Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [275]
You can catch a bus or srng·ta·ou to San Pa Thong from the bus queue near Pratu Chiang Mai.
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DOI INTHANON NATIONAL PARK
Thailand’s highest peak is Doi Inthanon (often abbreviated as Doi In), which measures 2565m above sea level, an impressive altitude for the kingdom, but a tad diminutive compared to its cousins in the Himalayan range. The 1000 sq km national park (0 5328 6730; adult/child 200/100B, car/motorbike 30/20B; 8am-sunset) surrounding the peak has hiking trails, waterfalls and two monumental stupas erected in honour of the king and queen. It is a popular day trip from Chiang Mai for tourists and locals, especially during the New Year’s holiday when there’s the rarely seen phenomenon of frost.
There are eight waterfalls that dive off the mountain. Nam Tok Mae Klang (at Km8) is the largest and the easiest to get to. Nam Tok Wachiratan (at Km20.8) is another popular stop with food vendors at its base and a huge frothy mane that plummets 50m. If you’d rather be a part of the cascade, try abseiling with the Peak ( Click here). Nam Tok Siriphum (at Km30) looks like a river of silver from the vantage point of Ban Mong Khun Klang, a Hmong village. In February the village builds and races wooden carts down a steep incline. Along the road to the top are terraced rice fields and covered greenhouses tended by Hmong and Karen tribespeople.
About 3km before the summit of Doi Inthanon, Phra Mahathat Naphamethanidon and Nophamethanidon at Km41-42 (admission 20B) are two chedi built by the Royal Thai Air Force to commemorate the king’s and queen’s 60th birthdays in 1989 and 1992, respectively. In the base of the octagonal chedi is a hall containing a stone Buddha image.
The whole point of the park is to get as high as you can to see life in a colder climate. At the summit is a sightseeing extravaganza. Thais relish bundling up in hats and jackets and posing for pictures among conifers and rhododendrons. Almost at the exact summit is a chedi dedicated to one of the last Lanna kings (Inthawichayanon) and beyond is the Ang Ka Trail, a 360m platform walkway through a moss-festooned bog.
The views from Doi Inthanon are best in the cool dry season from November to February. But don’t expect a rewarding view from the summit, as for most of the year a mist, formed by the condensation of warm humid air below, hangs around the top of the mountain creating an eerie effect. You can expect the air to be quite chilly towards the top, so take a jacket or sweater.
The park is one of the top destinations in Southeast Asia for naturalists and birdwatchers. The mist-shrouded upper slopes produce abundant orchids, lichens, mosses and epiphytes, while supporting nearly 400 bird species, more than any other habitat in Thailand. The mountain is also home to Assamese macaques, Phayre’s leaf monkeys, and a selection of other rare and not-so-rare monkeys and gibbons as well as the more common Indian civet, barking deer and giant flying squirrel –around 75 mammal species in all. Most of the park’s bird species are found between 1500m and 2000m; the best birdwatching season is from February to April, and the best spots are the beung (bogs) near the top.
Park accommodation is available in comfortable bungalows (from 1000B) located next to the information centre and a restaurant at Km31. There is also camping (60B to 90B) in front of the information centre or at Nam Tok Mae Pan. Make reservations online at www.dnp.go.th.
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Getting There & Away
Although most visitors come with private transport or on a tour from Chiang Mai, you can reach the park via public transport. Buses leave from Chang Pheuak terminal and yellow srng·ta·ou leave from Pratu Chiang Mai for Chom Thong (61B), 58km from Chiang Mai and the closest town to the park. Some buses go directly to the park’s entrance gate near Nam Tok Mae Klang and some are bound for Hot and will drop you off in Chom Thong.
From Chom Thong there are regular srng·ta·ou to the park’s entrance gate