you front and centre to a magnificent sea of cloud that bubbles at your feet. There’s a Cloud Walk and a ‘Cloud Pool’, which looks like a giant hammock. You can even take a yoga class amidst the white or get your cloud fortune read!

Nearest Jetstar destination: Sapporo