How to go

1. Drive a car

This activity is an example of a one-day trip to the mountains and back. You can rent a car and drive on this route, but you’ll need to be skilled at driving on a mountain road that twists and turns, is steep, and has a large crowd gathered outside.

2. Buy a tour

When you arrive in Chiang Mai, you can easily find and buy tours to Doi Inthanon because Doi Inthanon is a popular place in Chiang Mai. The itinerary, price, and quality depend on your budget.

What can you visit?

Leave before rush hour at 7:30 a.m., and manage your time well at each location. You will be able to visit according to this list.

Enroute visit attractions:

• Thailand’s highest spot is 2,565 m. ✓
• A tropical forest and a jungle boardwalk trek—Ang Ka Nature Trail ✓
• Twin Stupas and a beautiful garden ✓
• The Royal Agricultural Research Center ✓
• Hmong hill tribe market ✓
• Karen hill tribe village ✓
• Wachirathan Waterfall (pronounced “wah-chee-rah-tarn”)

If purchasing a tour, the time may need to be shortened, plus pick-up and drop-off tourists at various hotels.

What do you have to pay?

Of course, purchasing a tour includes all expenses as a full package. For private travel, tickets must be purchased at each location.

Doi Inthanon National Park Fee

The main entrance fee is to buy a ticket at checkpoint 1 and show up at checkpoint 2 before going up the last section to the top of the mountain.

300 THB for adults and 150 THB for children; it covers a jungle boardwalk trek and tourist center exhibitions. Check out the latest news and movements on Facebook.

Kiew Mae Pan: Cost

200 THB / Group [10 people]

You can group with others to share. There will be local guides, mostly Hmong, who will lead the way. There is convenient parking, shops, and restrooms around the courtyard.

Kiew Mae Pan is a nature trail that can be walked for 1.5 to 2 hours. This hiking route will be open from November to May only. It will be closed for conservation and reactivation from June to October each year.

Twin Stupas: Rate

100 THB / person

This part belongs to the Air Force. Therefore, you must pay an additional entrance fee for maintenance at the place. Please dress politely, and there will be a point to providing free culture-sarong services.

From the parking lot of Kiew Mae Pan, you walk down to the shuttle car park connected to Twin Stupas. At the checkpoint, pay the entrance fee. Then they will drop you off in the courtyard above.

Read more about Phra Mahathat Napamathanidol and Phra Mahathat Napaphol Bhumisiri (the Great Holy Relics Pagodas) by the Royal Thai Air Force.

Pha Dok Sieo Waterfall: Charge

200 THB / Group [10 people]

The nature trail leads you to Pha Dok Sieo Waterfall with the local Karen Guide. It is a popular hiking trail that has been used as a backdrop for many movies. It takes about 2 hours to walk.

It’s fun to walk through the farming spots. Tall trees, waterfalls, and streams. This area is the food source for the gibbons. You might see or hear them sing not away from you.

In the last section, you will walk down through farmhouses and stunning farmland scenery before the end of the walking trail.

Lunch: Price

It depends on the needs—an average of 300 THB per person. I often take the clients to eat at the restaurant in The Royal Agricultural Research Center, which has an entrance fee of 20 THB.

The restaurant has good and standard service. And you can walk in the garden and feed the fish after eating.

Another one is if you want to eat rainbow trout. I hid this restaurant for a special. It is small and cooked by the owner, so it might take longer when they are crowded.

If you bought a tour. Of course, most of them would gather at the Forestry Office’s restaurant. Some go to restaurants in the Mae Klang village if you have a hiking program included.

A sample itinerary

• In the morning
  • Pick you up at the hotel
  • Ascend to the peak of Thailand’s highest mountain
  • The King and Queen are remembered with twin stupas
  • Take a short trek on a jungle boardwalk (Ang Ka Nature Trail)
  • Lunch is at the Royal Agricultural Research Restaurant

• In the afternoon
  • Visiting the Royal Agricultural Garden
  • Shop at the Hmong Hill tribe market
  • A cup of coffee Mae Klang Karen village
  • Get a stunning view of the Wachirathan Waterfall
  • Return to Chiang Mai

What to visit, Doi Inthanon

Highest Spot 2,565 m

It is the highest mountain peak in Thailand. It is also the place where King Inthawichayanon is enshrined. The seventh ruler of Chiang Mai still has a sign at the top of the mountain. “The highest land of Siam” to take pictures and is the location of the radar station of the Royal Thai Air Force.

Ang Ka Nature Trail

A short nature trail, approximately 360 meters in length, takes approximately 30 minutes to walk along a boardwalk. To prevent nature from being trampled, there are signs giving knowledge about nature along the route.

The highlight is plants and trees that are hard to see during January – February will bloom and show off their beauty.

A type of moss is green alternating with light orange and brown and can be seen near the rhododendron trees. You will also see rare endemic birds such as the brown-tailed, green-long-tailed sunbird, yellow-bellied egret, black-tailed merganser, white-fronted flycatcher, etc.

Link to visit the Ang Ka Nature Trail study trail in VR format for tourists to see.

Kiew Mae Pan

The circle trail and distance is approximately 3 kilometers. It can be divided into 4 phases that can be walked for 2 hours. The first phase is a humid evergreen forest filled with moss, and various types of ferns, and then passes through the evergreen forest and enters a large meadow on a hill that is dotted with flowers on the ground.

Kew Mae Pan will be closed for conservation and reactivation from June to October each year.

Twin Stupas and a beautiful garden

Twin Stupas, or Pagoda, have the full names Pra Mahatat Noppamethanedon and Nopphon Phusiri.

Pronounce:
Pra Mahatat = pra-ma-ha-tat = [Stupas or Pagoda]
Noppamethanedon = nop-pra-may-tha-nee-don
Nopphonphusiri = nop-pon-poom-si-ri

There is a free shuttle service from the Kew Mae Pan car park. The entrance fee is 100 THB per person. Dress politely before going up, and there is a point to providing free culture-sarong services. It takes approximately 1.30 hours to visit.

The golden (yellow) pagoda is Noppamethanedon, belonging to the Kings. The pagoda is in the shape of an octagonal bell. Above the bell, it is shaped like an upturned lotus and has golden pointed flowers along with a 9-tiered silver tier at the top.

Inside is a Buddha image in the blessing posture, carved from grey-green granite from Indonesia. The walls are carved with stones to show his activities.

The purple pagoda is Nopphonphusiri and belongs to the Queen. Twelve-sided, the stupa is similar to an inverted bell. There is a lotus-petal-shaped balcony divided into 6 levels. The stupa is decorated with a purple-pink glass mosaic.

Lotus buds surround the top of the flower and has 9 layers at the top. Inside is enshrined a Buddha image in the posture of Ram Phueng, carved from white jade stone from China.

Both of them are surrounded by flower gardens and winter plants all year round. The scenery is beautiful, and the weather is cool.

This area is a groove where the strong wind blows. The weather is unforecast, with sun, rain, and cloud cover, the weather changes all the time.

I recommend bringing a light jumper or cover, as the mountain top can be very cool even if you are only there for a while. The weather changes frequently and is not forecast.

Royal Agricultural Research Center

Located on Baan Khun Klang (Glang), near the National Park Office.

This project was initiated in 1979 as part of His Majesty the King’s efforts to help the hill tribes cultivate crops other than opium, introduce modern agricultural practices, and protect forests and river catchments.

Research on flowers and ornamental plants in cold regions and small temperate fruit trees. This particular station is responsible for researching plant species and providing agricultural advice and support for 510 neighboring Karen and Hmong families.

And don’t miss the delicious food at the restaurant. Recommended menus include fried trout with garlic, stir-fried mixed vegetables with fresh shrimp, fried shiitake mushrooms with soy sauce, Smoked Sirloin and avocado, coconut milk, etc.

After the meal, admire the beauty of the “80th Anniversary Garden” decorated with azaleas and seasonal plants, among the wet streams of the waterfall. The station is beautifully landscaped and sees Siriphum Waterfall.

Bird Watching

If you like bird watching, there are getting on more than 300 Bird species around here. These are migratory birds from the Himalayas. There are many convenient bird-watching spots. And there are many types of housing available.

It is a special activity for bird-watching tours and is not sold to the general public. You have to contact them in advance. To prepare and find the routes of birds in each season.

We are writing a birdwatching article based on our own direct experience. Please follow the next episode.

Baan Mae Klang Luang

A Karen community that has lived in this mountain range for a long time. You can visit Karen Hill Tribe Village to experience their lifestyle.

The terraced rice fields during August are beautiful and a tourist village. It is the end of the Pha Dok Siew Waterfall hiking trail.

There are restaurants, coffee shops, and various types of accommodations available.

Waterfalls

Most everyone will stop by Wachirathan Waterfall before returning. You can be visited all year round. Easy to reach by car: Although the narrow entrance is only 2 km, there is a wide parking lot, cafes, shops, and very convenient restrooms.

In addition, Doi Inthanon has several waterfalls dotted along hiking trails or accessible by car. Some places can swim in certain seasons. You need to add more time to your itinerary to visit the various waterfalls.

Trekking, camping, and homestay

Doi Inthanon has many campgrounds and accommodations. Run by the national parks and the villagers It depends on your travel style and budget.

Of course, you need to add additional days to your trip for this activity. You can also bring additional equipment, such as tents, sleeping bags, etc.

Or choose to stay away from the crowd at Motho Homestay or a camper van in the Baan Bun Klang area, such as the Inthanon Valley and the Caravan Inthanon. Baan Mae Klang Luang also has many types of accommodations.

Hmong Market

Subsidize agricultural products Winter vegetables and fruits at “Hmong Market”, a local market for the Thai Hmong community.

It’s a spot where we stop to look at seasonal fruits and vegetables. Most of the time it will be on the way back from the mountain top before lunch.

If it’s fruits and vegetables grown here, they’re cheaper than anywhere else. I usually buy broccoli and avocado.

Quick notes

• It’s good to avoid traffic hours when you leave the hotel. My service is a private car can leave before 7 am, we will stop by many places to visit.
• Do not bring pets of any kind into the national park.
• A child rate is available for children aged 3 – 7 years old or whose height does not exceed 120 cm [3.9ft].
• Doi Inthanon can connect from/to Mae Wang and Mae Chaem District where located nearby and behind the mountains. It’s a good idea if you have a planned trip to stay outside of the city. Or continue your trip to Mae Chaem District and travel to Mae Hong Son Loop.

Chiang Mai is a popular tourist destination, with many Thai tourists arriving by car during the cooler months. As a result, Thailand’s holiday weekend saw an increase in traffic accidents.

Many cars overturned and lost control on the road down from Doi Inthanon. The reason is that they have no prior experience driving in various locations, particularly in mountainous terrain.

Please keep in mind that driving on a mountain road requires skill and experience.

For a wonderful 1-day trip, I’m an English-speaking driver. My service organized a private group for you. Please feel free to check my schedule.