Another of north Thailand’s special national parks is Huai Nam Dang, renowned for its spectacular valley fogs and the viewpoints which allow so many visitors to enjoy them. The park is encircled by various mountain ranges (Doi Kio Lom, Doi Chang, Doi Sam Muen and Huai Nam Ru) and contains a multitude of streams, waterfalls and hot springs.
Huai Nam Dang National Park
Huai Nam Dang was established on August 14, 1995 as Thailand’s 81st national park. It covers an area of 1,252.12 square kilometers in Mae Taeng and Wiang Haeng districts of Chiang Mai province and Pai district of Mae Hong Son province.
Huai Nam Dang National Park is a scenic splendor located amidst the rugged high mountains of the Thailand-Myanmar border, where Mae Hong Son province lies adjacent to Chiang Mai province. It is well known as Thailand’s premier location to view ‘seas of fog’ in the mountains – breathtaking panoramas of mountain landscapes filled with valley fog.
If visitors choose to go there in the cold season when the temperature drops and the sky is crystal clear, they will also have opportunity to enjoy innumerable, twinkling stars in the celestial sea above.
Pong Dueat – the large hot pool and well known geyser of Huai Nam Dang.
Blessed with scenic mountains, Huai Nam Dang is one of Thailand’s favorite tourist attractions. The Kio Lom scenic area is a most popular site from December to February, when visitors stay overnight to witness the impressive sunrise and accompanying soft white seas of mist enshrouding entire vast valleys. On a clear day the majestic Chiang Dao Mountain pierces up through the fog layers in a vivid display.
The fog is the result of condensation of fine particles of water vapor in the air. During the daytime the soil absorbs heat from the sun before gradually cooling down at night. When temperatures near the ground are low enough, water vapour held in the air condenses out and the mist is formed.
Normally the mists form at night or on cold mornings, when the sky is clear and the wind is mild. The impressive seas of mist of Huai Nam Dang flow down and accumulate in the valleys, creating a picturesque natural wonder.
Accessibility
From Chiang Mai, take Highway 107, turn left at Mae Malai market (Mae Taeng district) and continue on Highway 1095 (Mae Malai – Pai). The entrance to Huai Nam Dang is at a fork in the road between kilometer markers 65 and 66. After passing the guard check box, continue for 3 kilometers until reaching Doi Chang scenic area.
Then take Highway 1095 to Pong Dueat and turn right at kilometer marker 42 to reach the national park headquarters and, after a further 6.5 kilometers, Pong Dueat ranger station. Pong Dueat can be reached by a walk of about 500 meters.
ที่มา : National Park Office. (2013). The Best of National Parks in Thailand. Division of Wild Fauna and Flora Protection, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.