Thailand Mountain Trail has spent several years to investigate the most beautiful and interesting mountain trails around Chiang Mai. We discovered those different routes in the Doi Suthep mountain at the beginning of our researches. We were immediately seduced by the beauty and the wildness of those areas located at the doorsteps of the city.

This trip will lead us from Chiang Mai to the beautiful Sai Yoi waterfall through sacred and beautiful temples. We will trek on old trails used previously by monks and hill tribes right in the middle of the jungle. It’s a unique experience to hike there and discover some of the hidden treasures of this National Park.

The route starts just at the doorsteps of Chiang Mai with a 10-minute drive from the city center. After watching the people from Chiang Mai make offerings to monks, we will take an old pilgrim trail to Wat Palad. It’s a temple inhabited by forest monks distinguished by their red robes. In the morning the atmosphere of this temple located in the jungle above the valley of Chiang Mai is wonderful.

The route is now steeper until the temple of Wat Doi Suthep. It’s another temple but a completely different atmosphere. Located at the top of the mountain, Wat Doi Suthep is one of the most sacred temples in Thailand. It was built at the time of the Lan Na kingdom 650 years ago, after an elephant carrying a Budha relic stopped there. We arrive at the back of the temple and discover suddenly the beauty of the temple and the wide view overlooking Chiang Mai.

Just behind the temple, we take a hidden path that plunges headlong into the jungle. This route was created in the beginning of the last century after some Hmong people coming from Laos decided to settle in this mountain and grow poppy crops. Trekking there under a thick canopy of trees and climbing plants, in a green shade, intensifies physical sensations. It’s an experience like no other.

After 3 kilometers flat in a wonderful atmosphere, we start going down. The trail is wilder and more difficult, punctuated by fallen branches and tree trunks which we have to step over. Suddenly appears in the middle of the jungle an enchanting 25-meter high waterfall. It’s a perfect setting and we could believe this has been created on purpose like in a botanic garden. After a last hour hiking alongside the river we finally reach another beautiful waterfall where we will have a break before going back to Chiang Mai by taxi.