Doi Inthanon National Park (Thai : อุทยานแห่งชาติดอยอินทนนท์ ),[2] nicknamed "the roof of Thailand", is a national park in the Thanon Thong Chai Range , Chom Thong District , Chiang Mai Province , northern Thailand .[3] It includes Doi Inthanon , the country's highest mountain. It contains an area of 301,184 rai ~ 482 square kilometres (186 sq mi) in size.[4] It was established on October 2, 1972.[1]
Pin of the highest point of Thailand in Doi Inthanon National Park
The Wachirathan Waterfall in Doi Inthanon National Park
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The park is approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) from Chiang Mai . It includes Karen and Meo Hmong villages of about 4,500 people.[5] Its elevation ranges between 800–2,565 metres (2,625–8,415 ft) . Within its borders are a number of waterfalls: Mae Klang Falls, Wachiratan Falls, Siriphum Falls, and Mae Ya Falls.[3] The park has varied climatic and ecologically different sections.
Doi Inthanon National Park is located in a significant part of the Ping River watershed area, which has allowed numerous rivers to be formed, The Mae Wang , Mae Klang River, Maw Ya River, Mae Hoi River, Mae Chaem River, and Mae Tia Rivers being the most important one in the district.[6] These rivers will allow multiple local settlements in Chang Mai Province to be nourished before flowing into the Ping River .[6]
Flora includes evergreen cloud forest , sphagnum bog, and deciduous dipterocarp forest.[4] There are some relict pines.[3]
Plant communities of Doi Inthanon vary according to elevation. Below is a table of main plants by vegetation type:[7]
More information Vegetation type, Elevation ...
Vegetation type
Elevation
Trees
Understorey (undergrowth, shrubs, herbs, etc.)
mixed deciduous forests
up to 800 m
Albizia , Dalbergia , Millettia , Vitex , Terminalia , Lagerstroemia
Boesenbergia , Curcuma , Globba , Kaempferia
deciduous dipterocarp forests
600–800 m
Dipterocarpus intricatus , Dipterocarpus obtusifolius , Dipterocarpus tuberculatus , Shorea obtusa , Shorea siamensis , Strychnos nux-vomica , Colona floribunda
Arundinaria
pine deciduous dipterocarp forests
800–1,200 m
Pinus latteri , Pinus kesiya , Dipterocarpus obtusifolius , Dipterocarpus tuberculatus , Shorea obtusa , Anneslea fragrans , Schima wallichii , Ternstroemia gymnanthera , Helicia nilagirica , Wendlandia tinctoria , Engelhardia spicata
Viburnum , Buddleja asiatica , Desmodium , Crotalaria , Indigofera ; Hypoxis aurea , Murdannia , Iris collettii , Gentiana , Polygala , Senecio
seasonal rain forests (dry evergreen forests)
up to 900 m
Aglaia spp., Aphanamixis polystachya , Dysoxylum andamanicum , Acrocarpus fraxinifolius , Erythrina spp., Adenanthera pavonina , Syzygium spp., Choerospondias axillaris , Dracontomelon dao , Dimocarpus longan , Nephelium hypoleucum , Paranephelium xestophyllum , Sapindus rarak
Ixora , Tarenna , Capparis spp., Antidesma spp.; Luvunga scandens , Desmos chinensis , Artabotrys siamensis , Mucuna macrocarpa , Entada , Derris , Dalbergia ; Alpinia , Boesenbergia , Curcuma , Globba , Hedychium , Aglaonema , Amorphophallus , Arisaema
lower montane rain forests
below 1,000 m
Castanopsis , Lithocarpus , Quercus spp., Paramichelia , Actinodaphne , Cinnamomum , Litsea spp., Schima wallichii , Camellia spp., Saurauia napaulensis , Schoepfia fragrans , Olea spp., Diospyros spp., Podocarpus neriifolius , Cephalotaxus mannii
Gigantochloa , Schizostachyum , Dendrocalamus ; Dianella , Disporum , Ophiopogon , Elatostema spp., Impatiens spp., Sapria himalayana
lower montane oak forests
1,000–1,800 m
Castanopsis acuminatissima , Castanopsis tribuloides , Betula alnoides , Carpinus viminea , Lithocarpus , Quercus , Clerodendrum spp., Viburnum spp., Wendlandia tinctoria , Styrax benzoides , Mahonia nepalensis
Agapetes hosseana , Aeschynanthus spp., Rubus , Clematis , Smilax spp.; Pteridium aquilinum ; Amischotolype spp., Begonia spp., Blumea , Camchaya , Crassocephalum , Saussurea , Hedyotis spp., Mitracarpus
lower montane pine–oak forests
1,000–1,400 m
Pinus kesiya , etc.
upper montane rain forests
from 1,800 m
Quercus glabricupulata , Schima wallichii , Eurya nitida , Gordonia dalglieshiana , Acer spp., Exbucklandia populnea , Myrsine semiserrata , Vaccinium sprengelii , Rhododendron arboreum subsp. delavayi
Strobilanthes spp., Viburnum kerrii , Dichroa febrifuga ; Neohymenopogon parasiticus ; Carex baccans , Gentiana spp., Impatiens spp., Lobelia pyramidalis , Paris polyphylla ; Balanophora fungosa subsp. indica ; Dendrobium , Bulbophyllum , Coelogyne , Eria , Pholidota , Otochilus
upper montane peat bog
2,500 m
Sphagnum , Rhododendron arboreum subsp. delavayi
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With 383 avifauna species,[8] it ranks second among Thailand's national parks in number of bird species.[9]
Reptile species in Doi Inthanon National Park include:[10]
Amphibian species in Doi Inthanon National Park include:[10]
View from Inthanon peak
The viewpoint at the 41st km of the Highway 1009,
Doi Inthanon
Doi Inthanon National Park
Doi Inthanon National Park
Cherry blossom flowers all over the area at Doi Inthanon National Park
A scenic walkway in the area of Doi Inthanon National Park
Mae Ya Waterfall in Doi Inthanon National Park
Siri Phum Waterfall in Doi Inthanon National Park
Siri Than Waterfall in Doi Inthanon National Park
Vegetation on the slopes of Doi Inthanon
Stream in the mountains
Doi Inthanon National Park in overview PARO 16 (Chiang Mai)
1) Doi Inthanon National Park in overview PARO 16 (Chiang Mai)
Wildlife sanctuary
16 Chiang Dao
17 Mae Lao–Mae Sae
18 Omkoi
19 Samoeng
Non-hunting area
20 Doi Suthep
21 Mae Lao–Mae Sae
22 Nanthaburi
23 Pa Ban Hong
Forest park
24 Doi Wiang Kaeo
Elliot, Stephan; Cubitt, Gerald (2001). THE NATIONAL PARKS and other Wild Places of THAILAND . New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd. pp. 62–67. ISBN 9781859748862 .
Kirati Kunya, Montri Sumontha, Nonn Panitvong, Wuttipong Dongkumfu, Thana Sirisamphan and Olivier S. G. Pauwels. 2015. A New Forest-dwelling Bent-toed Gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Cyrtodactylus) from Doi Inthanon, Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand . Zootaxa. 3905(4):573-584. [p.579] DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3905.4.9