Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu

Doi Kong Mu rises directly above Mae Hong Son and carries two white chedis in Burmese Shan style - the larger built in 1860 by the first ruler of Mae Hong Son, the smaller added in 1874 - reflecting the town's origins as a Shan settlement in what was long a frontier zone between Burmese and Siamese influence. The terrace looks down on the whole valley: the town, its lake, the airstrip and the ring of hills, and in the cool season early mornings the valley below fills with mist. There is a second, harder fact about the same view. From roughly February into April, agricultural and forest burning across northern Thailand and over the border fills this valley with smoke, and Mae Hong Son regularly records some of the worst air quality in the world during those months - the view disappears entirely and the air is genuinely hazardous. Visiting in the burning season is a poor idea for that reason alone.

What you actually see

• The two white chedis - Burmese Shan style, from 1860 and 1874.
• The valley view - the town, lake and airstrip below the terrace.
• The morning mist - filling the valley in the cool season.
• The Shan heritage - the architecture reflecting the town's founding community.

When to go

November to January. Avoid February to April - the burning season fills this valley with smoke, air quality is among the worst in the world, and there is no view at all.

Honest expectations

The February to April burning season makes the air hazardous and removes the view entirely. The road up is steep. Free with donation boxes. Temple dress code applies.

Nearby

Wat Chong Kham and Wat Chong Klang are by the lake below; Pang Oung is north-west.