Doi Phu Kha National Park

Doi Phu Kha National Park covers 1,704 square kilometres of mountain forest in Nan province, close enough to the Laos border that ridgeline trails look straight across into it. Entry is 200 THB for foreign adults, 100 THB for foreign children (40/20 THB for Thai nationals), with the gate open daily 06:00-18:00. The park’s single biggest draw is one tree species: the Chomphu Phu Kha, found wild nowhere else in the world, which blooms pink and white for a few weeks from late February into March along Highway 1256 between Pua and Bo Kluea. The park has set up roadside viewing points with binoculars for the bloom — it’s worth timing a visit around it if you can.

Outside bloom season, the park is really about the ridgeline. The main viewpoint sits over 1,700 metres up, with trails running along the ridge giving long views into forested valleys and, on clear days, across to Laos — good terrain for a quiet, low-traffic hike, especially at golden hour. There’s also a large cave near Baan Mani Phruk village, roughly 4,750 metres deep with a 30-metre-wide descending entrance at the base of a 50-metre cliff, though you’ll want a park guide for it rather than exploring alone. Wildlife here includes eurasian otters, wild boar, monkeys, and the common palm civet, plus over 150 recorded bird species including the green peafowl and various broadbills — sightings aren’t guaranteed on a day visit, but the habitat is genuine old-growth forest, not a managed wildlife park.

Insider Tip: Book the Chomphu Phu Kha bloom for a weekday if you can — the roadside viewpoints get crowded with domestic tour buses on weekends during the short flowering window.

Watch out: Temperatures at the ridgeline viewpoints drop sharply after dark, even in the hot season — pack a jacket if you’re camping or driving the mountain road at night.

Camping is allowed at designated sites, but you need your own tent — none are for rent on-site, and there are no restaurants nearby, so bring food and water up with you. Reach the park from Nan town by driving north to Pua, then west on Highway 1256 — about two to three hours depending on road conditions, with no public transport into the park itself. For more of the same forest system, Khun Nan National Park and Si Nan National Park cover neighbouring stretches of the same Nan mountain range.