Thailand Guide
The north
Doi Inthanon National Park
Covering a huge area, DOI INTHANON NATIONAL PARK (entry B200), with its hill-tribe villages, dramatic waterfalls and panoramas over rows of wild, green peaks, gives a pleasant, if sanitized, whiff of northern Thai countryside. It's named after the highest mountain in the country and its temperate forests shelter a huge variety of flora and fauna, including some 380 bird species, among them the ashy-throated warbler and a species of the green-tailed sunbird, both unique to Doi Inthanon, and countless orchids.
For the most spectacular views, head for the twin stupas looming over the misty green hillside 11km beyond the headquarters; on a clear day you can see the mountains of Burma from here. Nearby, the Kew Mae Pan Trail, a two-hour circular walk (closed June– Oct; obligatory guide B200), wanders through forest and savanna around the western edge of Doi Inthanon, where violent-red epiphytic rhododendrons (in bloom Dec– Feb) are framed against views over the canyoned headwaters of the Pan River.
Doi Inthanon's summit (2565m), 6km beyond the stupas, is a big disappointment. For many people, after a quick shiver and a snapshot at the highest point in Thailand, it's time to hop back in the car and return to warmer climes. One hundred metres back down the road, however, it's an easy stroll to the Ang Ka bog, one of the park's best bird-watching sites.
Practicalities
The main road through the park turns west off Highway 108, 57km southwest of Chiang Mai, winding for 48km to the top of Doi Inthanon, passing the park headquarters about 30km in. Several tour operators in Chiang Mai offer day-trips to the park or you can do it yorself on a motorbike. In the park, Uncle Daeng's Birds Visitor Centre (081 884 8108, www.mrdeang.com) provides guides and homestay accommodation (B400). Or you can stay in national park bungalows (B800; 053 286730, www.dnp.co.th); at the more comfortable Royal Agricultural Project rooms (053 286770–7, www.royalinthanon.com; B2000); in homestays at the village of Mae Klang Luang (081 960 8856, www.cbt-i.org; B200/person including dinner); or at the Little Home Guest House (053 267382, www.littlehomeinthanonresort.com; B600).