The Magnificent Nature Trails of Doi Inthanon

The Wonderful Nature Trails of Doi Inthanon

Visit the highest mountain in Thailand

This is a private tour. No others will join you. We will pick you up from your hotel at 0700 sharp for your trip named “The Magnificent Nature Trails of Doi Inthanon.” Today you will hike the famous Kew Mae Pan and Pha Dok Siew Nature Trails, two hikes that are totally different and complement each other. Doi Inthanon is the highest mountain in Thailand (2,565 m). It became a national park in 1972. The park has the highest diversity of forest types and bird species found in any single park in the country. There are many beautiful waterfalls as well.

The Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail

We will drive up to the summit of Doi Inthanon. Here we will first visit the Shrine of King Inthawichayanon, after who the mountain has been named. The very short but beautiful Angka Nature trail is very close to the shrine. We hike this trail, after which we will continue to the nearby Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail. This trail is only open in the dry season.

It is a lovely walk partly through moist evergreen cloud forests along a steep ridge with fantastic views over Mae Chaem and the Mae Pan River valley. Let’s hope for sunny weather. There will be enough time to take pictures. A local guide of the Hmong ethnic minority will accompany us. Here we walk for a couple of hours through the unspoiled cloud forest. When the skies are clear, the views are magnificent. This hike is the most famous and popular trail on Doi Inthanon.

The Royal Chedis

After that, we will visit the two chedis, one called Naphamethinidon, meaning “by the strength of the land and air,” and the other, Naphaphonphumisiri, meaning “being the strength of the air and the grace of the land.” These temples were built to honor the 60th birthday anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1987 and the 60th birthday anniversary of Queen Sirikit in 1992, respectively. From the two chedis, you have a great view of the Doi Inthanon mountain range, stretching to the lowlands.

The Pha Dok Siew Nature Trail and Thundering Waterfalls

After this, we will visit the Karen village of Ban Mae Klang Luang. Along the way, we will stop at the Hmong market, where products from the Royal Project are for sale. Lunch will be at a local restaurant, and after lunch, we will drive for five minutes to the starting point of our hike. We will walk the Pha Dok Siew Nature Trail, one of the two great nature trails of Doi Inthanon.

We will trek for about two hours, first along a majestic waterfall and then through the fields of the Karen people. A local Karen guide will accompany us. We will have to cross the river several times. This multi-tiered waterfall cascades towards the Karen village Ban Mae Klang Luang, where our trek ends. It is time for a cup of coffee at Somsak’s coffee place.

Return to Chiang Mai. We will briefly stop at the Vachirathan Waterfall. We will drop you off at the hotel at about 1800 and hope you enjoyed the fantastic nature trails of Doi Inthanon.