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Chiang Mai Doi Ang Khang Royal Agricultural Station
http://www.hotsia.com > Chiang Mai > Doi Ang Khang Royal Agricultural Station Most visitors drive up to Doi Ang Khang themselves (see travel and map to Doi Ang Khang). The road up to Doi Ang Khang is steep and winding for 10 kilometers. Anyone driving up must check their vehicle condition carefully and be experienced in mountain driving. Use low gear and drive slowly both up and down for safety. Doi Ang Khang offers experiences both day and night from a tourist perspective.
During the day, explore the Royal Agricultural Station and visit Ban No Lae to see the life of the Lahu people. At night, those staying near the station can enjoy a stroll in the cool breeze, taste tea, and have dinner. Campers at the designated camping area can gather around a bonfire and have fun with friends. This is the typical way to enjoy Doi Ang Khang today. It remains one of the few tourist destinations that are community-based in a valley, similar to Pai, Doi Mae Salong, or the valley towns of Sapa in Vietnam.
With a community and good management, it has become a popular winter destination for travelers. Tourism here is not just about enjoying natural beauty but also learning about the local way of life. There are many accommodations at Doi Ang Khang, with prices starting from 500 baht per room. Sometimes water pressure is low, causing water heaters not to work well, so showers can be very cold.
Therefore, when choosing accommodation, check the water pressure first. Some places have internet, but you need to inquire yourself. My visit to Doi Ang Khang today included flower viewing, learning about cold-climate plants, and visiting the border village of Ban No Lae near Myanmar. At night, the valley of Doi Ang Khang is lively and enjoyable for evening walks. I will write more about traveling to Doi Ang Khang in upcoming posts.
Let's get to know Doi Ang Khang first, based on information from Wikipedia. Beautiful flowers from Doi Ang Khang Royal Agricultural Station, a royal initiative by His Majesty the King to promote agriculture as an alternative to opium cultivation. The first research station of the Royal Project is located on the Tanaw Sri mountain range, Mae Ngon subdistrict, Fang district, Chiang Mai province, at 1,400 meters above sea level.
The peak reaches 1,928 meters. The area covers about 26.52 square kilometers or 16,577 rai. Established in 1969 following His Majesty the King's royal initiative to encourage self-reliance by converting opium fields into cold-climate agricultural plots that generate better income. This followed His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen's visit to villagers at Pak Phai village, Fang district, Chiang Mai, passing through Doi Ang Khang.
He observed the Muser hill tribe, who at that time wore long braided hair, black clothing, and carried swords, still cultivating opium but living in poverty. Their activities also damaged forest resources and watersheds, which are vital to the ecosystem and could harm other parts of the country. Thus, His Majesty conceived that this area has a cold climate, extensive opium cultivation, no forest, and relatively gentle slopes.
He also knew that hill tribes earned as much from opium as from local peach cultivation. He learned that Kasetsart University's cold-climate fruit tree research station had experimented with grafting peach trees. Therefore, he donated 1,500 baht of his personal funds to purchase land and farms in part of Doi Ang Khang. Subsequently, he established the Royal Project as a personal royal initiative in 1969.
He appointed Mom Chao Pisud Ruchanee to carry out the royal command as the head of the Royal Project Foundation. It was used as a research station to experiment with growing various cold-climate plants, including fruit trees, vegetables, and flowers, as examples for hill tribe farmers to cultivate as a livelihood. Later, His Majesty named it the 'Doi Ang Khang Royal Agricultural Station.' The term 'Ang Khang' in Northern Thai means
a rectangular basin, describing the shape of Doi Ang Khang, which is a mountain with a valley about 5 kilometers long and 3 kilometers wide. The center of Ang Khang was originally a high mountain like the surrounding area, but since it is limestone, rainwater gradually dissolved it, forming caves and collapsing into a basin with flat land about 200 meters wide, where the Royal Agricultural Station is located. Following His Majesty the King's visit to hill tribe villagers on the mountain,
he saw opium cultivation and shifting farming. He then conceived that hill tribes living on various northern mountains should stop growing opium. He donated 1,500 baht of his personal funds to buy land and farms in part of Doi Ang Khang and established the Royal Project as a personal royal initiative in 1969, appointing Mom Chao Pisud Ruchanee as chairman of the Royal Project Foundation.
Thus, Doi Ang Khang Royal Agricultural Station is the first research station of the Royal Project Foundation used for research and experimentation in growing various cold-climate plants such as fruit trees, vegetables, and flowers to serve as examples for hill tribe farmers to cultivate as a livelihood. The station is located in Khum village, Moo 5, Mae Ngon subdistrict, Fang district, Chiang Mai province, at about 1,400 meters above sea level, with approximately 1,200 rai used for research. 'Ang Khang' in Northern Thai means
a rectangular basin, describing the shape of Doi Ang Khang, a mountain with a valley about 5 kilometers long and 3 kilometers wide. The center was originally a high mountain like the surrounding area, but since it is limestone, rainwater gradually dissolved it, forming caves and collapsing into a basin with flat land about 200 meters wide, where the Royal Agricultural Station is located. The peach blossom island in the Jade Dragon village is one of the villages supported and developed by the station, including
five villages: Ban Luang, Ban Khum, Ban Pang Ma, Ban Khob Dong, and Ban No Lae. The ethnic groups in the Doi Ang Khang station area include Shan, Black Muser, Palong, and Yunnan Chinese, totaling four tribes. The average annual temperature at Doi Ang Khang is about 17 degrees Celsius, with a maximum of 32 degrees Celsius in April and a minimum of -3 degrees Celsius in January, making it a year-round cool destination.
