National Park featuring Thailand’s highest peak reopens

Chiang Mai’s famous Doi Inthanon National Park is scheduled to reopen today after being closed for months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Doi Inthanon is Thailand’s highest peak. Visitors arrived at the park gates as early as 5am, where they had to undergo a Covid screening before being allowed in.

The national park is the home of the Doi Inthanon mountain, also known as the “Roof of Thailand,” which at 2,565 metres is the tallest in the country. It’s located in the Chom Thong district, not too far from Chiang Mai’s city centre. The park is a popular tourist destination, with visitors flocking to the mountain to enjoy the cool, misty weather and beautiful vistas. The national park reported that while the temperature was 16 degrees at the park office, it was a crisp 8 degrees at the top of Doi Inthanon. Another popular spot in the park is the viewpoint at Kiew Mae Pan, where at first light visitors can view the famous “sea of mist.”

Head of the national park Kriangkrai Chaiwiset officially opened the park, handing out souvenirs and announcing the creation of a new 3-kilometer long natural studies trail.

Kriangkrai went on to say that as part of the park’s efforts to mitigate the spread of Covid-19, group visits would be limited to 50 a day. It’s a 200 baht entrance fee for a group of 10 with a local guide. About 273 visitors had made advanced bookings for the park online through the “QueQ” app.

SOURCES: Bangkok Post| Thai National Park