They say that the best experiences and adventures are the ones you don’t plan. This was certainly the case when we spontaneously decided to drive up to Doi Ang Khang one fine afternoon during our road trip through Chiang Mai.

It was a day before New Years Eve. We had already crossed off most, if not all of our to-do list while in Chiang Mai. We didn’t want to waste the day as we knew, post New Years party, we would be doing exactly that.

We remembered a local friend telling us about a place she had went a few days back, which was further up in the mountains called Doi Ang Khang, so we thought

“Hey, why not. We have a car, we’re all the way up here anyways. Might be nice to experience something different”

What is Doi Ang Khang?

It is basically a mountainous destination in the Fang district in Chiang Mai province of Thailand and is extremely close to the Myanmar border. So close that you can actually see the Burmese mountain ranges.

The highest point is 1,928 metres above sea level and boasts some amazing sceneries, lush valleys, exotic flora, plantations, cool climate and a fantastic site for camping.

In 1969, His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej (the current king) set up a royal project here called the Royal Agricultural Station to help the locals and villagers earn a better living other than growing opium fields.

So how did it steal our hearts?

The drive, scenery and the villages

It started with the drive up there from Chiang Mai. It took us 3 hours but it was the last 1.5 hours through the mountain that really excited us.

First it was simply the paradisiacal scenic routes of the mountain and valley ranges. The cool weather that dropped down to 11 degrees Celsius at night and a pleasant 20 degrees during the afternoon added to the amazing experience. It didn’t even feel like we were in Thailand anymore. I mean coming from Bangkok, this felt like we were almost in Europe.

Soon after we started noticing the wonderful culture and humble lifestyle of the people here. We couldn’t help feel for them and wanted to get to know them better.

Sadly, the sun was going down fast and time was running out so all we could do was wave and smile at the children as they hiked up and down the mountain to get to their school or home. We saw women in the fields picking fruits and rice while men did the more heavy-weight labor.

The drive itself was also extremely adventurous as we had to navigate steep roads and sharp curves while avoiding oncoming traffic as well. It wasn’t that the roads weren’t well-maintained though, in fact quite the opposite – they were smooth and wide. It just took a bit of skills and focus to get to the top.

The town and agricultural station

After reaching the Doi Anghang district, we went down the mountain a bit to reach the town village, which was in the vicinity of the Royal Agricultural Station. In town, there were villas, town houses, nature resort and a market selling local fruits, vegetables, handicrafts and all types of clothing.

The atmosphere, weather, people – all of it was just so different and unique. Perhaps it was the mixture of tribes and the blend of culture from China and Myanmar that gave this place a beautiful charm. Whatever it was, it truly warmed our hearts that we had to extend this supposedly day trip to an overnight one.

Here is where we stayed – an on-site accommodation at the Royal Agricultural Station. The view was stunning! Also note that these cherry blossom trees only bloom here for 1-3 weeks in the late December to early January period, so we were extremely lucky to be here.

We definitely recommend everyone making the effort and time to come up to Doi Ang Khang when in Chiang Mai. It’s completely worth it.