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 a wealthy Shan merchant, Chong Tong Su, to hold relics of the Buddha's disciple Moggallana brought from Mawlamyine, the smaller added in 1872 by Phraya Singhanatracha, the first governor of Mae Hong Son, with relics of Sariputta from Mandalay - 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 the view disappears in the haze. The temple was once called Wat Plai Doi, the temple at the top of the hill; kong mu is Shan for a stupa, and the site has been a registered monument since 1979.

Highlights

• The two white chedis - Burmese Shan style, from 1860 and 1872.
• 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. From February to April the burning season fills this valley with smoke and the view is lost.

Things to know

The February to April burning season hides the view in smoke. 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.

Key facts