A Day in Doi Inthanon, Chiang Mai

Today, we took a road trip from old town Chiang Mai to Doi Inthanon National Park and the Mae Klang Luang Village, about a 1.5-hour drive.

Our first stop was the imposing Wachirathan Falls, whose source is the Mae Klang River.


From there, we drove by car to the Ang Ka Nature Trail, a short and flat boardwalk stroll through cloud forest, that takes you to the summit of Doi Inthanon, at 2,565 meters high. 


The trail featured a tangle of sphagnum moss, mushroom varieties, and rhododendron plants (which flower starting November.) It was my first time seeing a verdant wetland at such high elevation!

Next, we visited Chiang Mai’s famous pagoda at Nabhapolbumisiri. The complex features twin pagodas, dedicated respectively to King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit. This signature Chiang Mai view is stunning, and equally stunning was the fog that befell us while we shivered through the visit on this particular day.


At lunch, an inviting green curry and tom yum soup at a local homestay thawed us, while the sun finally came out to supplement its warmth.

Next, we ambled up the road to Mae Klang Luang Village. 


Our guide, Nana, showed us to a nearby coffee roaster and walked us through the medium-roast coffee, cascara tea, “five queens” herbal tea, and butterfly pea flower decoction grown locally for us to sample.


Back in old town Chiang Mai old town, we wove through the Sunday night market en route home.

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