Several thousand Hmong and Karen people live within the protected area of Doi Inthanon National Park, which is named after Thailand's highest mountain, the 2,595-metre-high Doi Inthanon.

A winding route to the top of the mountain passes terraced rice paddies and small villages, and also provides some good wildlife-spotting opportunities along the way - barking deer, macaques, flying squirrels and rare Asiatic black bears live among the mountains.

The park is also regarded as one of South East Asia's top destinations for bird watching, with around 400 species here, including golden-throated barbets and the Asian emerald cuckoo.