Doi Ang Khang

The Royal Agricultural Station Angkhang was founded in 1969 as the first of King Bhumibol's royal projects, and its purpose was specific: hill communities in this border country grew opium poppy because nothing else paid, and the station was set up to find and teach temperate crops that could replace it - peaches, plums, persimmons, strawberries, tea, coffee, cut flowers and vegetables that would grow at 1,400 metres and could not be grown in the lowlands. It worked, and the model was replicated across northern Thailand. The station covers about 318 hectares below the 1,928-metre peak, where the temperature has dropped to minus three in January, and it now runs demonstration gardens, orchards, a bonsai collection and greenhouses, with accommodation and a restaurant. Around it are Lahu, Palaung and Yunnanese Chinese villages. The access road is notoriously steep - grades that burn out brakes and defeat underpowered cars, with a lower-gradient alternative route - and the mountain is cold at night in the cool season.

Highlights

• The demonstration gardens - temperate fruit, flowers and vegetables at 1,400 metres.
• The crop substitution story - the 1969 project that replaced opium poppy.
• The hill villages - Lahu, Palaung and Yunnanese communities around the station.
• The border position - the Myanmar frontier along the ridge.

When to go

November to February for the cool weather, flowers and fruit; this is peak season and accommodation books out. Nights are cold - bring warm clothing.

What to expect

The direct access road is extremely steep and hard on brakes; use the longer alternative if unsure of the vehicle. Cold at night. Accommodation is limited and fills in the cool season. It is a working agricultural station, not a park.

Nearby

Fang hot springs are south; the Myanmar border runs along the ridge above.