Pang Tong Palace

Pang Tong Palace is a royal highland development centre at 1,000 metres elevation in Mok Champae subdistrict, in the hills above Ban Rak Thai and roughly 40 km north of Mae Hong Son town. Established in 1980 as the second of the King’s highland service centres, it combines a working sheep farm, a rare-species breeding station and cold-climate crop trials across some 5,350 rai. Entry is free, open daily 08:30-16:30.

Past the entrance gate stands Saan Maharat, a small shrine holding a statue of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), with a second, smaller shrine to the Wild Tiger Corps opposite it. The sheep farm is the main stop for most visitors — a flock grazes an open meadow where you can walk in, feed the animals and watch demonstrations of shearing and hand-weaving the wool into scarves sold at the on-site shop. Further along, the wildlife breeding station houses species rarely seen up close anywhere in Thailand: clouded leopards, serow, barking deer, Siamese fireback pheasants, gibbons, Asian black bears and hornbills, kept across a dedicated conservation zone. Terraced plots elsewhere on the grounds grow temperate fruit and vegetables that don’t tolerate lowland heat — part of the same royal effort to give highland farmers an alternative to opium cultivation.

Soldiers stationed around the property are there because the royal family periodically visits to inspect the project’s work, not because tourist access is limited — walking around and photography are unrestricted. Mornings are quietest and coolest at this altitude; direct highland sun with little shade takes over the open meadow by midday. Mist regularly settles over the grassland at dawn between November and February, when overnight temperatures can drop close to freezing — bring a jacket even if you’ve come from a warm lowland town.

Insider Tip: Combine the visit with Namtok Pha Suea waterfall, about 2 km before the entrance, and Pang Ung’s pine-fringed lake, roughly 4 km further along the same mountain road — the three make a natural half-day loop from Mae Hong Son town.

Watch out: The final stretch of road climbing to Pang Tong is narrow, unlit and steep in places. Drive it in daylight and go slowly on a rented motorbike if the surface is wet.

Pair it with Pang Ung for the lake and Namtok Pha Suea for the waterfall — both sit on the same access road within a few kilometres.