Two-Day Doi Inthanon Summit Trek & Village Night
The summit of Thailand and the royal pagodas on day one, then two days of high-mountain walking with a night at a hilltribe village camp.
- Duration
- 2 days / 1 night
- Difficulty
- Challenging
- Max group
- 20 pax
This is the version of the Doi Inthanon trek for people who resent having to come back the same evening. It front-loads the famous sights — Wachirathan Waterfall, the 2,565-metre summit, the King and Queen Pagodas — and then walks away from them into the high mountains for a night, which is exactly the right order to do it in.
Day one starts with an hour and a half of driving to Wachirathan Waterfall, then another half-hour of climbing by road to the summit, the highest point in Thailand, where the cloud forest is cold and wet and the trees are furred with moss. The two royal pagodas come next, standing above terraced gardens with enormous views on a clear day. Only then do you drive to the trailhead and start walking, about four hours up into the high mountains and through Karen farmland, with lunch out in the forest.
The night is spent at a hilltribe village camp: a cooking lesson with your guide, dinner around a fire and a sky that makes the point about light pollution better than any argument. Day two is the long one — over mountain tops, past farmland, into a second Karen village, then down through forest to a waterfall where you swim and eat, six to seven hours of walking in total.
Four meals, one night's accommodation, insurance, guide and all transport are in the price. You are back in Chiang Mai around six on the second evening. Two people minimum.
- The summit of Doi Inthanon at 2,565 m — the highest point in Thailand
- The King and Queen Pagodas and their mountain gardens
- Wachirathan Waterfall on the way up
- Around four hours of high-mountain walking on day one and six to seven on day two
- A night at a hilltribe village camp with a cooking lesson and a campfire
- Two Karen villages visited on foot across the two days
- A waterfall swim and lunch to finish on day two
- Four meals, accommodation, insurance and transport included
- Local English-speaking guide throughout
What's included
- ✓ Hotel pick-up and return in Chiang Mai
- ✓ English-speaking local guide for both days
- ✓ Four meals across the two days
- ✓ One night's accommodation at a hilltribe village camp
- ✓ Thai cooking session on the first evening
- ✓ Drinking water throughout
- ✓ Accident insurance for the duration of the trek
- ✓ All transport, including the drive to the summit and the pagodas
- Breakfast on day one, before pick-up
- Doi Inthanon National Park entrance fee (not itemised on the brochure — please confirm when booking)
- A lightweight sleeping bag or liner if you want one
- Alcoholic drinks
- Comprehensive travel and medical insurance
- Gratuities for your guide
- Day 1 — 07:00–07:30
Pick-up and the drive south
Collection from your hotel and about an hour and a half of driving into the Doi Inthanon massif.
- Day 1 — 09:00
Wachirathan Waterfall
A stop at the park's most powerful waterfall — broad, loud and permanently wrapped in spray.
- Day 1 — 10:00
The summit, 2,565 m
Half an hour of climbing by road to the highest point in Thailand. Cold, wet cloud forest and the summit marker.
- Day 1 — 11:00
King and Queen Pagodas
The two royal chedis above their terraced gardens, with long views over the ranges when the cloud allows.
- Day 1 — 12:30–16:30
Four hours into the high mountains
Drive to the trailhead and start walking up into high mountain forest and Karen farmland, with a lunch break out in the trees.
- Day 1 — 17:00
Camp and cooking lesson
Arrival at the village camp. Your guide runs a Thai cooking session, then dinner around the fire and an evening of stars.
- Day 2 — 07:30
Breakfast and departure
Breakfast at the camp before the long second day.
- Day 2 — 08:30–14:00
Mountain tops and a second village
Walking over the tops and along the edges of farmland to a second Karen village, with time to see how the community lives and works.
- Day 2 — 14:00–16:00
Forest walk to the waterfall
Down through the forest to a waterfall for a swim and lunch — six to seven hours of walking by the time you finish.
- Day 2 — 16:30
Walk out and drive back
Back to the truck and the return drive to the city.
- Day 2 — 18:00
Back in Chiang Mai
Hotel drop-off at around six in the evening.
The one-day version does about four hours of walking and drives back the same evening. This two-day version sees the same summit and pagodas, then keeps walking into the high mountains, sleeps at a village camp and adds a full second day of six to seven hours' walking and a second Karen village.
Simple hilltribe village camp accommodation with basic bedding. No hot water, no mains comforts. Perfectly fine, but not a hotel.
Four in total: lunch and dinner on day one, breakfast and lunch on day two. Breakfast before pick-up on day one is not included.
At the summit, yes — often ten to fifteen degrees cooler than Chiang Mai and wet with cloud. Nights at the camp between November and February can be genuinely cold, so bring a warm layer.
Fit enough for four hours of climbing on day one and six to seven hours on day two, on unpaved paths. This is the more demanding of the two-day options.
Yes, two people for the departure to run, and it is worth booking several days ahead because the overnight has to be arranged.