Chiang Mai’s Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand’s highest peak, will reopen to visitors this Wednesday, for the first time in several months. Visitors are attracted by the cool breezes and to relish the rolling sea of winter mist.

To ensure safety, however, the number of visitors will initially be limited to 2,000 a day and to 50 at each viewpoint, said Kriangkrai Chaipiset, chief of the national park, adding that all visitors must be inoculated with at least one dose of vaccine and show proof of having passed RT-PCR or antigen tests in the 72 hours prior to their visit.

To make sure that tourists do not miss their opportunity to travel to the peak by car, he recommended they make advance bookings via the “QueQ” app, as 70% of the daily quota of visits is reserved for people who have made advance bookings.

He indicated, however, that the number of daily visitors may be increased, based on the demand which is expected to rise steadily, especially in the weeks leading up to the New Year, when local tourists pour into Chiang Mai to explore the misty mountain.

While the summit is the highlight for most visitors to Doi Inthanon, the national park has also opened two jungle routes, Kew Mae Pan and Ang Ka, for visitors to explore nature and its various species of flora.

According to the Meteorological Department, the temperature at the Doi Inthanon summit and at Kiew Lom viewpoint was 10^oC this morning.