Doi Inthanon National Park (Joinus Thai Tour)

Doi Inthanon is the highest mountain in Thailand and the easiest big day out from Chiang Mai. This version of the trip is the gentle one: no long hike, just the main sights of the national park in a small air-conditioned van with a licensed English-speaking guide. It suits families, couples and anyone who wants cool mountain air and waterfalls without a trek.

You are picked up from your hotel in the morning and drive about two hours south. The first stops are the waterfalls, Wachirathan with its broad curtain of water and spray, then the quieter Sirithan viewpoint. From there you visit Ban Mae Klang Luang, a Karen hill tribe village set among terraced rice fields and coffee plants, and sit down for lunch, which has vegetarian options if you tell us in advance. After lunch you climb to the twin pagodas built for the late King and Queen, with their flower gardens and long views over the ridges, and then to the summit marker at 2,565 metres, where the forest is mossy and the air is noticeably colder than in the city. A quick look at the Hmong market on the way down, then the drive back to Chiang Mai by late afternoon.

Bring a light jacket for the summit and an umbrella or raincoat between May and October. Only lap-sized bags fit in the van.