Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [235]
The eastern side of the mountain stays green and cool almost year-round. The mountain ascends from the humid lowlands into the cool (and sometimes even cold) cloud belt with moss growing on the curbs and mist wafting across the road. Thriving in the diverse climate are more than 300 bird species and nearly 2000 species of ferns and flowering plants. During the rainy season, butterflies bloom as abundantly as the flowers.
There are hiking and mountain-biking trails as well as camping, birdwatching and waterfall spotting. One of the most scenic waterfalls is Nam Tok Monthathon (the park admission fee is collected here), 2.5km off the paved road to Doi Suthep. Pools beneath the falls hold water year-round, although swimming is best during or just after the annual monsoon. Close to the base of the mountain, Nam Tok Wang Bua Bahn is free, and full of frolicking locals, although it is more of a series of rapids than a falls.
You can hike through the park independently, but the lack of transport and trail information can be an impediment. For off-road mountain biking, the park has technical single-track trails that were old hunting and transport routes used by hill-tribe villagers. The routes are never crowded and provide hours of downhill. Because the trails aren’t well-marked it is advisable to join a guided mountain-biking tour; see Activities on Click here for more information.
The park fee is collected at some of the park’s waterfalls. There is no park fee charged to visit the attractions along the main road, though the attractions have their own admission prices.
Accommodation (www.dnp.go.th; camping 60-90B, bungalows 500-300B) in the national park includes smart bungalows, about 1km north of the temple by the park headquarters and the Doi Pui campground, near the mountain summit.
The park is about 16km northwest of central Chiang Mai and is accessible via shared srng·ta·ou that leave from the main entrance of Chiang Mai University on Th Huay Kaew. One-way fares start at 40B and increase from there depending on the destination within the park and the number of passengers. You can also charter a srng·ta·ou for about 600B or rent a motorcycle for much less. Srng·ta·ou also depart from Pratu Chang Pheuak and the Chiang Mai Zoo. Cyclists can also make the 13km ascent to the temple – preferably either early in the morning or in the late evening when traffic is diminished.
WAT PHRA THAT DOI SUTHEP
One of the north’s most sacred temples, Wat Suthep (admission 30B) sits majestically atop Doi Suthep’s summit. Thai pilgrims flock here to make merit to the Buddhist relic enshrined in the picturesque golden chedi. The temple also offers an interesting collection of Lanna art and architecture, and has fine city views if the clouds cooperate.
The temple was first established in 1383 under King Keu Naone and enjoys a fantastically mystical birth story. A visiting monk from Sukhothai instructed the Lanna king to take the twin of a miraculous relic (enshrined at Wat Suan Dok) to the mountain and establish a temple. The relic was mounted on the back of a white elephant, which was allowed to wander until it ‘chose’ a site on which a wát could be built to enshrine it. The elephant stopped and died at a spot on Doi Suthep, 13km west of Chiang Mai, where the temple was built in the Year of the Goat.
At the main road, near the tram entrance is a shrine to Kruba Siwichai, a highly venerated Lanna monk from the early 20th century. He is often recognised as something akin to a patron saint for northern Thais and worked to reconstruct and revitalise many dilapidated temples in the region. He also raised funds in order to build a road from Chiang Mai city to Wat Suthep.
The temple is reached by a strenuous naga-balustrade staircase of 306 steps, a feature that incorporates aspects of meditation with a cardio workout.