About Doi Inthanon
Doi Inthanon is one of the most popular national parks in Thailand. It is famous for its waterfalls, few trails, remote villages, viewpoints, sunrise/sunset watching, birdwatching and the all year round cold weather on higher elevations. The main park entrance is about 70 km southwest from Chiang Mai city center.
Also known as "The Roof of Thailand", Doi Inthanon National Park covers an area of 482 km² in Chiang Mai province north of Thailand. The park is part of the Himalayan mountain range with elevations ranging between 800 and 2,565 meters asl. The highest peak in the park is Doi Inthanon Mountain which is the highest mountain in Thailand. The park has high humidity and cold weather all year round.
The park is named in honour of the king Inthawichayanon, one of the last kings of Chiang Mai, who was concerned about the forests in the north of Thailand and wanted to preserve it. After his death his remains were placed in the park as he ordered and the forest was renamed to Doi Inthanon.
The flora consists of moist evergreen cloud forests, sphagnum bog on elevations over 1,800 meters asl, dry evergreen, pine, mixed deciduous teak and dipterocarp forests on the lower elevations.
The rainy season is May to October with most rainfall around July to September. The rest of the year is quite dry with colder weather around November to February.
Wildlife
Due to continuous poaching and habitat change most of the bigger mammals such as elephants, tigers, gaurs have been extirpated from the park decades ago. Some mammal species like wild boar, gibbons, deer and serow still inhabit the park. There are currently around 65 known mammals in the national park of which half are bat species. Lucky visitors may see serows along the Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail, but sightings are rare.
With accidental visitors and historically few recorded species counted, there are around 500-510 bird species recorded in the park, which is the highest number in Thailand. Some of the bird species in the country that are only recorded from Doi Inthanon are; ashy-throated leaf warblers, dark-breasted rosefinches and collared grosbeaks. There are many more species that can only be found in Doi Inthanon or in the nearby parks.
The big bird migration to Thailand starts around March and continues with breeding time until June/July, which is the best time of the year to visit the park for birdwatching.
There are currently around 50 known reptile species recorded from the park, but the real number is much more.
Pope's pit vipers (Trimeresurus popeiorum), the recently described Guo's green pit vipers (Trimeresurus guoi) and Himalayan mountain pit vipers (Ovophis monticola) are three pit viper species found in the park. Some other interesting snakes recorded from the park are; two-striped keelbacks (Hebius bitaeniatum) and white-banded wolf snakes (Lycodon septentrionalis).
Chiang Mai dwarf gecko (Hemiphyllodactylus chiangmaiensis) is an endemic species, currently only known from Doi Inthanon National Park. Other rare lizards recorded from the park are; Doi Inthanon bent-toed geckos (Cyrtodactylus inthanon), Doria's leaf-litter skinks (Scincella doriae), Yunnan dwarf geckos (Hemiphyllodactylus yunnanensis) and a few more.
Elongated tortoises (Indotestudo elongata), impressed tortoises (Manouria impressa) and big-headed turtles (Platysternon megacephalum) are currently known tortoise/turtle species of Doi Inthanon.
There are around 30 species of amphibians recorded from Doi Inthanon, including Chiang Mai newt (Tylototriton uyenoi). Inthanon horned toad (Megophrys angka), Anderson's odorous frog (Odorrana andersonii), Doi Inthanon torrent frog (Amolops archotaphus), Schmacker's odorous frog (Odorrana schmackeri), white-eyed litter frog (Leptobrachium huashen) and Inthanon stream toad (Ansonia inthanon) are a few rare amphibia species endemic to either park or the mountain range around.
Getting there & get around
Getting to the park
The only public transportation option is slower songthaews which are passenger vehicles adapted from pickup and truck. Getting there can be a bit challenging because one songthaew needs to change to another. If lucky with timings, it takes at least 2.5-3 hours to reach the park from Chiang Mai with songthaews.
Once in the park, the distances are big between the attractions, not easy to walk between unless one is up for very long challenging walks along the main road.
The main entrance point to the national park is via a checkpoint at km 8 of the rural road 1009 accessible from the highway 108 southwest from Chiang Mai. The visitor center and the headquarters are another 22 km inside the park.
See our "Get There & Stay" section for more detailed info about how to get to the park.
Get around in the park
Due to big distances between the attractions, visitors need a car or bike to move around the park. It will be a poor decision to try walking between the attractions along the main road.
Doi Inthanon National Park should be avoided during longer holidays such as New Year's Day break, Songkran and other week-end combined long holidays when ten thousands of people visit the park, creating a long traffic jam all the way inside the park.
The park is generally much busier during the week-ends, less people visiting the park during the week-days.
Tours & private transportation
It is possible to book a private tour or taxi service to Doi Inthanon from this website;
- Private taxi | full day taxi service from 3,200 Baht
- Private guided day tour | accompanied by an English speaking guide
Entrance fees & opening times
As of June 2022, the entrance fees Doi Inthanon National Park are 300 Baht for adults and 150 Baht for children 3-14 years old. Thai citizens pay 60 Baht for adults and 30 Baht for children. Cars will be charged with 30 Baht and bikes with 20 Baht.
Doi Inthanon National Park is open from 5:30 am to 6:30 pm every day, all year round. The main trail of the park -Kew Mae Pan Trail- is closed for the visitors from June to October for annual forest recovery reasons.
Two Chedis is the only attracition inside the national park that is not managed by the park, an additional 100 Baht per person entrance fee required to visit it.
Activities
The headquarters area is where a spacious campsite is located, it is pretty much in the middle of the park. The nearest attraction from there is Sirithan Waterfall, which is the only waterfall in a convenient distance to get to by foot.
The summit of Doi Inthanon is the most popular spot in the park for its great view. While the viewpoint from the main road at Kew Mae Pan trailhead is popular for watching the sunrise, the nearby Two Chedis is more popular for its sunset view.
There are few waterfalls along the road to the headquarters in a very short stroll from the main road. Most of the waterfalls have a good flow of water all year round but the best season for water flow is during the rainy season from May to November. The waterfalls are all in rocky areas, not ideal for swimming.
One of seasonal attractions of the park is the blossoms of Siamese sakura flowers covering trees in pink during late January and early February, lasts only for a few weeks.
Birding possibilities are good in many spots along the main road, all the way up to the summit.
Mae Klang Luang Village around 6 km east from headquarters areas has some very picturesque rice fields around the second half of the rainy season. This village also has some cafes and restaurants. The rice fields are not worth visiting for the rest of the year.
Stay & eat
The main camping ground and the park accommodations are around 500 meters north from the headquarters area.
Camping
The campsite is very spacious. Camping gear can be rented at the entrance to the campsite. The smaller tents for 3 people costs 225 Baht/day, sleeping bags, matt and pillows costs additional 60 baht in total per person (2018 prices).
There are no restaurants in the campsite area, the nearest option is around the HQ and the Hmong market further west.
It is always cold at night in the park. During some winter days the temperatures may drop to as low as to freezing point. Campers are strongly recommended to have warmer clothes with them.
Accomodations
There are a number of Accomodations scattered around the camping ground. The price ranges from 1,000 Baht up to 6,500 Baht, a 20% discount applies when booked for Mon-Thu. It is possible to book the accomodations on arrival to the visitor center if there are any available.
The accomodations can be booked through the DNP website in advance. As the money transfer must be done within 2 days and the fact that it takes time with transfers from abroad, it is only possible to book from within Thailand only. Payments can be done at 7-Eleven convenience stores or banks.
Eat
There are many restaurants in the park; Kew Mae Pan Trail, Two Chedis, Hmong Market east from headquarters, Wachirathan Waterfall and a few others. There is also a cafe at the summit and few other spots in the park.
Phone(s)
You are recommended to ask a Thai speaking person to call on your behalf.
- 053 286 729 (Visitor Center)
The attractions of Doi Inthanon
Doi Inthanon Summit
Located at km 48 at the end of the road 1009, with an altitude of 2,565 meters asl, it is the highest peak in Thailand.
If you are after a challenging hike up to the highest point in Thailand, forget about it. The summit is accessible by car or bike all the way up, but you could hike a few hundred meters from the parking area to the actual summit. There are no longer trails to hike to the summit.
The summit viewpoint is a popular place for watching the sunrise, but the view from the road near Kew Mae Pan Trail a bit further south is a better spot to target the sunrise. Summit area is risky to target the sunrise because it is too often misty. For sunset, please read Phra Mahathat Naphamethanidon and Naphamethanidon (Two Chedis) further below.
Ang Ka Luang Nature Trail is not too far down the road, see below for more info.
There is a cafe next to the summit trailhead. There are a couple of squirrel and bird species which get very near people while sitting and enjoying the view from this cafe.
Ang Ka Luang Nature Trail
A shorter circular boardwalk nature trail slightly on the opposite side from the trail to the summit. The habitat around the boardwalk is magical, very dense, mossy, lush forest all year round. This trail is highly recommended.
Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail
Starting from the main road just a few hundred meters north of the two chedis, this 2.5 km long circular trail must be accompanied by a Hmong Tribe guide. The hike is easy to moderate to walk, clear and well maintained. Part of the trail is along a mountain ridge with a beautiful view over west. The very rare Chinese gorals are relatively common along this trail but sighting is rare, a lot of attempts needed to eventually see one. It costs 200 Baht to hire a guide, there are always a few of them waiting at the trailhead on the main road and can only be hired on spot.
Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail is closed from June to October every year, re-opens 1st November.
Two Chedis
Also known as Phra Mahathat Naphamethanidon and Nophamethanidon in Thai, Two Chedis are on the main road 5 km south from the top of the main summit of Doi Inthanon.
The first of the chedis, Naphamethinidon, meaning 'by the strength of the land and air' was built in 1987 to honour the 60th birthday anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The second chedi, Naphaphone Phumi Siri, meaning 'being the strength of the air and the grace of the land' was built in 1992 to honour the 60th birthday anniversary of Queen Sirikit.
There is a viewpoint with a good view over the west side of the park, a popular place to see the sunset.
Two Chedis are not managed by park. The entrance os 100 Baht per person.
Waterfalls
Doi Inthanon National Park has many waterfalls, some easily accessible from the main road through the national park, only a few hundred meters off from the road. The waterflow is good all year round but most impressive during the rainy season from May to November. During the cold and dry seasons the water is more clear and more suitable for swimming if possible, but most waterfalls are very rocky, swimming possibilities are very limited.
Wachirathan Waterfall
One of the most impressive waterfalls in the park, the most popular one due to its location and easy access. As with most other waterfalls, the size of this waterfall is very exaggerated by park staff or guides, but still, with around 40 meters height and the impressive wide look, it is no doubt one of the best falls in the park.
There are a number of restaurants, cafes and shops around the car park area of the falls.
Sirithan Waterfall
One of the most popular waterfalls, at km 22, accessible by a 200 meters long trail from the parking area on the main road. This waterfall can only be seen from a viewpoint not too far from the falls. It is not possible to get all the way down to the waterfall.
Siriphum Waterfall
1.5 km off the road 1284 north of headquarters, accessible by a trail on the west side of Ban Khun Klang village and the Royal Garden. The area around this waterfall gets sakura blooming in February.
Pha Dok Siew Waterfall
A multi-tiered waterfall located half way through a 2.6 km long trail starting from the main road about a km east from headquarters and ends at a nearby Mae Klang Luang Village. The village has a picturesque view of rice fields on the hill slopes during the rainy season.
The trail must be accompanied by local guides waiting at the trail-head on the main road. The local guides charges 200 baht per group (price confirmed October 2020).
Mae Klang Waterfall
It is the first waterfall on the main road into the national park, cascading nearly 100 meters tall over several tiers with the tallest tier nearly 25-30 meters. It is located 600 meters south of the checkpoint at the southeast part of the park.
Mae Ya Waterfall
A cascading waterfall plunging from several tiers over 250 meters. The main accessible tier is 40 to 50 meters tall and around 100 meters wide, no doubt one of the most impressive falls in the country.
It is said to be the biggest waterfall in the country, but to be taken with a pinch of salt. The tallest single tier fall in Doi Inthanon National Park is Mae Pan, read further below, there are taller and much wider falls in the country.
Mae Ya is located in the southern parts of the park, around 17 km southwest from the main checkpoint into the park. Mae Ya has its own checkpoint where the national park entrance fee must be paid for entry. Same entrance fee is valid for the entire national park.
Mae Pan Waterfall & campsite
Mae Pan is a 100 meters tall waterfall off from the other attractions of Doi Inthanon, situated at the end of a 2 km dirt road from Mae Chaem Road. It is the tallest non-cascading waterfall in the park, due to it's relatively remote location it is not visited much by the local tourists which prefers to stop by at first 4-5 waterfalls on the way to the HQ. The trail to the waterfall can be very slippery, but worth the effort to get there. Apart from the waterfall there is a shorter loop trail that can be hiked in less than 2 hours.
There is a campsite in Mae Pan area, but there are no tents available for rent and there are no restaurants nearby.
Royal Project Inthanon
Established in 1979, Royal Project Inthanon is a nearly 1 km² flower garden. The main purpose of starting this project was to eliminate opium growing by educating the locals. The garden is located at the Khun Klang Hhong village 1.5 north from the headquarters.
There are several greenhouses at the garden for growing Rhododendron flowers, ferns, Hydroponics vegetables and various other flowers.
Mae Klang Luang Village
A village around 5 km east of headquarters, right south of the main road. This village has rice fields nestled on mountain slopes, creating a very nice view during the rainy seasons. There are restaurants and cafes in the village.
Brichinda Cave
A 250 meters long limestone cave not too far away from the entrance of the park, accessible from km 9 (1 km north from checkpoint at km 8) with less than an hour of hiking from the main road. It has two chambers with a spacious one near the cave entrance.
The cave has been closed for the visitors since 2015 (confirmed Nov 2021 it is still closed). It isn’t even possible to get there with a ranger.