Roadtrip Begins : Chiang Mai to the Roof of Thailand

Introduction

This post is part 1 covering our epic Mae Hong Son loop. It covers our adventures and experiences as we started our journey out of Chiang Mai to Doi Inthanon. Feel free to jump to the “TLDR” section to get a quick run down of what to expect and some tips. Read through the full post to follow our day by day, stop by stop experience.

Flying into Chiang Mai
Pha Chor National Park
Doi Inthanon
Trails and Temples @ Doi Inthanon
Adieu Doi Inthanon
TLDR

Flying into Chiang Mai

We decided to complete the loop in a clockwise manner from Chiang Mai, with Doi Inthanon as our first stop. Doi Inthanon is home to the highest point in Thailand. First question both Abigail and Annabel asked were whether we needed to hike to the peak. They were ecstatic when I told them we could drive all the way there (less so when I mentioned that we are still going on a hike while we were there). We were also all looking forward to escaping the hot weather in Penang, as the temperature is forecasted to drop to around 5C in the night because of the high altitude. There are also many magnificent waterfalls within the national park, a few scenic trails, two beautiful Chedis & home to multiple hill tribes too. It can be very busy since it’s barely 2 hours away from Chiang Mai and many tourist drops in for a day trip.

Our adventure begins. A long layover in KLIA2, my first time here actually. Brunch at Oriental Kopitiam, which serves one of the best Portuguese egg tart in my opinion. The remainder of the time spent at an kiddy arcade.

After collecting our car (a Honda city), we stopped by a small beautiful temple near our hotel.

Silver temple (Wat Sri Suphan) is located a stones throw away. A small temple (comparing the other Wats here), it is nevertheless beautiful. This unique temple is almost completely clad in silver

The detailed carvings and decorations pounded on the outside (and inside) of the temple. Annabel spotted some out of place “mythical heroes” adorning the walls.

Doing a touristy thing. Love the sound of the bell, gong and drum as they reverberated when struck.

Stocking up at nearby Lotus for our upcoming drive. Girls went wild, when they were given the freedom to choose snacks.

Enjoying one of our best meals at Khaomao-Khaofang Imaginary Jungle, a Michelin guide restaurant. Seated in a jungle like environment, near man made waterfalls and under the canopy of large trees, surrounded by flowers and small plants. Food was good and service was top notch.

Pha Chor National Park

The next day, after a simple but filling breakfast at the hotel, we detoured to a nearby national park, Pha Chor.

There’s a nice trail, where you will be walking on old dried up river bed leading all the way to highlight of the park, canyon/cliff walls shaped like a semi circular amphitheater. Walk is pretty interesting with informative boards at key points providing some descriptions regarding the geological changes.

Pitstop at a random Cafe, where we had one of the best cups of latte and coconut coffee. Chatted with the owners and beans were from Doi Chang (region in Chiang Rai famed for its Arabica beans) and they are newly opened. Glad we bumped into this place.

Doi Inthanon

Watchirathan was the next waterfall we stopped at after lunch at a nearby stall. The water raged down powerfully and the resultant spray blanketed the vicinity with a thin layer of mist. One of the busiest waterfalls as it’s located right by the carpark.

We were immediately swarmed by mozzies the minute we reached the platform to view the Sirithan falls. Ran back to the car to escape them.

Mae Klang Luang is a village standing amidst hilly rice terraces. They also grow coffee beans here. Walked in a quiet shop and owner offered to make a cup of coffee for us since he already had a kettle on the fire.

The smell of freshly roasted beans. Coffee was being roasted at the back of his shop and timing was perfect that the roasting was done. Dropped in for a traditionally brewed coffee, some coffee and tea tasting. Aromatic candle and Karen cigars were on sale too.

There was a community sales center (Pati Non) catering to the stream of tourist dropping in. The villagers will share the profits from the sales.

One of the villagers weaving scarves for sale.

Petrol pumps like this can regularly be seen in villages servicing the community.

Royal Garden Siribhume reminded us of the recent avatar movie we watched. The large fern plants (most towering above us) could be found throughout the garden. Girls turned back after reaching the foot of the first cascade, while I went exploring for the upper cascades. The last 15mins proved to be a little challenging, but managed to get further up. Unable to find any other trails to the higher levels.

Royal Agricultural Station at Inthanon. Established to help improve the livelihoods of the tribesmen by introducing good commercial crops to replace opium flowers, conduct research on animal husbandry, etc.

Where we would be putting up. Inthanon Valley turned out to be a very nice place. Located across the street from a flower farm, the private bungalow we took overlooked the Siriphum waterfalls.

We missed the Sakura season (generally said to be around Jan). Only some flowers remain on the shrub.

The temperature dropped as the sun set. Room came with a generous set of steamboat/bbq. Big serving of chicken and pork. Vegetables top up was free too! We had the steamboat on the balcony in front of our unit. Both Abigail and Annabel highlighted the steamboat as one of their most memorable memories of the trip.

Enjoying the night view from our large balcony while sipping a cup of hot tea

Trails and Temples @ Doi Inthanon

Reaching the kew mae pan trailhead early to avoid the crowd. Sun was up, so temp is up slightly as well. Everyone bundled up for the hike.

First third of the hike involves a scenic jungle trail. It was really cold initially, (temp feels much lower under the covers of trees) but as our body warmed up, it felt much more enjoyable.

The second half of the hike involves a walk along the Kew Mae Pan Ridgeline, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding valleys. No cloud carpet though…

The final third one again cuts under the covers of trees. Treats and chips are a necessary “bribe” to encourage the girls to join the hike.

Completing a short stroll at the nearby Ang Ka nature trail. The boardwalk runs on top of swampy ground, cutting through beautiful moss covered trees. Less thick compared to what we get back home.

Taking a break at the nearby visitor center

Off to look for the highest point. Officially, the highest spot in Thailand measures at 2535.3341m. The last king of Chiang Mai, King Inthawichayanon’s ash is also housed in a nearby stupa. Right by the stupa, there’s a spot that you can easily get coins to balance on their edge. Explanation was in Thai, and translated text was just confusing.

Afternoons was spent exploring the King and Queen chedis of Doi Inthanon. The king chedi is more masculine, earth toned while is more feminine looking opposite is colored purplish pink. Besides the smaller flower beds surrounding both Chedis, a larger Royal Chedi’s garden filled with bright beautiful flowers is also located on grounds.

Some of the flowers in the Royal Chedi’s garden

Dropped by a small hamlet, Ban Pa Pong Piang. Too bad the rice was recently harvested. We can only imagine the views right before harvesting. The rolling rice terraces nestled in the lower slopes of Doi Inthanon generally doesn’t get many visitors as it’s pretty difficult to access. We intended to grab lunch here, but none of the shops were open. Guess it was low season and no visitors were expected.

Adieu Doi Inthanon

As usual, I was up early while the girls continued to sleep in. Before the drive to our next destination, the crisp morning weather was a perfect excuse for a quick jog. We soon departed after breakfast of porridge, toast and fruits.

Went out for a run around the village, cutting through the many flower farms nearby. Fighting cockarels, cute black piglets & picture perfect camping sites dots the area.

Noticed an unnamed smaller waterfall to the right of Siriphum waterfalls. Went exploring for a way to the foot of the unnamed falls. As per usual, just follow the pipes. Turned back after hitting the bottom most level, the pipes snakes on, but path looks overgrown, no parang to clear the way forward.

Time to pack up and go. Girls were reluctant to say goodbye to the resident cats too.

Fueling up, and ready for the long drive over to our next stop – Mae Hong Son.

TLDR

Doi Inthanon National Park is a very heavily visited park, just 2 hours from Chiang Mai. It’s a large park covering elevation from 800m to 2565m asl. It is famous for its waterfalls, trails, remote villages, viewpoints, sunrise/sunset watching, birdwatching and the all year round cold weather on higher elevations.

Doi Inthanon Activites

There’s much that you can do here, something for everyone. Most of the activities are also family friendly, but do expect some amount of walking. In no particular order, here are some stuff we did.

Waterfalls – park is famous for the numerous waterfalls. Ranging from easily accesible to some walking required. Take your pick, but you must at least view one of them
Coffee tasting – Arabica beans are grown locally. Though not as popular as the Doi Chang estates, the coffee here are nevertheless pretty delicious. Head to Ban Mae Klang Luang for a more traditional experience
Hiking – a few popular trails, again ranging from easy to moderate. Ang Ka nature trail is located near the peak, while Kew Mae Pan is a beautiful hike if you are up for it.
Flower Gardens – the flower gardens at the two chedis and the Royal Agricultural Station are very impressive
Visiting the rice terraces – when in season, this would be a beautiful scene

Doi Inthanon Food

Expect to pay tourist price, budget 100B/person meal. There are food stalls serving local cuisine located right beside the park office, catering to the stream of tourist to the park.
Strawberries – if in season, they are available at a very affordable price. Ranging from 60B/500g to 100B/500g. Bargain if purchasing more. Strawberries can be found in abundance in the Hmong community market
Avocados – we love avocados and those we got here was pretty creamy, and pretty affordable. 60B/kg.
We had steamboat as part of our homestay package. It is an experience not to be missed

Doi Inthanon Lodging

There are many places to stay in the vicinity. There are hill tribe homestays at the nearby Ban Mae Klang Luang, or among the flower farms at Ban Khun Klang. Ban Khun Klang has glamping sites, camping sites and even modern homestays. Ban Mae Klang Luang has more basic options is what I can tell. We stayed in a bungalow for 4 at Inthanon Valley, costing 2800THB, inclusive of steamboat and breakfast.

Doi Inthanon General Tips

Entrance Cost – Foreigners: 300B/adult, 150B/child, 30B/car.
Bargain! You can generally bargain for a better price, though not by much at the market.
Best time to visit is during the winter months, Oct – Jan. Rice terrace will be beautiful up till their harvest around Nov.
if you are staying the night, visit the more popular point of interest (Chedi, highest point, etc) during the early mornings or late evenings to avoid the day trippers from Chiang Mai.
Bonus – forget whatsapp or Facebook. Line is the goto chat software used by locals. Reach out to your host via Line. Pair it with Google translate as most of them do not understand English well.
Bonus – Download QueQ app and reserve your slot beforehand. This will safe you time and effort to deal with the officers at the checkpoints. Just flash your app booking QR code and you will be allowed through.

Bonus Tip: Pha Chor Canyon

Location – Located 1 hour drive south west of Chiang Mai. Map to Pha Chor Car Park 3
Time – Allocate 1 hour to complete the loop.
Cost – Foreigner: 100B/adult, 50B/child. 30B/car
Hours – 0830 to 1630. Prebooking via QueQ app is not required.
Food – bring your own, there’s an on site Cafe but only sells simple snacks and drinks.
Bonus – To avoid some descends/ascends, park at car park 3 and start from there. Most tourist will start from the Cafe at car park 1, where you will need to descend a flight of stairs to reach the trails