General
It is not only the rich natural resources of plants and wildlife and spectacular landscapes that make Doi Suthep-Pui National Park a must for visitors to Chiang Mai but also important cultural resources with traditional lifestyles of Hmong tribal people and Thai Lanna Buddhist culture. This primary rain forest is a perfect hideout just a short drive from Chiang Mai.
Itinerary
We pick you up at 07:40 am. Please be on time as the schedule for today is packed with activities. We drive up Doi Suthep mountain for around 17 kilometers to visit Doi Suthep Temple 1000 meters above the sea level. The temple is located in Suthep-Pui National Park.
We cannot drive directly to the temple, so we park at the main entrance of the temple compound and then take a cable car to the temple. We will explore the temple compound for about 1 and a half hours since the compound is full of interesting sights that are a must for visitors. There are three main areas: the monks’ quarters, ceremonial grounds with a terrace that offer spectacular city views, and the main pagoda where we make merit. These areas are on two floors. Please note that this is an area of great importance for Buddhists so a respectful dress is required. Your clothes need to cover your knees and shoulders.
After we finish the sightseeing at the temple, we walk down the staircase with 306 stairs and get drinking water for the hike. We hike through the primary rain forest with a variety of trees and vines. A rare liana Via Sapria Himalayana can only be found in such pristine rain forests. Its main blooming season is from November to February. We hike for about 2 and a half hours into the dense jungle and stop in an area with coffee, strawberry, and persimmon plantations. In these natural surroundings by a small stream is our lunch spot. We boil water for coffee/tea and enjoy a Thai lunch.
After lunch, we continue hiking out of the jungle to a Hmong tribal village for about 1 hour. Hmong villagers grow their own coffee and you can also try it there. We enjoy splendid views from a coffee plantation. We walk out of the village and take a mountain truck for this part of the drive. The vehicle has two benches and a roof. We drive through the primary rain forest and coffee plantations and stop at the viewpoint to take some photos. We then drive down the mountain and back to the city arriving late in the afternoon.