Doi Inthanon National Park
Doi Inthanon National Park, nicknamed "the roof of Thailand", is a national park in the Thanon Thong Chai Range, Chom Thong District, Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand. It includes Doi Inthanon, the country's highest mountain culminating at 2,565 m and also the Doi Hua Mot Luang at 2,330 m. It contains an area of 301,184 rai ~ in size.
Geography
The park is approximately from Chiang Mai. It includes Karen and Meo Hmong villages of about 4,500 people. Its elevation ranges between. Within its borders are a number of waterfalls: Mae Klang Falls, Wachiratan Falls, Siriphum Falls, and Mae Ya Falls. 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. These rivers will allow multiple local settlements in Chang Mai Province to be nourished before flowing into the Ping River.
History
The establishment of the national park was declared the 6th national park in the Royal Gazette on 2 October 1972. This park area was further modified in the years 1978 and 2009.Flora
Flora includes evergreen cloud forest, sphagnum bog, and deciduous dipterocarp forest. There are some relict pines.Plant communities of Doi Inthanon vary according to elevation. Below is a table of main plants by vegetation type:
Fauna
With 383 avifauna species, it ranks second among Thailand's national parks in number of bird species.Reptile species in Doi Inthanon National Park include:
- Acanthosaura lepidogaster
- Gekko gecko
- Hemidactylus frenatus
- Hemidactylus platyurus
- Hemiphyllodactylus chiangmaiensis
- Ahaetulla prasina
- Hebius khasiensis
- Trimeresurus popeiorum
- Cyrtodactylus inthanon