Doi Inthanon Opens Kiew Mae Pan Trail for Tourist Season

Chiang Mai — On the first day of the reopening of the "Kiew Mae Pan" nature trail at Doi Inthanon National Park, tourists arrived in droves. A large homestay accommodating 17 guests was awarded free of charge to the first registered visitor. On November 1, 2026, Chom Thong District Chief Nathakorn Phattharawanon, National Park Office Director Wanchai Rakmit of Conservation Area Administration Office 16 (Chiang Mai), and Air Chief Marshal Thaksin Chanthasri, head of the working group at Phra Maha That Naphamethanidon Naphaphonphumisiri, jointly inaugurated the trail, marking the start of the high tourist season. The ceremony featured a ribbon-cutting, after which visitors were allowed to enter the trail immediately. The event included activities and a lucky draw for special prizes for registered participants. Many tourists arrived before dawn to catch the first light amid an exceptionally beautiful sea of mist.

Wanchai Rakmit, Director of the National Park Office, Conservation Area Administration Office 16 (Chiang Mai), spoke about the trail's reopening, citing 2025 statistics showing over 11.9 million visitors to Chiang Mai — 8.5 million Thais and over 3.5 million foreigners. More than 800,000 visited Doi Inthanon's natural attractions, accounting for 7.25% of total provincial tourism. The Kiew Mae Pan trail is one of Thailand's most renowned ecotourism sites, serving as a living classroom for montane forest ecosystems rich in diverse flora, fauna, and birdlife. It also offers stunning viewpoints. Beyond promoting conservation tourism, the trail fosters public awareness of natural resource and environmental conservation.

District Chief Nathakorn Phattharawanon noted that Chiang Mai has 14 national parks, with Doi Inthanon among the most popular, especially during the cool season when visitors flock to the highest point in Thailand and the Kiew Mae Pan trail. He emphasized that reopening the trail is not only a tourism milestone but also creates a vital "natural classroom" for youth, tourists, and the public to experience ecosystems firsthand, fostering sustainable conservation awareness.

Tourist Chaimongkol Nokgratok, a Bangkok resident visiting with his girlfriend, was the first to register for the trail walk and won the first-registration prize. He said it was his first trip to the North and Chiang Mai, arriving on October 29 and camping at the pine plantation on October 31. He deliberately came on November 1 for the trail's reopening after hearing about the prize for the first visitor.