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The Portal » Natural Wonders » Thailand's Mountains

Thailand is dotted with mountains; they shape the landscape, offer amazing vistas over the lowlands and provide a home to an amazingly diverse number of species and human cultures. Thailand’s highest mountain is Doi Inthanon which reaches an impressive 2565 meters. On the slopes of this mighty giant there is the Doi Inthanon National Park which provides a home to many unique species of tree and plant. Mixed in with the Teak trees, for which the north of Thailand is famous for, are other species such as Mountain Pine, rhododendron, Vanda Orchid and sphagnum moss. Doi Inthanon is also home to the largest diversity of bird species in the whole of Thailand. Over 362 species of bird are found here and those such as the Ashy Throated Warbler and an endemic species of Green Tailed Sunbirds are found and breed only on this mountain!

The north west of Thailand is renowned for its high mountainous peaks and at the tops of these peaks temperatures can sometimes be found dropping well below zero. This is in contrast to the intense heat sometimes felt in other parts of the country. The truth is, Thailand is covered with mountains, from the northern ranges linking with Myanmar and Laos to the Phuket range in the south where the tallest mountain, Phu Luang in Nakorn Sri Thammarat stands at over 1830 meters! A thin backbone of mountain stretches down through Thailand’s peninsular, Trang has mountains over 1000 meters tall and even the provinces of the deep south (Satun, Patani and Naratiwat) all have impressive mountains.

Many of Thailand’s rivers originate as small tributaries and streams in the heights of these massive natural monuments. Fresh water, starting as rainfall in the tops of the mountains form fast flowing tributaries and  streams which eventually turn into the giant meandering waterways such as the Mae Nam Chao Phraya, which flows through the center of Bangkok and the Tapi River which flows through Trang Province in the south. They also provide not only a source of fresh fish but a place to sell them, markets such as at the floating market in Bangkok occur near or on waterways as traditionally people would have used these waterways to travel to and from towns and villages. Thus rivers and ultimately the mountains where they originate are what keep the rice fields full, giving the farmers produce to sell. Without mountains Thailand would be very different, they create much of Thailand’s character and are a center of cultural diversity, hill tribes inhabit the northern mountains and the Sagai ( an ancient group of hunter gatherers in Phattalung and Trang )  have inhabited mountain ranges of the south for centuries right up until today.

The presence of these mountains also dramatically affects the weather conditions in the immediate area and influences the whole of Thailand’s climate. Rain is created and falls in their shadow (in certain areas up to 3500 - 4000mm per year!) and unique ecological niches are found on the tops of their peaks. Mountains along with all of Thailand’s Natural Wonders create an amazingly diverse environment for species diversity and provide a space for cultures to flourish and this is ultimately what makes Thailand a fantastic place to travel through.

Thailandecoportal.com recommends you get out there, see what all the fuss is about and explore Thailand’s natural riches, we assure you, you won’t be disappointed!

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