Day Trip to Doi Inthanon from Chiang Mai

Doi Inthanon National Park is one of the most popular day trips from Chiang Mai, along with day trips to Elephant Sanctuary and Sticky Waterfall. The park is home to the highest point of Thailand, the Twin Pagodas, as well as numerous waterfalls, hiking trails, and hill tribe villages.

I had a wonderful day trip to Doi Inthanon from Chiang Mai visiting the park’s highlights and the elephant sanctuary nearby. In this article, I will share with you some of the experience of how to get to, and things to do at Doi Inthanon National Park.

You can check more detail about Chiang Mai, attractions and activities in and around the city in these articles:

Where is Doi Inthanon National Park?

Doi Inthanon National Park is a huge park located around 100 km southwest of Chiang Mai Old Town. It is around 1.5-2 hours drive depending on the traffic. You can get to the park by scooter, private taxi, or guided tour.

Basic info of Doi Inthanon National Park:

Location	Chom Thong District, 100 km from Chiang Mai Old Town.
Opening Hour	5.30am to 6.30 pm everyday
Entrance Fee	300 baht for foreigner, 100 baht to enter the Twin Pagoda
Best Time to Visit	In the Cool and Dry Season from November to March.
Things to Do	Visiting temples, waterfalls, trekking, coffee/tea tasting, hill tribe villages.

How to get to Doi Inthanon National Park?

There are several ways to get to and explore Doi Inthanon National Park, including joining a group tour, renting a scooter, or hiring a private driver for a day. I personally visited Doi Inthanon as a part of a group tour from Chiang Mai that also included a visit to Mae Win Elephant Sanctuary.

Covering an area of 482 km², it is a huge park, and it is impossible to see all major attractions on foot. It’s best to have a vehicle to take you between attractions.

Taking a guided tour

Taking an organized tour is one of the most popular and easiest ways to get to Doi Inthanon. There are several tours taking you to different locations around the Park. Be sure to carefully check which attractions are included in the tours so you can choose the one that best suits your needs.

My tour included a half day to Elephant Sanctuary in Mae Win, and a visit to Doi Inthanon Summit, Twin Temple, and the hike on Pha Dok Siew Nature Trail. The tour will include two ways transfer, lunch, and entrance to the national park.

I paid 1600 baht for my day tour, but the price can range from 1500 baht to 2000 baht. If you book at local travel agencies, it is possible to negotiate the price.

Rent a scooter

If you are confident with your driving skill in the mountainous area of Thailand, you can consider renting a motorbike to explore Doi Inthanon National Park. You can rent a motorbike at many rental shops in the old town for 200-300 baht a day.

This is not only a cheap way to get to Doi Inthanon, but also gives you lots of freedom to see places you want to see, unlike fixed schedules and attractions in the organized tour.

The road, however, is very hilly and curvy in and around the national park, so make sure you are familiar and know how to handle it. I was sitting in a minivan and still felt motion sickness at times.

Hire a Private Driver

If you are with a group of friends or family, you can consider hiring a private driver. You can hire a private taxi or if you like the local way of transport, hire a private songthaews for a day (9-10 hours).

It is easy to book a private tour online or just head to the old town to negotiate the price with local songthaew drivers. You should have a list of places you want to see beforehand then ask him to take you there. Price is around 3500-4000 baht for a full day private trip.

What to do at Doi Inthanon National Park?

Map of attractions inside Doi Inthanon National Park

Visiting Doi Inthanon Summit – Highest Point of Thailand

The Doi Inthanon Summit, aka Roof of Thailand, is the highest point in Thailand, reaching an elevation of 2,565 meters above sea level. It’s a must-visit for nature lovers, photographers, and those wanting to experience cool mountain air in tropical Thailand.

The Summit is located at the end of road 1009, around 15 km from the Thai Hmong Community Market. Before reaching the Summit, you can have lunch at one of the restaurants along the highway 1009 near the Hmong Market for lunch or some shopping at the market.

When I took a guided tour, we had a buffet lunch at the Moei Khab Restaurant. Lots of tours stop here for meals. We had shared meals that included steam rice, omelet egg, tom yum soup, and some stir fry chicken and vegetables.

Our driver drove us all the way to the parking area of Doi Inthanon Summit. From the parking lot, we walked for around 10 minutes along the Ang Ka Luang Natural Trail to reach the summit. The temperature was around 10°C, cold and foggy, so be sure to bring the warm jacket with you.

We walked on the wooden broadway covered with moss, in the middle of the misty rainforest, passing a small shrine, and coin area. If you can balance the coin at the coin area, your wish can become true. The final stop is the sign “highest Point in Thailand”, which is a great stop for taking photos.

I didn’t see any views at the summit because it was misty and covered by trees. For better views of the surrounding mountains and valleys, it is better to get to the Twin Pagoda.

Explore the Twin Pagoda

The Twin Pagoda, also known as the King’s and Queen’s Pagodas, is located on Road 1009, 5 km south of Doi Inthanon Summit. The driver drove us all the way from the parking area of the summit down to the parking area of the Twin Pagoda.

At the parking area, you need to buy an additional ticket for 100 baht then wait for Songthaew to take you to the pagodas. We took a guided tour, so everything was included in the tour price.

The King Pagoda, aka Phra Mahathat Naphamethanidon was built in 1987 to commemorate the 60th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). The Queen Pagoda, aka Phra Mahathat Naphaphonphumisiri, was built in 1992 to honor the 60th birthday of Queen Sirikit.

You can get to each temple by walking up the stairs or using the lift. You need to take off the shorts to get inside each pagoda. There are Beautiful murals and Buddha images inside each pagoda.

The area has stunning views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. There are cafes, restaurants, and toilets at the ground of these temples. You can take photos with the well-maintained gardens with seasonal flowers, fountains, and walkways.

Hike at Pha Dok Siew Nature Trail

There are several hiking trails inside Doi Inthanon National Park. We took our hike on this 2,5km long trail, passing the Pha Dok Siew Waterfalls, rice fields, then ending at the Mae Klang Luang tribe hill village to try local Arabica coffee.

The trailhead is located on road 1009, 12 km drive from the Twin Chedis. When we arrived at the trailhead, we were accompanied with two local guides. Hiking with a local guide is a must on this trail. It is an additional 250 baht to hike a guide, but it was included in our tour.

It was a great walk passing many beautiful waterfalls, on the dirt trail, bamboo bridge, farm lands, and coffee plantations. I visited in late November, the waterfalls were quite powerful, which were great for taking photos.

We ended our hike at Mae Klang Luang Village after 1.5 hours. Our guide introduced us to traditional local houses, and took us to a Pati non Coffee Roasting House to try local coffee and tea. You can taste it for free then buy some coffee/tea from the shop if you like.

roaster coffee at Mae Klang Luang Village

We didn’t hike back, our driver waited for us at Mae Klang Luang Village, then we headed back to our hotel in Chiang Mai Old Town.

Hike at Kew Mae Pan trail

This is a 2.5km circular trail, located on road 1009, 5 km south of Doi Inthanon Summit and 650 m north of the Twin Pagodas. This trail is only open from November to May.

You need to hire a Hmong Tribe guide to be able to do this hike. The price is 200 baht per group for a guide. It is a moderate trail and will take around 1 hour to 2.5 hours depending on your fitness.

Exploring the Waterfalls

Doi Inthanon National Park is home to several waterfalls, with some of them easily accessible from highway 1009. Many tours will stop you at Wachirathan, Sirithan, and Sriphum Waterfall.

Wachirathan Waterfall

Wachirathan is located right one highway 1009, and easily accessible by car and scooter. It is right on the road to Doi Inthanon national park, so you can stop by if you have a scooter or hire a private driver. The waterfall has a good viewing area and several small shops at the parking area. It is free.

Mae Klang Waterfall

This is a small waterfall located 800m from Check Point 1 Km. 8. The entrance is free. You can take the trek to this waterfall from nearby Mae Klang village with a local guide.

There are several food stalls and restaurants along the stream. It is worth a visit and detour on the way to Doi Inthanon Summit if you have time.

Sirithan Waterfall

Sirithan is located right on the highway 1009 on the way to Doi Inthanon Summit. It is easy to park your car/ scooter off the main road 1009, then walk along the nice wooden ramp trail to the viewpoint. The viewing deck has stunning views of the waterfall.

Mae Ya Waterfall

Mae Ya is known for its impressive height and stunning multi-tiered cascade. With 250 meters tall and 100 meters width, making it one of the tallest waterfalls in Thailand.

Things to do Near Doi Inthanon National Park

Elephant Sanctuary in Mae Win

Mae Win is conveniently located between Chiang Mai and Doi Inthanon national Park. If you are in Chiang Mai for a short period of time, you can consider taking a tour that includes the visit to the Elephant Sanctuary in Mae Win while visiting Doi Inthanon National Park.

At the elephant sanctuary, you can make food for elephants that include bananas, sugar canes, and other fruits. You can feed them, interact, and take photos with them. If you don’t mind getting a bit dirty, you can take a mud spa with the elephants. Be sure to bring a swimsuit with you.

See more:

Doi Inthanon is worth a day trip from Chiang Mai, where you can visit the twin temple, check out the highest point of Thailand, and do some trekking through rice fields, waterfalls, and hill tribe villages. If you are short on time, you can combine a visit to Doi Inthanon and the Elephant Sanctuary within a day tour.