Doi Inthanon: The Roof of Thailand

Thailand's highest mountain: waterfalls, mossy cloud forest, twin royal chedis and a ridge trail above the clouds.

Area

Countryside & Villages

Start from

Chiang Mai

Distance

about 100 km south-west

Time needed

1 day

Best season

November – February for cool, clear weather; waterfalls strongest from August to October

Difficulty

Moderate

Transport

Rented car, scooter or day tour

Tickets & rules

National park entrance fee for foreigners; extra fees for some trails and the royal chedis; guide required on Kew Mae Pan

Why go

At 2,565 metres, Doi Inthanon is the highest point in Thailand, and the drive up through rice terraces, coffee farms and mossy forest feels like travelling through several climates in a single morning. The air is cool, sometimes cold, and the views stretch over ridge after ridge.

On the way you pass powerful waterfalls such as Wachirathan and Sirithan, plunging into misty gorges. Near the summit, two elegant chedis built in honour of the late king and queen sit among flower gardens with wide mountain views.

The Kew Mae Pan nature trail follows a ridge through cloud forest and grassland, with sweeping views and rhododendrons in season. At the summit itself, a short boardwalk through a mossy bog forest feels like stepping into another world.

The story

The mountain was once called Doi Luang, the great mountain. It was renamed after King Inthawichayanon, one of the last rulers of Chiang Mai in the late nineteenth century, who loved these forests and wanted them protected. His remains are enshrined in a small stupa near the summit.

The twin chedis were built by the Royal Thai Air Force: one in 1987 for the 60th birthday of King Bhumibol, the other in 1992 for Queen Sirikit's. Their gardens are planted with flowers that thrive in the cool climate.

Many Hmong and Karen communities live on the mountain's slopes. From the 1970s, Royal Project initiatives encouraged them to grow coffee, vegetables and flowers instead of opium, and today you can buy local coffee, strawberries and dried fruit at roadside stalls. In the Karen village of Mae Klang Luang, families grow arabica beneath the trees and rice on terraces that turn green and then gold through the rainy season.

The mountain is also one of the best birdwatching areas in Southeast Asia, with hundreds of recorded species. Early in the morning, birders gather along the summit boardwalk, binoculars raised, hoping to spot sunbirds and other highland species in the mossy trees, which are hung with orchids, ferns and lichens.

Getting there

Drive south on the highway towards Chom Thong, then take the mountain road up to the summit. The drive takes about 1.5 to 2 hours each way.

Tours from Chiang Mai include transport and stops at the main sights.

A suggested plan

1. 7:00Leave Chiang Mai early to beat the clouds.
2. 9:00Wachirathan waterfall.
3. 10:30Summit and the Ang Ka boardwalk.
4. 11:30Royal chedis and gardens.
5. 13:00Kew Mae Pan trail with a local guide, if open.
6. 15:30Coffee at a hill-tribe market before driving back.

Where to stay

Most visitors go as a day trip, but simple park lodges and campsites, and homestays in the villages on the lower slopes, make it possible to stay overnight, catch the sunrise from the summit area and visit the waterfalls before the day-trippers arrive. Chom Thong at the foot of the mountain has basic guesthouses too.

Good to know

• Bring warm clothes; temperatures can approach freezing in winter.
• Arrive early for clearer views.
• Kew Mae Pan is usually closed in the rainy season.