Exploring Doi Inthanon, a Mountain near Chiang Mai, Thailand
Doi Inthanon looms higher than all other Thai mountains. It's such a super amazing adventure to drive to the peak!
Thai people love to drive to the freezing(ish) peak of Doi Inthanon to experience phenomenons such as shivering, wearing ear muffs and warming their hands on cups of hot coffee. A journey up the slopes of Doi Inthanon reveals a mosaic of changing forest types, each one preferring a specific combination of elevation, soil, temperature and humidity. The plants, flowers, mosses and trees that make up the 'cloud forest' of Doi Inthanon are the same species as grow on the slopes of the Himalayas.
I'm in love with the way the mist swirls around me, making me feel like I'm in a dream. It takes about an hour and a half to get to Doi Inthanon on a motorbike from Chiang Mai.
Here's a map.
It shows how to get to Doi Inthanon from Chiang Mai, where I stayed at Doiinn View and the stops I made on my journey up the mountain. If you want to see some real-life hill tribe villages, just drive up a few of the roads to nowhere and you'll find them!
Doi Inthanon dream world:
I stayed at the lovely Doiin View, a stone's throw from the entrance to Doi Inthanon National Park. I definitely recommend staying here the night before your Doi Inthanon adventure, so you can get an early start and beat the crowds.
Here I am, visiting royal pagodas:
Doi Inthanon is one of my favorite places in Thailand. Hidden away in the northern Thai hills, the town is small, simple and surrounded by beautiful natural scenery. It’s far enough from Chiang Mai to feel like you’ve gone somewhere different and had a break from your regular schedule, but close enough and so easy to get to that it doesn’t require a lot of time or planning to pop by for a night.
Then, I stopped at a dramatic waterfall:
I followed signs to a handicraft shop and overlooking rice paddies:
I found SO MUCH sphagnum moss:
My favorite experience of the day was the mini-walk at the top of the mountain, where I discovered that I *love* sphagnum moss! It holds more than 8 times its own weight in water, and can stay wet long after any surrounding soil has dried out. At Doi Inthanon, it blankets tree trunks, areas of soil and the railings of the trail. It's so soft and spongy, and the bright green color in the dark misty cloud-forest is just spectacular. The Sphagnum Moss trail begins just over the road arrive at the peak of Doi Inthanon.
Great post.
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