Ban Lek Nai Pa Yai Doi Dam Royal Project

High on the Doi Dam ridge near the Myanmar border in Wiang Haeng district, this is a royal development project initiated by Queen Sirikit in 2002 after she saw the deforestation and hardship along the frontier. Its full Thai name — Ban Lek Nai Pa Yai, “little houses in the big forest” — describes the idea: a small number of hill-tribe families resettled here on watershed land, each given a few rai to farm in exchange for caring for the forest. The community brings together Akha, Lahu, Lisu and Karen families, and the project sits within Huay Nam Dang National Park in the forested north of Chiang Mai province. (The mountain is Doi Dam; “Doi Khum” in the older listing is a romanisation slip.)

The headline draw is unexpected for a Thai mountaintop: cold-water aquaculture. The project farms rainbow trout and sturgeon in flowing channels and is the only place in Thailand producing highland black caviar — its “Silpachip” caviar was served at the APEC 2022 gala dinner in Bangkok. Alongside the fish ponds you’ll find shade-grown coffee, highland vegetables and greenhouses, forest honey, and hill-tribe crafts such as Lahu weaving and Lisu and Akha silverwork. Above it all, the Doi Dam viewpoint at around 1,835 metres looks out over a sea of morning mist toward Doi Luang Chiang Dao and across into Mae Hong Son — best from November to February.

Getting here is the hard part. Doi Dam is roughly 150 km and three to four hours from Chiang Mai, north via Chiang Dao to Wiang Haeng town, then about 25 km of rough, part-unpaved mountain road that climbs to the project past a military checkpoint. A 4WD pickup is strongly advised, especially in the wet season. There is no scheduled tour bus to the project itself, so plan to drive or hire a capable vehicle and driver, and contact the project ahead to confirm access and current activities.

Insider Tip: Time the drive to reach the Doi Dam viewpoint at dawn — the mist that makes the November-February views worthwhile usually burns off within an hour or two of sunrise.

Watch out: There’s no fuel station near the project itself, and mobile signal drops out for long stretches of the Wiang Haeng road. Fill the tank in Chiang Dao and tell someone your route before setting off.

Combine the trip with Ban Piang Luang or Wat Fha Wiang Intara, both also in Wiang Haeng district, if you’re making the long drive out here worthwhile with more than one stop.