Doi Inthanon National Park, Chiang Mai

Doi Inthanon National Park at a glance

Top things to see and do in Doi Inthanon

A day here is really a loop of five or six stops strung along one road that climbs to the summit. Here is what each one is and who it suits, so you can decide before you set off.

The summit and the Ang Ka Luang boardwalk

The road ends near the 2,565 m summit, where a short marked path leads to the highest point in Thailand. Right beside it is the Ang Ka Luang nature trail, a flat 360 m wooden boardwalk that loops through dripping, moss-hung cloud forest. It takes 20 minutes, needs no guide, and is the easiest walk in the park, so it works for kids and grandparents. Come early: by mid-morning the summit often sits inside the cloud and the view closes in.

King and Queen Twin Pagodas

Two chedis, Phra Mahathat Naphamethanidon and Naphaphon Phumisiri, stand on a ridge at around 2,200 m, built for the late King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit. Terraced flower gardens fall away below them and, on a clear morning, you look straight across to the summit. The pagodas sit a little below the top of the mountain and carry a separate 100 THB add-on that includes the shuttle from the car park.

Waterfalls of Doi Inthanon

The mountain is stacked with waterfalls, most of them a short walk from the road, so you can see three or four in a day without a real trek.

Nature trails: Kew Mae Pan, Pha Dok Siew and Ang Ka

Beyond the boardwalk, two guided trails are the reason hikers make the trip.

Kew Mae Pan is the classic: an open ridge that drops away into layered valleys, best in the first hour of daylight. It shuts for the June to October rainy season to let the grassland recover. If it is closed, Pha Dok Siew runs year-round and ends at a waterfall, and you walk it with a Karen guide from the nearby village.

Hill-tribe villages and the Royal Project

Karen and Hmong communities have farmed these slopes for generations, and the Royal Project at Inthanon turned old opium land into terraces of strawberries, coffee and cool-climate flowers. You can walk the demonstration gardens, buy fruit and roasted Doi Inthanon coffee at the stalls, and stop at a village homestay or the Baan Mae Klang Luang rice terraces for lunch. It is the part of the day that is about people and food rather than viewpoints.

Best time to visit Doi Inthanon

Go in the cool season, November to February. Skies are clearest, the waterfalls still run, and the mountain air is genuinely cold: the summit sits around 4 to 10 degrees Celsius at dawn and can touch freezing, so the misty forest looks its best. This is also when the wild Himalayan cherry, the Siamese sakura, blooms pink across the higher slopes, usually from late January into early February.

March to May is hot and hazy lower down but still fine on the mountain. The June to October monsoon brings heavy cloud that hides the views and closes the Kew Mae Pan trail, though the waterfalls are at full force. Whenever you come, pack a fleece or light jacket and closed walking shoes: it is often 10 to 15 degrees colder at the summit than in Chiang Mai city.

A note on the park's history

Hill tribes knew the mountain as Doi Luang or Doi Ang Ka, meaning the big mountain. It was later renamed for Inthawichayanon, the last king of Chiang Mai, who cared deeply about the northern forests and asked to be laid to rest here. The national park around the peak was established in 1972.

How to reach Doi Inthanon from Chiang Mai

Doi Inthanon is a day trip, not an overnight base. The drive from Chiang Mai is about 70 km and takes roughly two hours each way once you factor in the climb.

• Join a day tour: the simplest option. A shared full-day tour picks you up, covers the fees and driving, and hits the summit, pagodas and a couple of waterfalls.

• Self-drive or scooter: a hired car gives you the day at your own pace, but the final summit road is steep and winding, so it suits confident drivers only.

• Private car with driver: the middle path, and the easiest with family or older travellers.

For train times, songthaew options and the full route breakdown, see our how to reach Doi Inthanon guide.

Doi Inthanon entrance fees and costs (rupees and baht)

Foreign visitors pay a park entry fee at the gate, with add-ons for the pagodas and a guided trail. Rupee figures below use an approximate rate of Rs 2.86 to 1 THB, so treat them as a planning guide rather than an exact price.

Fees change and children's rates depend on height and age, so check the latest breakdown on our Doi Inthanon entry fees page before you go.

Opening hours

The park is open every day, roughly 5:30 am to 6:00 pm. Early is better: you beat the tour buses at the pagodas and reach the summit before the cloud settles. For the current timings and last-entry cut-off, see our Doi Inthanon timings page.

"Leave Chiang Mai by 7 am. You reach the summit before the cloud rolls in and beat the tour-bus crowd at the pagodas, and you are back in the old city for dinner,"

Where to stay: day trip or overnight

Almost everyone visits Doi Inthanon as a full-day trip from Chiang Mai and sleeps back in the city, which is why we build it that way into most itineraries. If you want a slower morning on the mountain, a handful of Karen homestays and small guesthouses around Baan Mae Klang Luang and the Royal Project let you stay the night, wake to the mist, and start the summit before the crowds. Book ahead in the cool season, as beds are few.

Practical tips for your visit

• Start early and go to the summit first, then work downhill through the pagodas and waterfalls.

• Carry a light jacket or fleece even in the dry season; the summit is cold at dawn.

• Wear closed shoes with grip, as boardwalks and trail steps get slippery in the mist.

• Bring some cash in baht for the gate, the shuttle and village food stalls.

For a full packing and etiquette checklist, see our Doi Inthanon travel tips.

Nearby attractions to combine

If you have time on the way back to Chiang Mai, two spots pair well with the mountain. Pha Chor Canyon, a set of tall eroded earth pillars you can walk down among, sits off the same route. The man-made Chiang Mai Grand Canyon, now a water park, is a relaxed place to cool off before heading into the city.

Doi Inthanon is one of the headline stops in our wider things to do in Chiang Mai guide, and it slots neatly into most Thailand tour packages.

What travellers say

Across Chiang Mai trips arranged through TravelTriangle, travellers rate the experience 4.40/5 from 6,533 reviews.

"Very good experience, everything was as planned. All services and arrangements were good." Pravin Deshmukh, Ahmedabad

"The trip was planned well and all commitments were fulfilled as promised." Naveen Shrivastava, New Delhi