Pha Daeng National Park

Formerly named Chiang Dao national park, Pha Daeng covers an area of 1,155 square kilometers in Chiang Dao, Wiang Haeng and Chai Prakan districts of Chiang Mai. Mountainous limestone hills and verdant forest making it’s home to abundant wildlife animals, rare plants and freshwater sources. If you can rise up, the park’s highest peak Doi Puk Phak Ka, which soars 1,794 metres above sea level, offers panoramic views of the area.Other attractions in the National Park include Si Sangwan, Huai Hok and Pang Tong waterfalls, Pong Ang hot spring, Pha Chan, Doi Klang Mueang, and Huai Cha Khan caves, Doi Pha Tang where to grasp the blossom of Siamese sakura during December-January, and, most importantly, the headwaters of the Ping River, one of the four major rivers of Northern Thailand. Its source found in Pha Daeng is revered by locals as a sacred Mother Nature that begins life forms. There’s also an annual rite to pay respect to the river goddess at the beginning of the harvest season.The park also provides a 2.5-kilometre walking trail in the jungle for adventurous travelers. Bungalows and camping spaces are available upon advanced reservations.Admission: 100 baht for adults, 50 baht for childrenContact: Tel. 0 5381 8348, 08 1883 7371, www.dnp.go.thGetting there: Take highway 107 (Chiang Mai-Fang) to km 79, then turn left and drive along highway 1178 for about 24 kilometres to Ban Na Wai. Turn left and continue for another 150 metres to the office of Pha Daeng National Park. http://www.tourismthailand.org/See-and-Do/Sights-and-Attractions-Detail/Pha-Daeng-National-Park–3981