Gracie’s Guide to Doi Khun Tan National Park: Stunning Train Ride Chiang Mai (2023)
My Guide to Doi Khun Tan National Park
Doi Khun Tan National Park is an underrated day trip (& camping trip) from Chiang Mai, one where you don’t even need a motorbike or car! I felt like I was on a true Thai adventure traveling to this national park, as we were the only foreigners there. If you’re looking for an off-the-beaten path activity, then this is definitely for you!
The forests are lush & dense, the pathways clearly marked. We got some epic mountain views without crowds or other tourists. I felt deeply connected to nature as we passed exotic flowers & unique plant species. I loved exploring a lesser-known national park in Thailand, especially one as well-kept as Doi Khun Tan.
Doi Khun Tan is a fantastic escape from the city for a more local experience. I couldn’t find much information on this park, so I thought I’d write my own experience & everything I learned along the way! Keep reading to learn my full guide to Doi Khun Tan National Park … logistics, trails, viewpoints, & more!
Taking the Train From Chiang Mai –> Doi Khun Tan National Park
I took the ‘express train‘ from the Chiang Mai station –> Khun Tan station for 50 baht (took 1 hour) on Saturday morning at 8:50am.
& came back on the ‘local train‘ at 1:30pm from Khun Tan –> Chiang Mai for 15 baht (took 1.5 hours).
*you can buy tickets a few minutes before the train leaves & make sure you have your Passport on you*
We went in late November, so the weather was nice & cool.
The ‘local’ train had SPECTACULAR mountain views, which made up for the fact that it was over 1 hour late to pick us up from the national park :/ I felt like I was in Switzerland as the train whizzed past local villages with green pastures & lush mountains overlapping each other.
This was a moment when we channeled the famous Thai motto, ‘mai pen rai’ (it’s ok, chill) & hung around the rural train stop, eating delicious pomelo fruit from the local vendor & taking photos of the famous ‘longest tunnel in Thailand’ at the train station.
The convenience of the train was nice for first-timers, but next time I will drive a car (~1 hour) to the nature trail. Instead, since we took the train, we had to hike straight uphill for a few kilometers from the train station –> nature trail.
Hiking from Khun Tan Train Station To The Entrance
The way from the train station to the nature trail was a lovely hike within itself! Once you step off the train at the Khun Tan station, you’ll see a sign that says ‘Entrance to Doi Khun Tan National Park’ (photo below).
Once there, there are clearly marked signs in Thai & English telling you how to get from the train station to the actual entrance of the national park. It’s a lot of uphill, but in a beautiful jungle setting. It took us ~20-30 minutes to get to the entrance.
Once at the entrance, we paid the 100 baht foreigner fee to get in. We got a map from the information center where a nice lady explained to us how long we should hike before we must catch the train back to Chiang Mai.
We took a quick photo stop at the exact crossroads between the ‘Lampang’ & ‘Lamphun’ provinces. I felt like that guy in ‘A Walk To Remember’, being in two places at once lol!
Hiking from the Entrance to the Nature Trail
Next, we were on our way to the entrance of the nature trail, following the ‘footpath’ signs all the way up to Yaw 1. It was a lot of uphill, & my heart was pumping real good. We stopped at picturesque viewpoints on the way, & fully took in all the greenery around us. It took us ~45 mins – 1 hour to reach the nature trail entrance.
We noticed that you can drive to the nature trail entrance, and begin your hike there. But since we came on the train, we didn’t have a motorbike or car.
Once at the entrance to the nature trail, we were stopped by rangers who had us sign-in on a book before we headed up the trail. We only went a little of the way up (I believe in total it’s ~ 5km to the summit) before we had to hike back down to catch the train. It took ~30-40 minutes to descend to the train station.
We noticed a lot of campers & campgrounds in this national park. It’s a great place to camp overnight and hike the summit early in the morning. Next time, we’ll do this!
There’s also the Tad Mei Waterfall deeper in the jungle that we didn’t have time to hike to, but you should add to your list.
Wrapping Things Up
I hope you enjoyed this detailed guide to Doi Khun Tan National Park. Taking the train from Chiang Mai was a cute novelty & the views were amazing. If you don’t want to drive there, take the train instead!
I noticed colorful flowers, diverse plants, and various unique animal species while hiking in this national park. Thailand does a great job at protecting these stunning jungle lands, and I was definitely impressed.
If you want to explore more of the beauty of northern Thailand, take a trip to Doi Khun Tan National Park.
xx Gracie
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