Doi Inthanon National Park in Chiang Rai

Doi Intanon National Park
Doi Inthanon National Park covers a vast area and is home to Thailand's highest mountain. Doi Intanon is cool year-round and spawns the Mae Klang, Mae Pako, Mae Pawn, Mae Ya, Mae Cham and Mae Khan rivers.

The mountain's forested slopes include evergreen, pine forest and mixed deciduous teak & mountain pine. Doi Intanon also has some appealing waterfalls

The park supports a range of wildlife (although the species are diminishing due to encroachment). Barking deer, gibbons, serow, tigers (claimed), hare and wild pigs can be seen. And birds, birds, birds.

Due to the many different elevations, each with its distinctive type of flora/fauna, Doi Intanon boasts the highest number of bird species, many of them migratory, of any site in Thailand.

The Wildlife research center at Mahidol University claims the park has 362 species, with 192 classified as common or abundant. They also claim many of the birds at the summit are permanent migrate species from northern Asia.

Trips to the park can easily be arranged with tour operators and reasonably priced overnight accommodation is available. However, we recommend you arrange your own transport, preferably a motorbike, since it gives you complete freedom to hit some of the unpaved trails.

An offsite resource @ map of Doi Intanon
For more details on the park itself .. Doi Intanon details
Places of interest .. in Doi Intanon
Birding related details .. Doi Intanon Birding

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Located within Chiang Mai Province, Doi Intanon National Park encompasses the highest mountain In Thailand. The park covers an area of approximate 1000 square kilometers.

Below 800 meters you'll be looking at temperatures similar to that in Chiang Mai, but at the summit (2565 meters) of Doi Intanon you will experience a climate more like Northern Europe than Thailand. Frosts are not unusual during the cool season.

Even during the dry season, November to April, the summit may be shrouded in misty clouds for a part of the day. Persistent mist is an important factor in the diversity of the forests there.

From the main entrance (200 baht for foreigners, 20 baht for Thais - how's that for hospitality!) the main road winds its 48 kilometer way to the summit. The park attractions are spread over these 48 kilometers and so only a private vehicle will allow maximum flexibility in planning your itinerary.

A Honda dream or a decent mountain bike with panniers are the best mode since it allows travel on some of the rough and narrow dirt roads which lead to hill tribe villages. If you have a family then renting a car is feasible, although this means you will be somewhat limited in terms of exploring the more subtle areas of the park.

Facilities
As with many national parks in Thailand, accommodation is available. Behind Park Headquarters is a large compound with 11 guest bungalows available for rent. Each with copious amounts of water and electricity. Beds and bedding are also provided. Arrangements for guesthouse rental should be made at Park Headquarters.

If you'd like to get a bit closer to nature then there are campsites at the Headquarters area and at the Mae Pan Ranger Station. Average quality two-person tents can be rented at Headquarters but there are no sleeping bags or mats. However, the park does have a good supply of clean blankets for rent.

Firewood is provided and campfires are permitted throughout the year. As with anywhere in Thailand, food is never far away. Food stalls serving meals and snacks are located at several places in the park (check maps). Bottled water is also available, along with other drinks.

Visitor Center
The visitors' center is at KM 9 of the main summit road. There you will find an excellent slide show of the park and other nature related displays. The Visitor Center can also be reached by a short walk from the Mae Klang Ranger station. The trail follows the river up stream, passes the waterfall and reaches the Visitor Center in a few hundred meters.

Nature trails
Due to the fact hill tribes have been living in this area for centuries, Doi Intanon has no shortage of walking trails. Some of the main tracks have evolved into single-lane, motorcycle and truck roads providing easy access to villages. Most trails are not signposted so watch out you don't get lost. If you want to do some serious walking then you should contact the Park Headquarters for a decent map.

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  Mae Klang Waterfall
This unusual waterfall it isn't very high but the water makes for an impressive sight as it rushes past huge granite boulders. The waterfall is extremely popular with Thais, due to the fact it has numerous swimming holes, both above and below the main fall area.

Another reason it's so popular with locals is the easy access. (Hint: most day-tripping Thais won't go anywhere they cant drive their car.) This means that if you come at the weekend you might be disappointed due to the excessive noise.

On a weekday, however, the place is rather quiet and an extremely beautiful spot to relax in the sun or have a picnic. A well-maintained trail leads up the side of the waterfall and continues to the Visitor Center and beyond.

Vachiratharn Waterfall
(Km. 20.8) The falls are reached by a short, easy trail from the parking area. Vachiratharn waters tumble down granite escarpment, creating a misty veil of great beauty. This is widely thought to be the most impressive of all the park falls.

A short distance on the main road beyond Vachiratharn is the small Karen hill tribe village, Ban Sop Had. Turn right just past the bridge and you will find the village a few hundred meters up the dirt access road.

Mae Ya Falls
Mae Ya waterfall is thought to be the highest in Thailand and is well worth the extra effort to get there. It can be described as a large volume of water rushing down an ever-widening series of steps (about 80 meters in length) to crash onto the rocks below. That's to say it isn't a vertical free-faller like most waterfalls. It's a photographic favorite so don't forget the camera. Check out a park map for details how to get there.

Brichinda Cave
(Km 9) This impressive limestone cave has a gigantic entrance chamber and tower, then further along a second chamber (nearly as big as the first) with a skylight opening to the surface. A one-hour's walk from the main road will get you there.

Park Headquarters
(Km 30.8) The headquarters building has a small camping space and the Hmong village of Ban Khun Klang is also nearby. There is a bungalow compound located at the back. At Km 30.4 there is a paved turn off that takes you to Siriphum. An excellent view of Siriphum can also be enjoyed by walking or cycling along the track which forks left from the main road just beyond the entrance to the guest house compound. The falls are actually twins - two parallel plumes of cascading water named after King Bhumipol and Queen Sirikit.

Gew Mae Pan Trail
Ah, now here's a must for anyone who likes nature trails. Perhaps the most rewarding walk in the park is a new trail which begins a short distance up the main summit road from Napamaytanidol Chedi (see park map). This trail is set along an untouched natural evergreen forest.

The bird life here is abundant, including the Green-Tailed Sunbird which is only found here, so don't forget the binoculars. Before hitting the trail, permission must be sought at park Headquarters. Sounds like hassle but it's just a simple formality. Allow around two hours to complete the trail with camera stops.

Summit of Doi Intanon
(Km 48) The drive to the summit offers some excellent views, especially during the dry season. When you reach the summit be sure to take a look at the King Inthawidhayanon Stupa, and don't forget to read the translated inscription on the marble plaque nearby.

On the main road and opposite the summit Ranger Station is a sign in Thai marking a short, self-guided nature trail which descends to a bog in a small karst depression. The boggy area at the bottom is a good location for bird-watching.

The Mae Chaem Road
Branching off the main summit road at Km 38, the first kilometer travels through some lush mountain forest and then comes out into the open and follows a descending ridge with more excellent views. Makes a nice break from the main summit route.

Mae Pan Area
Here's another little gem you might not read elsewhere. At Km 6.6 on the Mae Chaem road is the turn-off to Mae Pan Waterfall. It is marked by a sign so you can't miss it.

The access road is dirt and descends about two kilometers to the Ranger Station where you will find a campground. This area is quiet and well off the beaten track.

From the ranger station there is an excellent loop hike of 1.5 to 2 hours through untouched terrain with small waterfalls and tumbling creeks along most of the route. Visitors can walk the 800 meters to Mae Pan Falls and back again, as well as the 200 meters to Huai Sai Luaeng Falls just beyond the campground. Both of these trails are clear and well looked after.

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