Doi Inthanon National Park is home to Thailand’s tallest mountain (2,565m).

Doi Inthanon National Park is only a two-hour drive from Chiang Mai city centre and makes a perfect day trip destination. We visited the national park last October and were pleasantly surprised by how serene and untouched the entire park was! Love off-the-beaten-path experiences? You have to check out this lush paradise. Doi Inthanon National Park is very underrated; we hardly saw any tourists other than ourselves.

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Doi Inthanon National Park’s Entrance Fees

Adult entrance fee: 300฿ (foreigners); 50฿ (locals)
Children entrance fee: 150฿ (foreigners); 20฿ (locals)
Vehicle entrance fee: 20฿ per motorbike; 50฿ per car

Note: The Royal Pagodas require an additional separate entrance fee of 40฿ per pax.

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How to get to Doi Inthanon National Park

You can get to Doi Inthanon National Park by hopping on a songthaew (those red-coloured communal taxis) for 140฿ per pax. It definitely isn’t the most reliable mode of transport and the process is fairly complicated.

Frankly speaking, we wouldn’t recommend it. Navigating around Doi Inthanon National Park is tough. The attractions are scattered across the national park, and you can’t just hail a taxi to get from point A to point B!

Riding a bike, renting a car, hiring a driver and/or joining a guided day tour are better alternatives.

For your reference, these are the average rental rates that I have gathered online:

Option A: Renting a motorcycle (from 200฿ per day)
Pro – Cheapest option and you can navigate at your own pace
Con – Dangerous because you will have to constantly check your GPS & online maps might not be updated
Extra costs – You have to pay for entrance fee, vehicle entrance fee and top up fuel

Option B: Renting a car (from 1200฿ to 2500฿ per day)
Pro – You can explore Doi Inthanon National Park at your own pace
Con – You may not be used to right-hand drive and the winding roads aren’t safe
Extra costs – You have to pay for entrance fee, vehicle entrance fee, car insurance and top up fuel

Option C: Joining a guided day tour (from 1300฿ per pax)
Pro – Stress-free experience, a local english-speaking tour guide and driver will settle & plan everything
Con – Sightly more expensive, you don’t get to decide where you want to go

I decided to join a guided day tour via Klook for 1300฿ / S$54.50 per pax. A tour guide, return transfer from the hotel, all entrance fees and lunch were included. It was the best option for me, really. I didn’t have a motorcycle license and I certainly wasn’t confident enough to drive along the narrow mountainous roads.

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What to do at Doi Inthanon National Park

From stunning waterfalls, local hill tribe villages to under-the-radar hiking trails, there are many things to see and do at Doi Inthanon National Park. I’ll do a quick and honest review on the attractions we visited:

1. Waterfalls

Our Klook tour guide brought us to two waterfalls, namely Siritharn Waterfall and Wachiritharn Waterfall. The latter’s vertical drop is approximately 80 metres and its forceful downward trajectory has caused an overwhelming mist.

Here’s a word of caution if you are visiting during the wet season (like us): You WILL get wet even if you are standing metres away from Wachiritharn Waterfall for a mere minute.

Chiang Mai’s Cool Season: November to February
Chiang Mai’s Hot Season: March to June
Chiang Mai’s Rainy Season: July to October

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2. Local villages

There are around 30 villages in Doi Inthanon National Park. We managed to visit the Karen and Hmong villagers, visit their homes and lovely rice paddy fields! You could purchase scarves and beverages to support the villagers, or shop at their local hill tribe market thereafter. We ended up buying A LOT of fresh avocados (at only S$0.40 each!!!), dried strawberries and jars of honey with honeycomb.

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3. Thailand’s Highest Point

Standing at 2,565 meters above sea level, I was hoping for an impressive vantage view of its surroundings. Unfortunately, Doi Inthanon’s summit was quite an underwhelming experience. Don’t expect a mind-blowing view, for a big wooden signboard would be greeting you instead… And that’s pretty much it.

Having said that, do bring a lightweight jacket along because temperatures can dip to 10 degrees celsius.

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4. Nature Walk

There are aplenty nature walks and hiking trails in Doi Inthanon National Park, but we only managed to check out Angkha Nature Walk. It was a peaceful stroll, but we have to admit.. It wasn’t particularly spectacular. Do explore Doi Inthanon National Park in comfy sports shoes – heels are a big no-no!

However, we heard that Doi Inthanon National Park’s Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail is especially scenic.

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5. King and Queen’s Chedi

The Great Holy Relics Pagoda is hands down, my favourite attraction in Doi Inthanon National Park. I can’t believe I didn’t even know about its existence prior to my trip! The dramatic scenery of the stupas alone is enough to make a special trip down to Doi Inthanon National Park.

The royal twin pagodas were built to commemorate the King and Queen’s fifth 60th birthday cycle. Constructed by the Thai Air Force and the Thais, the chedis can be accessed via the escalator or a steep flight of stairs. It is worth mentioning that the majestic pagodas are situated in the prettiest garden.

Just look at all the flowers! The view was magnificent despite the gloomy weather. I can only imagine how breathtaking it would be on a clear summer day.

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Find out more about the guided tour to Doi Inthanon National Park (from S$54.50 per pax) here.