High in the mountains of Mae Hong Son, three hours northwest of Chiang Mai, Pai is a small town in a green valley that has been quietly absorbing travellers for decades.
It has a well-earned reputation as the place people come to for two days and leave two weeks later. There isn’t a great deal to do, which is precisely the point.
Things to do
Pai Canyon (Kong Lan) — Narrow red-earth ridges with steep drops on both sides, best at sunset when the whole thing turns gold. The walking is genuinely exposed in places — there are no railings, and people have fallen. ฿50.
The hot springs — Tha Pai is the developed one with a set of thermal pools at different temperatures. Sai Ngam, further out through the forest, is a natural pool under trees and is much nicer.
Waterfalls — Mo Paeng has natural rock slides and swimming pools; Pam Bok is a narrow gorge fall; Mae Yen requires a proper two-hour hike including river crossings.
The Land Split — A farmer’s field that cracked open in an earthquake in 2008. He now runs it as a small attraction, and you’ll be given roselle juice, dried fruit and tamarind for whatever donation you feel like. It’s charming and completely unlike a commercial attraction.
The bamboo bridge (Boon Ko Ku So) — A long bamboo walkway built across the rice paddies so monks could reach the temple without trampling the crop. Beautiful in the green season.
Yun Lai viewpoint — Above the Chinese village of Santichon, and the best place to watch the morning mist fill the valley. Get there for sunrise.
Pai walking street — Every evening, food stalls and live music down the main road. Small, friendly and the centre of Pai’s social life.
The road
Route 1095 from Chiang Mai has 762 numbered curves, and people buy the t-shirt at the other end.
It is a genuinely beautiful drive through forested mountains, and it makes a substantial number of people car-sick. Minibuses take it quickly. If you’re susceptible, take medication before you leave, sit in front, and strongly consider a private car so you can stop at the viewpoints, Mok Fa waterfall and the coffee places along the way — which turns the worst part of the trip into one of the better parts.
Where to stay
Pai has an unusual amount of accommodation for its size, most of it bamboo bungalows in the rice fields for ฿400–800 a night. Staying outside the town among the paddies is the better experience — it’s a five-minute scooter ride in, and the mornings are extraordinary.
Practical notes
- It gets genuinely cold in December and January — 8–10°C at night in the valley. Bungalows have blankets but no heating.
- ATMs exist but bring cash. Many places are cash-only.
- Scooter accidents are the main hazard. “Pai tattoo” is the local term for the burn everyone gets from the exhaust pipe. Ride carefully and check your insurance covers you.
- Onward to Mae Hong Son — Pai is the first stop on the Mae Hong Son loop, which continues through Soppong and the Lod Caves. If you’ve got a week and a driver, the whole loop is one of the best road trips in Thailand.
Make it easy
We arrange comfortable private transfers from Chiang Mai — with stops at the viewpoints and waterfalls rather than three hours of curves at speed — plus day trips around Pai’s canyons, springs and villages.
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