Khun Chae National Park

The climate of Thailand is tropical in nature, driven by monsoon and divided into microclimates due to the geographical shape of the country that allows it to lie within many meridians. The Northern Thailand has three distinct climatic seasons as follows. The Cold Season: A relatively cool dry period that runs from November to February when the monsoon blows northwest. During this period most of the northern mountains in Chiang Rai areas have temperatures that can approach to Zero Celsius in the night. The average temperature in this period range between 19° C and 25° C in the day and between 10° C and 16° C at night. Temperatures can drop to 6° C during the nights of February. The Hot Season: A warm period that starts in March until mid-May also characterized by occasional rain. The northern mountains areas have intense heat and high humidity during all this time with average temperatures ranging from 29° C to 33° C. At times there can be temperature peaks even higher than 38° C. The temperature usually hits its highest point in mid-April. The Rainy Season: This period starts from May until October influenced by the southwest monsoon during which rainfall is more frequent and intense. However, as can be said for the term “cold season”, the term "rainy season" can be slightly misleading. While the rain during this season can be intense with furious storms and showers, they usually do not last more than a day. Sunny are also not uncommon during this time a well. The average temperature during this time is between 22° C and 30° C with the humidity usually well over 70%.

The access to the National Park is located adjacent to Highway 118, the main road connecting Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, approximately 125 km southwest of Chiang Rai and 56 km northeast of Chiang Mai. To get there, you can drive yourself a hired car, use the ordinary and air conditioned buses running frequently between the two provincial capitals, or hire a taxi or a local songthaew for as long as you need it. Consider that a songthaew, two-bench partially open-air taxi, will cost about 2,000 THB for the whole day including gasoline usually, so ask first to avoid surprises. In Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai you can rent a car at prices ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 THB a day, depending on the model and rental company. At airports in both cities you will find the offices of major car rental companies, such as Avis, Budget and Hertz, which offer excellent car covered with full insurance. In the cities are also local hire agencies, spread a little everywhere in the centre, which in turn offer cars of good quality at similar prices, but, sometimes they do not have insurance that covers the full damage.

Mae Fah Luang International Airport is the airport of Chiang Rai. It is located about 10 km north from the city centre. The main companies operate several daily flights to Bangkok and nearby Chiang Mai. The road linking the airport to Chaing Rai is Phaholyothin Road, the name given to the stretch of Asian Highway AH2 that goes through the city and continues to the border with Myanmar. You can reach the city by private taxis available at the terminal at a cost of 200 THB, or collective taxis songthaews passing on the highway. Inside the airport there are also international car rental companies.

Buses and minibuses offer different choices to get to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai from Bangkok, or from other Thai cities of tourist interest. All buses to Northern Thailand from capital leave from the Bangkok Northern Bus Terminal better known as Mo Chit, which is the biggest bus station in Bangkok. Chiang Mai has two bus stations, consisting of three different terminals, one, the oldest, in city centre and the Chiang Mai Provincial Arcade Bus Station, the new one located just outside Kaew Nawarat Road to the east of the city moat, about 3 km from the city centre. Arcade is a huge bus station and has two terminals, Terminal 2 and 3 adjacent each other, separated only by a tuk-tuk stand and a road. All buses, and minivans, from and to destinations outside Chiang Mai province use the Arcade station. The available destinations include not only all the other provinces or cities in northern Thailand, such as Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Mae Sariang, Nan, Lampang, but also the provincial capitals of central and eastern regions, such as Sukhothai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Ubon, Bangkok as well some seaside resorts, like Hua Hin, Koh Chang and Koh Samet. There are two bus stations in Chiang Rai, a new one outside the city, Bus Terminal 2, and the old one in the centre, Bus Terminal 1. The old downtown bus station, located in Prasopsook Road next to the night bazaar, it was the point of departure and arrival of all provincial buses, and also the headquarters of the largest private company in northern Thailand, the Greenbus. Currently the station is under reconstruction, the work will probably be completed in 2017, and majority of services have moved to the new Terminal 2. New station, Bus Terminal 2, is 7 kilometers south of the city, just off the Phahonyothin Road. All long distance buses which connect Chiang Rai to the other Thai provinces stop there. The available destinations include the cities of Bokeo, in Laos, Chiang Mai, Chiang Khong, Chiang Saen, Mae Sai, Mae Sot, Sukhothai, Lampang, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Phanom and Bangkok. During high season it is recommended to buy a bus ticket in advance.