Doi Khun Tan National Park

Doi Khun Tan is the only national park in Thailand you arrive at by train and walk into - Khun Tan station sits on the northern line and the headquarters is a short climb from the platform, which makes it unusual and pleasant to reach. Beneath it runs the Khun Tan tunnel, at 1,352 metres the longest railway tunnel in the country, bored between 1907 and 1918 under German engineering direction through hard rock; the work took eleven years, and malaria and accidents killed a large number of the labourers, which local accounts do not skip. Above, the park rises to about 1,373 metres through mixed deciduous forest into pine on the ridge, with four numbered viewpoints along a trail and a set of colonial-era bungalows built by railway staff and missionaries as a hot-season retreat. Nights are cold in the dry season and water on the ridge is limited.

What you actually see

• The railway approach - the only Thai national park entered on foot from a station.
• The Khun Tan tunnel - 1,352 metres, bored 1907 to 1918 at heavy cost.
• The pine ridge - four numbered viewpoints up to about 1,373 metres.
• The old bungalows - railway and missionary hot-season houses on the mountain.

When to go

November to February for the weather and clear views; nights on the ridge are cold. The train approach is part of the appeal - check the northern line timetable.

Honest expectations

Reaching the higher viewpoints is a real climb of several hours. Water on the ridge is limited and accommodation is basic. If arriving by train, services are infrequent and getting out again needs planning.

Nearby

Lampang is south-east; Chiang Mai and Lamphun are north-west.