Pai: A quaint little village in Northern Thailand
Pai is located 135km from Chiang Mai, in the North of Thailand. It is situated in a valley, surrounded by nature and beautiful mountains.
Back in 2022, during my two month trip to Thailand, everyone was talking of Pai. It seemed to be every backpackers favourite destination in Thailand and unfortunately, it had been missed off our itinerary.
My 2024 backpacking journey began in Northern Thailand, the perfect time to check out the hype about Pai and see if it really is as good as everyone says.
Travelling to Pai
Our journey started in Chiang Mai, the most common place to travel to and from Pai.
To get the cheapest minibus ticket, you will need to visit Chiang Mai Arcade Bus Terminal. You will find a counter selling tickets for 150 baht each way – much cheaper than on 12Go Asia or other ticket agencies. The minibuses run every hour from 06:30 am to 19:30 pm. I would advise booking a day or two in advance to secure the most convenient time slot but you should still be able to get a ticket on the same day.
The road to Pai from Chiang Mai consists of 762 turns! If you get carsick you will definitely need to take some medication beforehand. I felt very sick on the way back!
Travelling by minibus takes between 3 and 4 hours with one stop for the toilet and snacks.
Accommodation in Pai
You will find a variety of accommodation in Pai, from cheap hostels and guesthouses to more luxurious hotels and villas in the countryside.
We opted for quiet stays in the countryside, located just outside of the town centre. I would recommend both of these, they were absolutely stunning and cheap with private rooms.
Farmstay at Pai
We really enjoyed our stay at Pai Farmstay and both agree that it is our favourite accommodation that we have stayed in during our North Thailand trip.
You can book a private room, which is a wooden hut with a balcony area to chill on, for £15.00 a night – just £7.50 if split with 2 people! They also have dorms for even cheaper.
The location is great, under 1km from Pai Bus Station and about a 15 minute walk to the Walking Street Night Market. It is located just far enough away from the busy main streets of Pai but within walkable distance – great for those of you wanting a relaxing place to stay.
The surroundings are beautiful and as the name suggests, you actually stay on the farm! You are allowed to free roam the farm during the day.
The sheep on the farm are incredibly cute and even allowed us to pet them. We then came across this little lamb – how adorable!
I would recommend staying at Farmstay Pai for a unique and relaxed stay.
17 Stories Hostel
We split our stay in Pai and stayed at 17 Stories for the second half of our stay.
It offers guest houses with private bathrooms with a shared outdoor pool with mountain views – the most peaceful place. It is a little bit further from the centre of Pai and will take about 20 minutes to walk to Walking Street Night Market but is a beautiful place to stay if you really want to be tucked away from everything.
You can book a room for around £20.00 a night – this was the top range of our budget but we can happily say that it was worth the beautiful views and a pool to ourselves all day.
The only downside is that it is located up a hill so it can be hot to keep walking up and down to the town for meals so I would recommend hiring a motorbike for convenience if staying here.
Learning to Drive a Moped in Pai
Although Pai is a small village, there is a lot to do and a lot of the best things to do are located a short drive from the centre.
I cannot recommend enough learning to drive a moped in Pai. It is such a good place to learn as the roads are in amazing condition – especially when compared to the rest of Thailand! We were surprised by how many people were driving a moped for the first time and we actually struggled to get a lesson at first because everywhere was booked up!
Vespai Rental is the most well-known place to get a moped lesson in Pai – but is therefore very busy. We arrived at about 10:00 am and were told that he was too busy for the day – quite bluntly – and to come back later. After trying at multiple other times and hearing the same response, we decided that we would get up early and come back first thing in the morning. We were first in line the following morning and luckily Cameron got a 2 hour one on one lesson for just 100 baht – slightly over £2.00! Vespai would not let us leave until he was comfortable with our driving and was very thorough with the teachings. Although he did not seem massively happy to help us at first, we did learn a lot and since have driven some very difficult roads so we would have to leave a positive recommendation.
Another place to get a lesson in Pai is GM Pai Motorbike Rental. They were very happy to help us but unfortunately did not have any bikes available when we checked.
If you are looking to learn to drive a moped to help you on your travels in Asia then this is the perfect place to learn. I have met so many people (including girls) who have learnt for the first time in Pai and are now comfortable driving around Asia. (I am in the process of learning but it is definitely taking me a longer time than my boyfriend – currently still practising in quiet locations and car parks!)
Getting Around Pai
As already mentioned, driving a moped is the most convenient and practical way of getting around Pai, but for those of you who can’t I will quickly discuss your other options.
Cabs: You will find taxi companies mainly located around the Bus Station in Pai. Obviously, this is not the cheapest way of getting around and Grab/Bolt are unfortunaly unavailable here.
Scheduled Tours: There are a lot of popular sunset spots in Pai and luckily for those of you who aren’t driving, organised transport is arranged for just a couple pounds a ticket. You meet at the pick up point and it will drop you off and pick you up after sunset.
Walking: You can explore the centre of Pai and nearby attractions such as the Big Buddha and Long Neck Village by foot.
Day Trips: If you only have a day or so to cram everything in, then a day trip will be great for you as they stop at most of the popular spots. The only thing I can say is that they do tend to go at busier times so you should try and make your own way to the waterfalls and other popular attractions if possible.
The Best Things to Do in Pai
Pam Bok Waterfall
You can reach this beautiful waterfall by driving 20 minutes from the town centre. There is a 200 baht entrance fee and you can park at the entrance. Upon arriving, you will follow a short wooden and somewhat sketchy trail to the waterfall where you can drop your belongings down on a nearby rock and take a dip beneath the gushing waterfall. You can walk over to the waterfall and there is no opportunity for swimming as the water is very shallow.
This is a must see in Pai, I have to say that we were extremely lucky to have it to ourselves for about 30 minutes before anyone else showed up. After this, swarms of tourists arrived on day trips and admittedly, it was not as special as on our own. We came by moped just before 15:00 – this may be a good time to come!
Tipsy Tubing
At first, we were unsure of whether it would be worth doing but it turns out that tipsy tubing in Pai really is one of the best things to do!
You can buy a ticket basically anywhere in Pai and the tubing takes place on Tuesday and Friday every week from about 12:00 – 18:00. It is a day full of partying and relaxing on the river with great house music and a fun crowd. Tickets cost only 250 baht (£5.50) and include transport to and from the river and free shots!
It is a great opportunity to meet travellers from all over the world. I made friends with these lovely German girls and ended up spending the next day with them. Everyone was soo friendly and all up for a good time. For once, it seemed that everyone was actually living in the moment!
Bamboo Bridge
The Bamboo Bridge is located 11km from the centre of Pai. It is situated on the same road as Pam Bok Waterfall, but be aware, the road is narrow and quite steep so make sure that you are confident before driving a moped up here.
We were amazed by how long the bridge goes on, I believe it is around 1km long!
An entrance ticket is just 30 baht (just over 50p) and goes towards helping to maintain the bridge.
The views are incredible and the surroundings are beautiful with coloured rice fields, mountains in the background and a whole lot of nature.
As the bridge is so long, it doesn’t actually matter if a lot of people are visiting at the same time. You should be able to grab a little spot to yourself along the way, especially towards the far back of the bridge where not so many people go.
You will come across multiple viewpoints, including a tall red ladder overlooking the rice fields, bamboo hearts for photos, swings and archways.
There are also facilities on site including toilets, drinks and snacks.
Pai Canyon
Pai Canyon is another must do when in town. It is a short 13 minute drive on a large road – easy for first time moped drivers.
You will be glad to hear that there is no entrance fee here. Upon arriving, you will find some vendors selling fruits, snacks and drinks.
This is the perfect spot for sunset, most people in Pai will drive over here to experience the sunset.
The sunset was one of the best I have experienced so far on my 2024 travels.
Remember, if you don’t drive you can pay for a shared tuk tuk driver to drop you off from Pai centre.
Big Buddha Pai
The Big Buddha can be seen from miles away in Pai but it is actually really easy to get to.
Before we had our moped lesson, we decided that we would walk up from the town ourselves. The walk to the entrance took about 30 minutes. You then walk up 353 steps to reach the beautiful white Buddha on top.
This is a must do when in Pai, the views from the top are lovely and you will be able to see the entire village.
Mor Paeng Waterfall
This waterfall is reachable by a 20 minute drive from Pai centre. You will arrive at a trail which you follow down to reach the main part of the waterfall with a shallow rocky pool at the bottom. If you go further down, you will come across a larger waterfall which you can ‘slip and slide’ into – this is much better to visit during rainy season.
Long Neck Karen Village
The Kayan tribe fled to the Thai border from Myanmar in the late 1980s and early 1990s due to conflict with the milutary regime. Amongst the refugees who set up camp, the Long Neck tribe became well-known for their brass neck rings which appear to lengthen their necks. The girls start to wear these when they first turn five. This tribe became self sufficient on tourism.
Although the coils do not actually lengthen their necks, they push the collar bones down due to the weight which compresses the ribcage, creating the image of a longer neck.
We were the only tourists here at the time of our visit. The village literally consists of the women who sit on their stalls trying to sell handmade goods all day. It was very sad to see how much they rely on tourism for any source of income.
In the photo above, you can see a woman handcrafting a scarf. We asked her how long it takes for her to make one and she told us two days! They sell these for a couple of pounds which is so crazy. The jewellery they sell is also really nice, we purchased a few lovely bangels which also only cost a couple of pounds.
The Long Neck Women were more than happy to take photos with us which was lovely, they even got out a fake neck ring for us to wear in photos with them!
There is a small entry fee to enter the village and a restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious cheap lunch.
Yun Lai Viewpoint
Yun Lai Viewpoint offers the best views in Pai. It is just 15 minutes drive from the centre but be aware that the road to the top is pretty steep.
Entrance is just 20 baht (under 50p).
It is known for being an amazing place to watch sunrise so be sure to leave early if you want the best view. We visited in the middle of the day and it was very peaceful, there were not many people around.
Pai Memorial Bridge
Tha Pai World War II Memorial Bridge is a rustic looking steel bridge which has a lot of history.
During WW2, the Japanese army created a route between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son in order to attack Burma. This bridge was built over Pai in 1941 with the use of elephants to drag trees from the jungle and through forcing villagers to carry out the labour.
When the war was over, the Japanese burnt down the bridge which caused a huge inconvenience to the local villagers as it was an important part of their daily lives.
The locals then came together to rebuild the bridge. Therefore, what you see today is not the original bridge.
Santichon Village (Chinese Village)
This is a cultural village which offers a recreation of Yunnan culture. You will visit the touristy part of the village which obviously was created to attract tourists, however, the village is actually home to over 2000 people.
I personally found it to be very touristy and not soo authentic but if you venture outside, you will find a genuine side.
Entry is free and you can add this as a stop on the way to Yun Lai Viewpoint.
Pai Walking Street
Pai Walking Street is a night market which opens from 18:00 every evening.
It is the best place to go to grab cheap food. We found the cheapest mango sticky rice here for just 40 baht (under £1.00) and it was the biggest portion!
You will also find some lovely handicrafts, especially unique jewellery and crystals.
Should I Visit Pai?
We had high expectations for Pai after hearing numerous claims of it being the best place in Thailand. I can confirm that Pai is one of my favourite places in Thailand and it did live up to the expectations.
There is so much to do for such a little village and it really does have beautiful nature and scenery. Whether you want to spend your time partying and meeting new people or relaxing in the countryside and exploring some of the finest natural beauty, Pai has something for everyone.
The only thing I must say is that from what I had heard I was expecting Pai to be a lot less touristy. The village is full of tourists and it is hard to get a glimpse into the local life here as it is literally centred around tourism. I had expected Pai to give a hippie feel to it but I did not experience this apart from the accommodation I chose for my stay.
Overall, Pai should 100% have a spot on your Thailand itinerary.
