Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai hotels and travel guide, Thailand. Hotel reservation for Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.
Visiting Doi Inthanon is possible throughout the year however, the best period for viewing the waterfalls is May through November while the best period for viewing wild flowers is December through February and for ornithologists is November through March.
Getting there: Travel 58 kilometres west of Chiang Mai via Highway No.108 to Amphoe Jom Thong, then turn right into Highway No.1009 and continue a further distance of 48 kilometres along Highway No.1009 to the summit. A good asphalt road takes visitors up but is rather steep, thus the vehicle must be in a good condition. Visitors could pay for the entrance fee at Km. 8.Doi Inthanon can be reached by a local truck (Song Thaeo) from Phra That Chom Thong or Mae Klang Waterfall. The Song Thaeo runs to Doi Inthanon National Park Office (Km. 31) and neighboring villages. A chartered Song Thaeo costing around 800 baht can make stops at other attractions around the area.
has a cool climate all year round. The Air Force Radar Station and King Inthawichayanon’s stupa located on the mountaintop. King Inthawichayanon, the last king of Chiang Mai, was concerned about the importance of forests and wanted to preserve the forests for future generations. He was so familia with Doi Inthanon that he asked that part of his ashes be kept here. The Tourist Information Centre, near the top of Doi Inthanon, exhibits a chronological background of the mountain, including its geography, biology, forests, and animals. Phra Mahathat Napha Methanidon and Phra Mahathat Naphaphon Phumisiri, twin pagodas located at Km. 41.5, were built to commemorate the fifth cycle birthdays of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. Both pagodas share the similar bases as well as a two-level walking path that surrounds them. The pagodas enshrine Lord Buddha’s ashes and Buddha images, and overlook the magnificent scenery of Doi Inthanon. (Uncle Daeng’s Shop) is located at Km. 31. This is a bird information exchange centre among birdwatchers, nature students and the general public. The information details the habitat and food of birds and animals living on Doi Inthanon. The aim is to pass on this knowledge to the next generation. It also provides the Doi Inthanon Birdwatching Diary, bird sketches by various bird watching experts, bird watching trails, bird pictures, and slides.Winter is the best time for birdwatching when indigenous and migrant birds are found including Eurasian Woodcock, White Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Citrine Wagtail, Forest Wagtail, Chestnut Thrush, Scarlet Finch, Little Bunting, and Crested Bunting.
Covering an area of 262 sq. km., this luxuriant park is home to more than 300 bird species and nearly 2,000 species of ferns and flowering plants. Some hiking trails in the park pass Hmong villages while others lead to a few small waterfalls where local people come to picnicking on weekends. Accommodations are available near the park headquarters. To get there, take Highway No. 1004, its only 16 kilometers drive northwest of Chiang Mai town.
is located on the same road, 4 kilometres beyond
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, on Doi Buak Ha.
The royal winter palace was built in 1961. The palace is also the royal guesthouse for
prominent State visitors from abroad. The lavishly landscaped gardens and grounds are open
to the general public everyday from 8.30 a.m.-4.30 p.m. Tickets are sold until 3.30 p.m.
The palace is closed when the Royal Family is in residence, January to early March. Call 0 5322 3065 www.bhubingpalace.org
is a Hmong tribal village some 3 kilometres on an asphalt road from Bhubing Palace. The village presents
the typical lifestyle of the Hmong as well as a scenic view of Doi Inthanon, the highest peak of Thailand.
The trip takes only an hour from Chiang Mai town and the village is easily accessible.
Famous for its cool climate all year round, visitors can explore the Royal Angkhang Station Project and visit hill tribe villages to
learn more about their daily life. To get there, take Highway No. 107 (Chiang Mai-Fang), turn left at an intersection around Km. 137 (Mae Kha Market)
and proceed for another 25 kilometers to Doi Ang Khang. As the route is filled with steep s-curves, an experienced driver and vehicles
in good condition is required. The local truck (song taew) from Mae Kha Market offers chartered service to the
mountain.
The Park covers 350 square kilometres of Chiang Mai Province and Lamphun Province, with a landscape of rugged mountains reaching up to 2,030 m.
There are various pine, evergreen and mixed forests on the mountains and valley slopes, which are the source of streams eventually giving rise
to the Ping River. The forest area is the habitat of different birds, deer, gibbons, wild boars, etc. The weather is generally cool and breezy,
although the summer can get quite hot.
Park headquarters is situated here among mixed forests and bamboo groves. A 3-km nature trail rings the Check Dam.
Soaring 15 metres in height, Tat Moei is very spectacular, especially in the rainy season when its flow is swollen with runoff.
The waterfall is about 16 kilometres away from Park headquarters and reaching it requires a 3 km hike through forests.
This is a single-level waterfall, 6 kilometres away from Park headquarters. Along the way, there are various kinds of plants, mushrooms and wild flowers.
2 view points can be visited on the Mae Ta-khrai - Huai Kaeo road. The first one is at KM 6,
offering panoramic mountain vistas of the range which forms the border between Chiang Mai Province and Lam Pang Province.
The second one is another 600 m away, and is likewise quite impressive. Notably, it possesses a supreme view of Chiang Mai Town
and Doi Suthep which is impossible to obtain elsewhere. At night, shimmering lights from the town far below seem to
create a sea of stars on Earth, nestled in the arms of the valley.
With an altitude of 2,030 m above sea level, this is the fifth-highest mountain in the country.
The climate is fresh and cool all year round. Wide open grassy plains sweep across the mountaintop.
The area is especially beautiful between February and March, when Azelia (Rhododendron sp.) is in full bloom.
Phu Langka Luang lies 50 kilometres north of Park headquarters. 
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