Last month I partnered with Chiang Mai, Local Tours to explore the National Park Doi Suthep. This tour is only available with a park ranger as exploring the jungle alone is not allowed and Chiang Mai Local Tours take care of arranging everything for you as well as pairing you with an English speaking tour guide.
One of the things I loved about the tour was that it only had one other couple on it meaning it was almost private. This meant that we had a more personal experience and could adjust the tour to suit what was good for us as a small group.
Our day started in reverse to what is advertised as the previous day there had been heavy rainfall so hiking upwards would be too difficult so instead we started at the sacred temple Wat Phrathat and hiked down.
The temple is breathtaking and standing at 3,500 feet above sea level you’re treated to exceptional views across Chiang Mai. After wondering the area for a while we met back up with our park ranger who took us to the start of our hike down into the mountains below us.
The tour describes the hike as a moderate hike and as we got started I knew immediately knew that this may be more than a moderate hike. The hike involves climbing over large fallen trees, walking across branches and climbing down steep slopes right next to the edge of the mountain side. This could prove extremely difficult for some so be aware of this before booking.
The total trek time was about 2 hours and along the way you will discover 3 stunning waterfalls so be sure to pack a swimming costume as at one of the waterfalls you can take a dip if you’d like. We stopped off for lunch at one of the waterfalls which was a beautiful place to eat.
What makes this tour so special is that because you have to take the tour with a ranger, not many people are out there. Throughout the entire hike, we saw only one other group and that was within the last 10 minutes of the tour.
Your tour guide will point out different plants, bugs and trees throughout the hike and will answer any questions you might have during the trip.
If hiking is your thing, this is a great way to see a different side to Chiang Mai.
Thank you Chiang Mai, Local Tours for partnering with us during our time in Chiang Mai.
As always, opinions are entirely my own.
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