Doi Inthanon National Park
The highest mountain in Thailand, with cloud forest, waterfalls and the twin royal chedis near the summit.
Doi Inthanon National Park
Doi Inthanon rises to 2,565 metres, the highest point in Thailand, about sixty kilometres south-west of Chiang Mai. The national park around it covers the upper slopes, and the change with altitude is the reason to go: dry forest at the bottom, evergreen higher up, and genuine cloud forest near the top, mossy and dripping, which is unusual anywhere in the country.
A short boardwalk near the summit, the Ang Ka trail, loops through that mossy forest over a sphagnum bog. Below it stand the two chedis built for the king and queen, set on the ridge with terraced gardens and a long view when the cloud lifts. The park also holds several substantial waterfalls, Wachirathan and Mae Ya among them, and Karen and Hmong villages farming terraces on the lower slopes.
It is cold at the top by Thai standards - close to freezing on winter nights - and the summit is often in cloud even when Chiang Mai is clear.
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- Wat Umong, Chiang Mai — A forest monastery below Doi Suthep, built around a network of brick meditation tunnels.
- Tha Phae Gate, Chiang Mai — The restored eastern gate of the old city walls, and the square where Chiang Mai holds its festivals.
- Warorot Market, Chiang Mai — Chiang Mai's main covered market - northern food, textiles and the city's Chinatown around it.
- Wat Chedi Luang, Chiang Mai — The ruined brick chedi at the centre of the old city, once the tallest structure in the Lanna kingdom.
