Doi Inthanon: Hiking the Nature Trails

Doi Inthanon: Hiking the Nature Trails on the Roof of Thailand

The summit of Doi Inthanon and the short Angka Nature Trail

This is a private tour. No one else will join you. For the best time to go trekking in Chiang Mai, check out this page.

Your guide will meet you at your hotel at 0700 for your trip to the Doi Inthanon National Park. Today you will hike the famous Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail. Doi Inthanon is the highest mountain in Thailand (2,565 m) and became a national park in 1972. The park has the highest diversity of forest types and bird species of all national parks in the country. The Doi Inthanon National Park is famous for its many, spectacular waterfalls. On this page, we have extensive information about the national park, the trails, the history, and the villages in the park.

We will drive up to the summit of Doi Inthanon, where we will first visit the Shrine of “Grand Prince” Inthawichayanon after whom the mountain has been named. Very close to the shrine is the short but beautiful Angka Nature trail. At this elevation of the mountain evergreen forest is prevalent.

Hike the stunning Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail

After we have hiked the Angka Nature Trail we descend towards the nearby Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail. This trail is only open in the dry season. The length of the trail is 5.3 km and it will take us about 1,5 to 2 hours with many stops. It is the most popular trail in the park, and for good reason. A local guide of the Hmong people will accompany us because they manage and maintain the trail. You actually don’t need a guide, but it gives the local people some extra income. The trail starts with a lovely walk through the evergreen forest to a view deck. From this viewpoint, the trail continues along a steep ridge with magnificent views over Mae Chaem and the Mae Pan River valley. Don’t worry, the trail is very safe. We will hike at a leisurely pace so we have plenty of time to enjoy the amazing views.

The Twin Royal Chedis

After we have finished hiking the Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail, we will briefly visit the Twin Royal Chedis. The Royal Thai Airforce constructed these chedis to honor the 60th birthday anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1987, and the 60th birthday anniversary of Queen Sirikit in 1992, respectively. After this, it is time for lunch, which we will enjoy at a local restaurant.

Baan Mae Klang Luang and thundering waterfalls

Having finished our lunch we will continue to the Vachirathan waterfall. Along the way, we will stop at the Khun Klang market where the Hmong people sell products from the Royal Project. The Royal Project (1969) is a non-profit organization, founded by King Bhumibol Adulyadej. It aimed to solve the problems of deforestation, poverty, and opium cultivation by promoting alternative crops in Thailand. We will also briefly stop at the Karen village Ban Mae Klang Luang to taste their delicious coffee. The Karen and the Hmong have been living in this area for a long time.

Last but not least is the thundering Vachirathan Waterfall, which is the most popular waterfall in the park. After this, we will drive back to Chiang Mai. We will drop you off at your hotel and hope you have enjoyed our trip to the Doi Inthanon National Park.

We also offer a green season day tour to the Doi Inthanon National Park.

Map of the Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail

The length of the Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail is 3.86km in total. That does seem to be an walk in the park but there is quite a lot of elevation difference on the trail which you can see below the map. It is a clockwise circular hike. You need good shoes with grip. Most people can do it on sneakers. You can read more on the trail in our recently update blog about the trail.