Doi Suthep-Pui National Park — Attraction in Chiang Mai Province

Doi Seuthep-Pui National Park is a huge area. So you have to decide where you want to go and take your grab directly there. Here are some of the options:

1. To Doi Suthep temple: on Grab, type "Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Ratchaworawihan" and Grab costs around 400 baht, Grab Roddaeng costs around 270 baht (you can share and split cost between your travel companions).

2. To Hmong Doi Pui village (no temple here, but a gorgeous local village with lots of food options). You can type that in Grab.

3. To Monk' Trail: type Pha Lat Nature Trail Information.

4. any of the other trails that are in that mountain range. "Doi" means mountain. Suthep and Pui are names of two mountain ranges.

I strongly urge you to visit Hmong Doi Pui village ("Hmong" means people). You will absolutely enjoy it and will not regret the decision. I will do a separate review under that destination on Google maps. It is worth the money and distance. You can get to Doi Pui village either directly from Chiang mai by Grab (500 baht one-way) or Grab Roddaeng (340 baht one-way for the entire red car to yourself and your travel companions, so you can split cost) or you can get to the village from Doi Suthep temple (cost is supposed to be 60 baht for shared cars, but since very few people go up, red cars don't fill up and drivers try to ask for more. We negotiated for 75 baht each to go up to the village from Doi Suthep temple. On your way back down, there are even fewer red cards and drivers. It was hard to find Grab. So we managed to pair up with 4 other travellers and the 6 of us negotiated and each paid 70 baht from village back to Doi Suthep temple (and from there we took a separate Grab Roddaeng to Chiang mai).

If you want to visit Monk's trail and Wat Pha Lat, see my other Google review under "monk's trail".

If you want to visit any other hiking trail, I suggest you consult AllTrails app to see your various hiking options.

Most pictures I have posted are from Hmong Doi...

Locals believe and say that your trip to Chiang Mai isn’t complete if you haven’t visited the twin peaks of Doi Suthep and Doi Pui. Formerly known as Doi Aoy Chang, Doi Suthep was renamed after a hermit named Prarusiwasuthep, who once lived on the slopes of the mountain. The idea to convert this mountain vicinity (along with 13 other) into a national park was proposed by the Royal Forest Department in 1973, and finally it was established as Thailand’s 24th National Park in 1981.

The national park area is stretched over approximately 265 square kilometers, and includes many fascinating attractions such as the famous Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and Bhubing Palace.

Doi Suthep-Pui National Park is located within the Chiang Mai province. Only a few kilometers northwest of the main city. Doi Suthep is a part of Thanon Thong Chai Range which is visible in its distinctive granite bedrock. The other two mountain peaks in the range are Doi Pui and Doi Buak Ha, the former being the highest at 1685 meters. The national park provides perfect opportunity for hikers and campers with some beautiful trails and a campsite with a spectacular view. The campsite is located very close to the peak is and is a good place to stay at if you like sunrises and sunsets. Although quite strenuous, some visitors also cycle up and down...

Beautiful place and a lot of history; however, there are many pitfalls.

This place is completely overrun with tourists. They will try to charge you 30 baht to get into the temple at the top of the stairs. This is ludicrous, they aren't really allowed to charge people to go into a temple, YOU ARE NOT OBLIGATED TO PAY TO GET IN. This is the equivalent of charging people to go into a church or mosque and it's sacrilege. Ignore the guy, keep walking, and if he grabs you, just tell him that you aren't paying to go into a temple. They can't do anything.

Most things around here are a bit overpriced and many of the vendors put ridiculously high price tags on their goods and then proceed to say they will give you a good discount and knock 60% or more of the price tag. You are still being overcharged, so if you do decide to buy any souvenirs from here barter very hard.

The roads are busy and a bit dangerous up here. It doesn't bother me personally, but be aware and drive carefully. The red trucks here in Chiang Mai are the most dangerous drivers on the road and they should be avoided, especially if you are on a motorbike.

Definitely go check out Doi Suthep, but try to go during a day that's not too busy and DON'T PAY to get...