Private Tour | Doi Inthanon National Park day tour
Also known as "The Roof of Thailand", Doi Inthanon is the highest point in Thailand at 2,565 meters above sea level. The national park is one of the best in northern Thailand, home to many attractions and a popular destination for birders. The park has a great diversity of forest types throughout different altitudes, at the higher altitudes the forests are humid all year round. The park entrance is about 70 km southwest of Chiang Mai.
What?
A day-tour in Doi Inthanon National Park with an English speaking guide includes hiking, visiting the highest point in Thailand, Two Chedis, waterfalls and Hmong hill tribe market. The transfer will be with a SUV or minivan, both options spacious and comfortable and with a/c, we use only relatively new cars.
Doi Inthanon has only two official trails which can be walked in around 1.5 to 2 hours (each) of which one is closed during the rainy seasons but there is also a shorter trail near the summit, less than a kilometer long.
If you are after hiking longer trails, you are recommended to book a Doi Suthep-Pui National Park trekking tour. Doi Suthep-Pui has many more trails from a few kilometers up to 10-12 km long.
Itinerary
This is an example itinerary, which can be adapted according to your needs. The program may change depending on weather conditions, accessibility issues or any other obstacles. On eventual change of the itinerary we always make sure that the quality of our guests' experience and personal safety are safeguarded.
From 8 am to about 5 - 5:30 pm
- Our guide will pick you up from your accommodation with an a/c SUV or minivan 8 am
- The first stop will be the summit of Doi Inthanon which is the highest point in Thailand, we will drive all the way to the top.
- After enjoying the view we will embark on a beautiful nature trail called Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail, a local guide of the Hmong tribe will accompany us through unspoilt montane forests. When the skies are clear the views along this trail are magnificent.
- After having lunch at a local restaurant we will visit the Two Chedis that have been constructed to honour 60th birthday anniversaries of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit.
- Later on we will continue to the Wachirathan and Mae Klang Waterfalls, along the way we will stop at a Hmong market where products from the Royal Project are for sale.
- In the late afternoon our driver will take you back to your hotel.
During the rainy seasons Kew Mae Pan trail will be closed for a few months, alternative activities will be offered. The 2.6 km Pha Dok Sieo Nature Trail to a waterfall is one option if the trail is open for activity, in case hiking Pha Dok Sieo will be the first activity of the tour.
Where & When?
This tour departs from an agreed location like your hotel, apartment etc, and can be booked all year round. Chiang Mai can be reached by bus, train and flight from various destinations.
Tour details in short:
- Duration: 1 day
- Type: Private tour
- Price: 1,700 Baht and up per person (depending on group size)
- Group size: one or more people
- Grade: Easy to moderate
- Transport: a/c SUV or minibus
- Start: 8 am
- End: 5 - 5:30 pm
What to bring:
- Small backpack
- T-shirt and shorts for daytime
- Long sleeves/Jacket during winter time (Nov - Feb)
- Rain clothing (in the rainy season)
- Hiking shoes with good grip
- Sun cream
- Insect repellent (DEET medicated)
How much?
The listed price includes the entrance fees of 300 Baht per person, an English spaking guide, a driver, a local guide to walk one of the two main trails, transportation, lunch, drinking water, snacks, coffee/tea and a mandatory insurance required from Thai Tourist Authority(T.A.T.).
You'll be accompanied by a private guide and a driver, no other people will join you; the best way to explore Doi Inthanon!
Children up to 4 years old free as long as the group size doesn't require upgrade to a minivan. Children 5-8 years old will be charged on a cheaper rate, that too depends on number of adults and group size. Please send an inquiry to clarify.
A child up to 4 years old is free of charge. Two or more children up to 4 years old will be charged differently, depending on the number of adults and group size, mainly because a minivan may be needed. Children 5-8 years old will be charged on a cheaper rate, that too depends on the number of adults and group size. Please send an inquiry to clarify.
| Pax | Rate per person |
|---|---|
| 1 | 6,200 THB |
| 2 | 3,600 THB |
| 3 | 2,700 THB |
| 4 | 2,350 THB |
| 5 | 2,100 THB |
| 6 | 1,900 THB |
| 7 | 1,800 THB |
| 8 | 1,700 THB |
Tour rates include:
- English speaking guide
- Local guide to walk one of the two main trails (200 Baht)
- Transportation by a/c SUV or minivan & driver
- National park entrance fees (300 Baht per person)
- Two Chedis entrance fees (40 Baht per person)
- Lunch
- Coffee or tea
- Snacks
- Drinking water
- Mandatory insurance required by T.A.T.
Not Included:
- Any other drinks
- Personal expenses
Reviews from our guests
By: Alexa Brzezinski | posted Sun 22 May, 2022
Our tour was great! The guide was interesting and took us to all of the good spots.
By: Silvestr Ruzicka | posted Thu 13 Jan, 2022
super
By: Tanja Hernandez | posted Thu 6 Jan, 2022
What a great trip! Our guide was amazing and kind to my children and made the journey safe and comfortable. We had a great time hiking and seeing the excellent views of Doi Inthanon and we can't wait to go again.
By: Janine Dietzel | posted Tue 4 Jan, 2022
The tour was ok and we enjoyed it however a few things to mention.
Why do we pay for a guide at Doi Inthanon who doesn’t speak a word English and walks with us a paved way that every tourist walks? Seems very unnecessary it would have been more than sufficient to just have the Thai national parks guide with us.
Something that made us really uncomfortable;
It is the first trimester travelling for us after Covid and I’m pregnant, so we are very careful.
Our tour guide was constantly coughing in the car and seemed very sick. Do you test your guides regularly? It would be good if you can get back to us on this and if in the future they can show customers a negative result.
Especially in the car this was uncomfortable and also when visiting the hill tribe market he just ate nuts and other things by hand in which he coughed before…
Tour operator's response
To support the local community, it is a park rule that the two official trails must be accompanied by a local Hmong guide which can be arranged at spot when getting there. Even if you decide to visit the park on your own without a guide and decide to walk that trail, you still need to pay the 200 Baht fee. We agree, the trail path is clear, not possible to get lost, but the rules are rules; despite having our English speaking guide with you (which you refer to as Thai National Park’s guide) this second non English speaking guide must lead the hike. The 200 Baht fee is really very insignificantly low compared to the total package price.
To be honest; we like the idea of the local community being involved, because the illegal poaching in the park gets reduced. It is a proven good method in many other parks in Thailand.
It is however most disturbing to read about our guide choosing to conduct the tour despite his condition. We had a serious chat with him. It is winter time, some days the temperatures at Doi Inthanon top can drop down to zero levels in the early morning. Our guide has been to Doi Inthanon quite a few times during the previous days and caught cold. Given his condition, he should have informed us and this tour should have been cancelled. But, he made a very poor decision of conducting the tour, because he assumed you would like so. He said he did a test and the test result was negative. He asked us to forward his apologies, that he made you very nervous. We chose to continue working with this guide, but we made clear such serious incidents are not tolerable, that the decision is ours if the tour should continue or not.
We too apologise for this bad experience you had with our guide. We will take up this incident with our other guides and make sure this never happens again.
By: Tania | posted Sun 2 Jan, 2022
Oat went above and beyond to ensure that we enjoyed ourselves! He knows the trails, and made us feel safe. Also, he was happy to address all of our questions, and willing to share with us details about life in Thailand. Finally, Oat and the driver were very punctual.