Two white stupas
In Burmese style.
Yakuzakorat — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Yakuzakorat — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Yakuzakorat — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Yakuzakorat — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Yakuzakorat — CC BY-SA 4.0
A temple on the summit of Doi Kong Mu hill west of Mae Hong Son, visible from everywhere in town and its most sacred temple. Its highlights are two white Burmese-style stupas, the larger built in the mid-nineteenth century to hold Buddhist relics brought from Burma, surrounded by white guardian lions and halls with tiered Shan roofs. The temple terrace has a wide view over the small town in its valley, the airport, rice fields and forested mountains reaching to the Burmese border. The best time is dawn in the cool season, when a sea of white mist fills the whole valley with the peaks rising above it, then sunset as the horizon colours. Entry is free and a paved road climbs to the top, or a long stair from town for those who like to walk. Modest dress is expected, and by local custom women do not go near parts of the stupa, so follow the signs. The finest months are November to February, with cool misty mornings; March and April are the smoky burning season in the hills. Go up half an hour before sunrise to see the sea of mist and bring a jacket, as dawn is cold in December and January. Then come down for breakfast by Chong Kham lake.
In Burmese style.
Filling the valley at dawn.
To the Burmese mountains.
On Doi Kong Mu hill, west of Mae Hong Son town
At dawn in the cool months from November to February; go up half an hour before sunrise.
