Doi Angkhang

Doi Angkhang
Not many tourists make their way to this rugged mountainous area bulging out of the Northern Thailand border. But those who do are rewarded with breathtaking views of a wild frontier, as uninhabited hills stretch as far as the eye can see into Myanmar's remote Shan states. In the bowl-shaped valley nestled in the centre of this massif, you will find a comfortable resort, some guesthouses, a productive agricultural centre with colourful gardens, and a scattering of hill tribe villages.
Located about 100kms north of Chiang Mai, the area of Doi Angkhang offers a remote experience that has yet to be overrun with tour buses and camera-toting visitors. The highest peak is 1300m and is accessible by car. With cool year round temperatures, it's not surprising that Doi Angkhang is referred to as the 'Little Switzerland' of Thailand. It's possible to drive right up to the border post and gaze across a small saddle at the ramshackle Burmese army camp and sweeping landscape beyond.
The road descends into a small village located in the bowl-shaped valley from which the area takes its name and here you'll find the plush Amari Angkhang resort - promoted as an eco-friendly lodge. Indeed they have made particular effort to incorporate local resources, including people, into their day-to-day running and have minimised their effect on the environment. The resort abuts a hillside forest reserve full of nature trails, and there are also bird-watching activities, as well as horseback riding and even mountain biking trails for the brave.
In the nearby Doi Angkhang village, you will encounter a market where hill tribe folk sell their woven and handicraft products, and a few modest guesthouses can be found. The road continues along the valley for a further three kilometres before terminating in a forestry centre. Here you can witness first-hand the successes of the King's Project to wean the local people off opium production and into more savoury agriculture.
Evidence of wide-scale poppy harvesting in the past is still seen in the swathes of cleared mountainside. But today, this national Royal project, which was piloted in this area 20 years ago, has left the area covered in greenhouses. You may visit these, and purchase organic vegetables and fruit as well as potted plants, and visit the excellent flower gardens here which include a large English rose garden and rows of Rhododendrons. 

The atmosphere is quiet and peaceful with a wall of mountains in all directions. You also have the opportunity to visit some of the villages of the several different hill tribes who live here, including the Lahu, Lisu and Hmong, as well as the rare Palong. There is a settlement, Baan Nong Mai Bua, populated by the Chinese KMT who escaped to the region fifty years ago after Mao defeated Chiang Kai Shek. Even today it remains very Yunnanese in character.
Renting a car and finding your own way here is about the only realistic means of getting to Doi Anghkhang, other than private tour, and this adds to the appeal as your snake your way up impossibly steep hairpin turns. If you approach from Wiang Haeng in the west on route 1178 or 1340, you get the more spectacular views and have a chance to stop off at Sri Sang Wang waterfall, one of the North's prettiest but oft overlooked.