Doi Tapang Viewpoint

Location - https://maps.app.goo.gl/UZvxnUHrx3exR6ZE8

Doi Tapang Viewpoint is 79km south of Chumphon Town. Take Highway 41 from Chumphon town for some 50km til you reach the Khao Pip intersection (a Tesco store is on the right just before the intersection). Turn right at the intersection onto road No. 4139 and travel 25km to the village of Khao Thalu. In the village turn left at the crossroads onto road No. 4014 and travel about 2Km taking the road to the right.

1Km along this road you pass Wat Tham Huai Klang on the right and then the road starts to go up into the mountains. Here you have to make a decision of whether to drive up yourself or go up on a rented 4x4. Whilst the condition of the road is passable, in places it is very steep and narrow, making passing extremely difficult. We opted for renting a 4x4 with driver, at 500 Baht (can take up to 10 passengers), from a place 1km after Wat Tham Huai Klang, where the road forks.

Map Location - https://maps.app.goo.gl/uKjrC7SjhSqkGEKG7

The drive to the summit was about 2 km and took about 15 minutes. 

The road takes you through rubber plantations, durian and coffee orchards plus raw jungle.

At the summit there is a viewing platform looking northwards.

But the best view is looking eastwards towards the Khao Thalu mountain range, the mountain with a hole in it.

It is possible to look down on Wat Tham Huai Klang. (On our return we stopped at the Wat but it was difficult to make out exactly where Doi Tapang Viewpoint is).

At the summit a large mile marker has been placed. Also you will find a small cairn (man-made stack of stones) with a colored cloth wrapped around it, plus two small cockerel statues. Would guess this is similar to the folklore of wrapping a cloth around a tree, paying respects to the spirits of the mountain.

Thia's like to visit here early in the morning to get the cooler air and sunrise.

From the summit the 4x4 took us round to the north eastern side of the mountain where there is a campsite. Possible to rent a tent at 300 Baht a night, or if you are going to pitch your own tent it's 100 Baht.

Map Location - https://maps.app.goo.gl/1iHUspj9oTrSF8669

It was on the road round to the campsite that I was glad that I had not decided to drive up myself! The picture does not really show how steep it is and I just don't know how the farmer picks his durian.