Plant Life on Doi Inthanon

This tour is focused on tropical ecology and the native flora of Thailand’s largest mountain, Doi Inthanon (2565 m). This is not a garden tour per se, but introduces the visitor to the original natural environment of e.g. orchids, hoyas and rhododendrons. By visiting these plants in their home environment, you may acquire knowledge to better support such plants in your private garden or greenhouse. We begin at the summit, where there is a short jungle trail with native rhododendrons, orchids and even a bog. Then we progressively go downwards to study different ecosystems such as evergreen forests, pine forests and dry deciduous forests. We focus on the flora, but anything of biological interest will be discussed (mushrooms, birds, insects etc) and put into an ecological context. We eat lunch at a restaurant on the mountian, and spend some time studying crops of the hill tribes. At the base, before returning back, we study some tree species commonly found in the villages of the Chiang Mai valley (300-350 m).