The King and Queen’s Chedis of Doi Inthanon National Park

I’ve always been a lover of National Parks. I mean, the U.S. invented them, so we’re pretty well known for them. One of the joys of travel is visiting other country’s National Parks. While in Chiang Mai, Matt and I took a tour to Doi Inthanon National Park. There are multiple things in Doi Inthanon that make this park unique and worth visiting. You can stand on the highest point in all of Thailand here or you can walk through a mossy fern forest. You can enjoy a cup coffee that comes from the plantation you walked through to get to the tiny mountainside cafe. Or, another unique thing to do is visit the Kings and Queen’s chedis of Doi Inthanon. 

About the Royal Chedis of Doi Inthanon

Left: King’s Chedi // Right: Queen’s Chedi

These two chedis (chedi is the Thai word for stupa) are dedicated to the recently late king and his wife. They were gifts from the Royal Thai Air Force for their 60th birthdays. The king’s was built in 1987, and the queen’s in 1992. These beautiful stupas sit overlooking some of the most amazing mountain views. When we were there it really felt like we were standing on top of the world.   We looked down at the mountains below us and watched as the clouds rolled in and out of the valleys. I love the soft greens and blues in the mountain and I know that Matt really loved this part of visiting the chedis of Doi Inthanon.   Love my backpack? I do too – read my Cabin Zero review to find out why!

The King’s Chedi

Each has its own beauty and design. The king’s chedi is 60 meters tall and more “masculine” and earth toned. It isn’t that much taller than the Queen’s chedi, but because it sits closer to the edge of the mountains it feels a bit more majestic.

The Buddha figure inside of the King’s Stupa is from China, according to our guide. The inside is done in black and brown tones.

In addition to the beauty of the structure, the mountains and inside, the outside is adorned with Buddhist scenes. These are almost mosaic-like works of art. I found these really mesmerizing because I’ve never seen a work of art like these. They’re very beautiful.

The Queen’s Chedi

The queen’s chedi is 55 meters tall, more soft-colored with mostly purples and pinks. The exterior is a sort-of purple gray and the interior mirrors the softer colors.

The Buddha figure inside of the Queen’s chedi is from Indonesia, also according to our guide. I love the details at the top of the chedi near the ceiling.

These are just a few of my very favorite pieces of art along the outside of the chedi.

The Royal Chedi’s Gardens

Coming from parents who own a greenhouse, I always go a little crazy for flowers. When I saw these rows and rows of bright-colored New Guinea Impatiens. I had so much fun walking around them and taking loads of pictures to share with my parents. They also had loads of hydrangeas and cuphea planted.

Seriously, how beautiful is all of this?!

Visiting the Royal chedis at Doi Inthanon was such a unique National Park experience for me. We were able to see some really incredible natural beauty, as usual. However, seeing these colorful, artful chedis was a new National Park experience for me. These man-made tributes to the late king and his wife are beautiful monuments to his reign and life.

What’s the most unique site you’ve visited in a National Park?

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