I didn’t plan for this, it came to me by chance. Doi Inthanon tour wasn’t in my head firstly, but the phrase “the highest spot in Thailand” really lured me when I was searching for anything matters around Chiang Mai. And It turned out the right choice.
Why Doi Inthanon?
Waking on bus seat, a beautiful morning outside the window. Green vegetation, white clouds, a blur on the window, it was such a highland sign. I visited Chiang Mai by chances. A Chinese girl told me that would be festival in town instead of cancellation because of the King’s death as I’d known before.
Not well-equipped information, so I opened some website to research, hopefully found something interest. There are usually 3 main things to do in Chiang Mai: visit Wats (pagoda), join adventurous tours and meet elephants.
Doi Inthanon seemed the best choice. The idea of check-in the highest peak in Thailand really made my eyes open wide and my adventurous blood running fast. I found a map which showed points of interests: Waterfalls, Caves, Bird-watching, trekking trails and for the top of it: Doi Inthanon summit.
But Doi Inthanon tour was not a budget choice as I consulted more on cost: transportation in long distance, with a songthaew ride, thousands baht for a day trip, hopefully to meet a group to share or get over it and stay in Chiang Mai. So many things I hadn’t done before in a strange place (That was my FIRST TIME to Thailand and FIRST TIME to Chiang Mai). My comfort zone suggested staying at Chiang Mai only, but my adventurous heart encouraged me to challenge the highest spot of Thailand.
After a long negotiation between heart and mind, finally, I decided to take risk.
I persuaded myself “Life is too short not to do something matters right? And this experience would not be a deadly trip, maybe I get lost, but it is not a big problem when we have smartphone with googlemap installed,… C’mon. I’m traveling, let’s do something memorable. OK?”
– Huhm, OK, fine – my mind nodded
Travel to Doi Inthanon
Read more: Doi Inthanon – a complete travel guide
So right after putting first steps in Chiang Mai bus station, I asked for songthaew to Doi Inthanon. There were many songthaews in the bus station, most of them are in red. A driver approached me and asked for 2000 baht for a full-day Doi Inthanon tour. After some bargain, the fixed price was around 1500 baht.
It was not a bad deal because the mountain is quite far from the city center. But I preferred a share ride. Poor me that all travelers I met simply chose to get songthaew to the city center instead of countryside. It seemed a dead end at that time.
I told myself: there would be another way, hopefully got a better one. I wandered around for a while, then the driver faced me again, and showed the city map which his finger pointed at the old city gate – “station, songthaew, to Chom Thong”.
I knew what he meant: Chom Thong is where Doi Inthanon locates. Reaching the town and I could transit to the peak.
- “How much”
- “40 baht”
- “20 baht?”
- “Ok!”
“Ok”, just go with it. “Chiang Mai is very cheap” said my guru. And I had to figure it out myself. Solo travel is somehow scary at that moment. You would feel not sure for anything, and have to trust that everything would be okay after all.
The red songthaew took me to somewhere near a market, and guided me to take an yellow one. I waved a songthaew and a friendly face asking where I would like to go. “Doi Inthanoi” “How much” – and my hand dancing to describe I was asking for the price.
The man was not speaking. Instead, he showed me two 20-baht, which means my trip would cost 40 baht.
I remembered my friend’d suggested it was just 40-50 baht to Doi Inthanon, so I firmly knew the price was good and no need to bargain with a non-English-speaking driver, which quite tough and time-consuming.
I jumped to the back and joined the passengers. There was a foreign traveler couple, I asked them whether that was the right songthaew to Doi Inthanon. You know, all they wished me just “hopefully you get the right car”. Yes, hope was only mean I had.
After minutes, the songthaew was far enough so I could see how Thai countryside was. It’s nearly the same as ones in neighborhood nations like Cambodia, Vietnam. Dusty, green, quiet, sometimes interrupted with noisy local markets. The songthaew played as a open bus with hop-on-hop-off passengers. It’s quite interesting to meet many sorts of people.
I tried hard to establish a conversation with the local but it seemed that few Thai on the car could speak English. If any, very limit words. So you shoulld write down your destinations (better in Thai) and show them. Yes/ No answers are almost what they can help you.
Eventually, I got to Chom Thong. The driver kindly put me right at the bus station, so that I could easily get on another songthaew to Doi Inthanoi. It was 12:00 PM and It was dry and hot extremely but not really bad weather for a exploration day.
My initial plan of Doi Inthanon tour was to camp a night and wait for the next morning to experience trekking through adventurous trails, check in the summit also because Doi Inthanon is a real complex requiring a full day to get around. I’d just visited Dalat 3 weeks before and love to check whether they had any difference, Vietnam highland and Thai one.
Steps on Chom Thong center, my next mission was to get another songthaew to Doi Inthanon. After minutes, I found a yellow one nearby, which there were 3 people inside. They confirmed me that was to Doi Inthanon peak. Phewww!
The new friends were from Bangkok, and they rent a half-day Doi Inthanon tour, and waiting for other people to share ride. After a while, the driver approached to discuss whether we could share the ride and started the tour. Some bargain was made.
Finally they three agreed to pay 1500 baht in total for three stops at waterfall, twin pagodas and summit. I paid 200 baht as an extra seat because I planned to stop at camping site, which was just a quarter of journey.
First time fare invasion
The hosts of Doi Inthanon tour were among Thai: Nok, Boom and Bird. Their english was limit but we happily trying to communication with all hearts, hands and imagination. That’s was the most lovely ride in my first trip to Thailand after all.
The funniest thing of the journey was fare invasion. As usually, the foreign would be charged 200 baht/ adult, but Thai was only 50 baht. So the driver and three Thai friends decided to keep me as a local! I had to keep silent in any circumstance not to reveal my true identity (Asian is really a strength here for budget experience).
Nok went out. After few minutes, she came back with four tickets, cost totally 200 baht. The feeling when you’re hacking something was cool.
Wachirathan waterfall
The first destination was Wachirathan waterfall. The road was rough sometime, with V-shape turns forced the driver to slow down and carefully handle the wheels. I loved the kind of road, reminding me memories of my road trips around Dalat, touch-and-go driving feeling.
We stopped at the parking lot and walking via stairs to reach the waterfall. For the ambience: very moisture, green grass plantation with rocky stepping stairs. It’s really cool! When you get close to the waterfall, make sure your electric devices are waterproofed or you’ll be sorry for the malfunction.
We didn’t stay for long, because there’s nothing much to explore, just take some check-in photos and call the driver, head toward the next one: Doi Inthanon summit.
Doi Inthanon summit
There is a radar station there that you can see at a distance. Went deeper through rock stairs, we encountered the Memorial Shrine of King Inthanon, featuring a rock column at the center, accompanied by two elephants. All in moss and decorated wreath.
There were also incenses and neat-wrapped flowers available so that you can worship if you’d like.
A grave stone elected nearby shows you a piece history of the shrine: It was on an excursion to the peak of Doi Inthanon, a royal consort ordered to establish the shrine to deposit her father’s ashes, King Inthanon, the 7th ruling prince of Chiang Mai.
There is another rocky board to the left but the letter are completely in Thai, which I had no idea what it meant.
Head to a wooden trail, you will discover another shrine. The moss wooden path was really stunning, well-preserved and surrounded by big trees and thousands of shrubs, herbs, grasses, ferns, and mosses.
Really green and cool so just slowly walk and enjoy the atmosphere! At the end of the path, there is a big temperature banner, but I don’t think it’s updated continuously.
Twin pagoda
The final visit was to Twin pagoda. It was impressive, colorful, well-designed with King’s pagoda in brown and Queen’s one in Purple.
There are many beautiful flowers, which make it look like a park than a religious site. A truly must-visit location for a Doi Inthanon tour.
Getting close-up and you’ll see walls which features reliefs depicting story of the pagoda. From there, a majestic scenery lures your sense.
A combination of floating big clouds sometimes hiding the surroundings, a nearly top-down view of plantations below and human works.
Each pagoda is accompanied by a distinctive garden. I really loved every moments there, like you get lost in a paradise.
The only shortage which prevents you from fully enjoyment is dozens of tourists around with noise and no really clear shots are likely to be made. But we should happily share our space with the other because it is a tourism attraction.
When you get tired, just leave the pagodas for cafeteria at the gate, it offers delicious roasted pork, sweeter a bit than usually, for my own judgement.
The toilet is amazing too. I was impressed that Thai use the local lemon to de-odour, which I appreciate as it is very natural and creative. The lemon smells very good compared to any artificial deodorants.
Back to Chiang Mai
On the way back to the Chom Thong town, we passed stores which are well-displayed with so many various specialities that you will love to spend some money to purchase. I think you should do it. They are very fresh, unique taste and beautiful. Many ones pick some as gifts for friends.
We bought a roasted sweet potato and very enjoyed splitting it, smelling and tasting every bit. A hot food is perfect for cool ambience like Doi Inthanon usually offers.
After getting the ride, I felt like it was enough for me for Doi Inthanon travel experience, that I started to miss Chiang Mai and wonder how it was instead of setting a camp. I revealed my thought with Thai friends and saw them confusing. Maybe they wonder why I changed my mind so quickly.
I couldn’t answer the question at that time, but now, sitting in a cosy coffee and write these words, I think that I’ve experienced many highland camping in Vietnam before flying to Thailand, so I REALLY didn’t want it anymore.
P/s: Many thanks to my new friends: Nok, Boom and Bird. I owe them alot for my Doi Inthanon tour experience. They are the most funny and kind people that really made up my first time travel to Thailand. This post is for them!
