Best National Parks in Chiang Mai

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National Parks and Gardens around Chiang Mai

The national parks around Chiang Mai run from Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest peak, out to the Chiang Dao limestone. Each entry says what is there, how to reach it and when to go.

Here is the list of 5 Best National Parks in Chiang Mai

1. Doi Inthanon National Park

4.8 /5

The highest point in Thailand at 2,565 metres, and the park that most Chiang Mai visitors pick for a day out. The summit itself is cloud forest, cold enough for a jacket year round, with the Ang Ka boardwalk looping through sphagnum bog and the twin chedis built for the King and Queen just below, their gardens looking down the range. Kew Mae Pan, a ridge trail walked with a Karen guide, opens November to May. Wachirathan and Mae Ya waterfalls are on the way up. How to Reach: About 90 minutes by road southwest of Chiang Mai via Chom Thong. Best Time to Visit: November to February, with cherry blossom in January

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₹3,672

The park covering the mountain immediately west of the city, which makes it the easiest to reach and the busiest. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep sits on the ridge at the top of a 300-step naga staircase, and most visitors go no further, but above it are the Bhubing Palace gardens, the Hmong village at Doi Pui, and the Monthathon and Huai Kaew waterfalls. Old logging tracks have become some of the best mountain biking in the north. Go on a weekday morning for the temple terrace. How to Reach: 15 km from the old city, 30 minutes by road; red songthaews leave from Chang Puak gate. Best Time to Visit: November to February

3. Pha Daeng National Park

4.0 /5

Known locally as Chiang Dao National Park, this is the largest of the Chiang Mai parks at around 1,225 square kilometres, wrapped around the limestone bulk of Doi Luang Chiang Dao. The mountain itself sits in an adjoining wildlife sanctuary and needs a permit and guide, but the park holds the Sri Sangwan waterfall, the Pong Ang hot springs and quieter forest trails. Chiang Dao Cave, a working temple cave complex, is close by. How to Reach: About 90 minutes by road north of Chiang Mai on Highway 107. Best Time to Visit: November to February

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₹2,306

4.0 /5

Not a national park but a botanic garden, and the best introduction to northern Thai plant life there is: 1,000 hectares on the slopes below Doi Suthep, founded in 1993 and named for Queen Sirikit. The draw is the Canopy Walkway, a steel walkway running several hundred metres through the treetops at around 20 metres up, plus a group of large glasshouses arranged by habitat, from rainforest to arid. Roads run between the sections, so you can drive and stop rather than walk it all. How to Reach: About 40 minutes by road northwest of Chiang Mai on the Mae Rim to Samoeng road. Best Time to Visit: November to February

Tours starting from
₹2,252

Chiang Mai province holds more national parks than any visitor gets round in one trip, and they sort neatly by effort. Doi Inthanon is the one almost everyone does: a paved road to the highest point in the country, waterfalls on the way up and a summit boardwalk at the top. Doi Suthep-Pui is closer still, half an hour from the old city, and doubles as the temple trip. Beyond those two the crowds thin quickly. Doi Pha Hom Pok, around the second-highest peak, is an overnight trek with hot springs at its foot, and Pha Daeng, better known as Chiang Dao, is the largest and quietest of them. For the falls in these parks see waterfalls in Chiang Mai, and for the wider country see national parks in Thailand.

This post was published by Muhammed Salih

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FAQs on Best National Parks in Chiang Mai

How many national parks are there near Chiang Mai?

Chiang Mai province contains several, though most visitors only ever see one or two. Doi Inthanon is the best known, Doi Suthep-Pui is the closest to the city, and beyond them are Doi Pha Hom Pok near Fang and Pha Daeng, usually called Chiang Dao. Others including Ob Luang, Mae Ping and Huai Nam Dang lie further out. The four on this page are the ones most worth building a day around.

Which national park near Chiang Mai is best for a day trip?

Doi Inthanon, if you only have one day. A paved road runs to the highest point in Thailand, so the summit is reachable without a trek, and Wachirathan waterfall, the twin chedis and the Ang Ka boardwalk can all be fitted into the same trip. Doi Suthep-Pui is the better half-day, being only 30 minutes from the old city and combining the mountain with its temple.

When is the best time to visit the national parks around Chiang Mai?

November to February, the cool dry season. The air is clearest then, the trails are firm, and the summit of Doi Inthanon is cold enough to want a jacket, which is part of the appeal. Wild Himalayan cherry flowers across the higher slopes in January. Avoid roughly February to April, when agricultural burning across the north pushes air quality down sharply and hides the views.

Is Doi Suthep a national park or a temple?

Both, and the distinction confuses a lot of visitors. Doi Suthep-Pui National Park covers the whole mountain west of Chiang Mai. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is the temple on its ridge, reached by a 300-step naga staircase, and it is what most people mean when they say they are going up Doi Suthep. The park continues well above the temple to Bhubing Palace, the Hmong village at Doi Pui and several waterfalls.

Is Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden a national park?

No. It is a botanic garden rather than a national park, and it is included here because it is the main managed nature attraction in the same stretch of hills, on the slopes below Doi Suthep. The reason to go is the Canopy Walkway through the treetops and the habitat glasshouses. If you want protected forest and trails rather than cultivated collections, the four national parks on this page are what you are after.

Can you climb Doi Inthanon and Doi Pha Hom Pok?

They are very different propositions. Doi Inthanon has a road to the top, so no climb is involved, and the walking there is on short trails such as Ang Ka and the Kew Mae Pan ridge, the latter open from November to May and walked with a local guide. Doi Pha Hom Pok, the second highest peak in Thailand, is a genuine trek usually done overnight with a camp near the summit for sunrise.