Khun Chae National Park is located 1 hours drive northeast of Chiang Mai, on the road to Chiang Rai. It’s vegetation ranges depending on the elevation: from 300 to 800 meters, the forest is composed of bamboo and deciduous trees and from 800 to 1,000 meters, the forest is mixed evergreen and pine. The streams bottoms are often surrounded by lush evergreen trees, wild bananas, ferns, moss and herbaceous vegetation.
Khun Chae National Park is not a well known destination amongst tourists, yet it is a great place to go as it offers nature trails and cold weather all year long.
As for interesting attractions, Khun Chae Waterfall is the highlight. It is a 2 kilometre drive from the park office and a one hour walk. The next place you should not miss is Doi Langka, the fifth highest mountain in Thailand (2,030 metres above sea levels). It allows trekkers to have spectacular views of the Phi Pan Nam Range amidst the sea of mist. Another attraction is Mae Tho, a seven-stage, 40-metre high waterfall. A place not to be missed out, Khun Chae National Park is Doi Mot. The trail to this mountain passes through a spectacular wet evergreen forest. The top of this mountain, at 1700 meters, affords spectacular views of the forest and landscape of the surrounding area. From there, visitors can admire Chiang Mai province to the west, Chiang Rai province to the east, Doi Lahnga mountain to the south, and to the north, Doi Phangome peak.
When we visited the park, as we only had little time, we decided to go for the small nature trail, right next to the park’s headquaters. This short two hour hike was enough for us to refresh, enjoy nature and fill up with good air. But if you are interested in three-days-two nights or two-days-one night trekking in Khun Chae, you can contact the parks office as rangers can guide you on your trek and organize nights over in the jungle (about 2,000 Baht for a 4 day-2 night trek, all included). There are also two houses for rent at 1,000 per night each plus a camping area for nature lovers.
For a day, a weekend or a longer trekking adventure, Khun Chae National Park is definitely a place that needs to be explored.
KHUN CHAE NATIONAL PARK :
Mae Chae Dee Mai Sub-district.
Amphur Wiang Pa Pao, Chiang Rai.
Tel. 053-163 364
