Pai
5
Day Itinerary •
Thailand
Five days in Pai and Mae Hong Son give you the full extraordinary depth of the most remote and beautiful region in northern Thailand. Beyond Pai's canyon and hot springs lie the Yunnan Chinese tea village of Ban Rak Thai on the Myanmar border, the extraordinary sea of mist at Pang Ung and the finest mountain road in the country on the full Mae Hong Son loop. This route covers everything that makes the Mae Hong Son loop the finest road journey in Thailand. The bohemian valley of Pai, the misty Shan temples of Mae Hong Son, the extraordinary Yunnan culture of Ban Rak Thai, the cherry blossom lake of Pang Ung and the river kayaking of the Pai valley all in five days of extraordinary mountain and border country.
Best Time To Visit
November to February
Getting There
Minivan from Chiang Mai, 3 hours
Getting Around
Hired scooter essential, 600km loop road
Budget Per Day
Approx 25 to 120 USD per person per day
Difficulity
Moderate, mountain roads and hill walking
DAY 1
PAI TOWN
MORNING
PAI WALKING STREET AND THE OLD BRIDGE, MORNING IN THE VALLEY
Pai is the finest small town in northern Thailand, a valley settlement of wooden shophouses, independent cafes and artistic guesthouses surrounded by forested hills. The morning walking street on Ratchadamnoen Road is extraordinary from 6am with the finest breakfast food in the north. The old bamboo bridge across the Pai river gives extraordinary views over the valley and the surrounding hills. Entry free. Drive/Travel: 15 min by scooter
MIDDAY
WAT PHRA THAT MAE YEN, THE TEMPLE ON THE HILL ABOVE PAI
The hilltop temple of Wat Phra That Mae Yen requires a 353-step climb through the jungle from Pai town and gives the most extraordinary panoramic view in the valley, looking out over the entire Pai basin with its rice fields, meandering river and ring of forested mountains. The white chedi at the summit is visible from across the valley. Entry free. Arrive before 11am. Drive/Travel: 20 min by scooter
AFTERNOON
PAI CANYON AND THE SUNSET VIEWPOINT, THE GRAND CANYON OF THAILAND
Pai Canyon is an extraordinary series of narrow sandstone ridges eroded into sharp knife-edged paths above steep drops on both sides, one of the most extraordinary natural formations in northern Thailand. The sunset from the canyon ridges over the Pai valley is among the finest in the country. The walk requires balance but no climbing equipment. Entry free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Memorial Bridge at Pai, a World War II Japanese wooden bridge built by POW labour in 1942, is one of the most extraordinary and least known wartime sites in Thailand outside of Kanchanaburi. The original wooden structure still stands in the jungle 6km west of Pai town on Highway 1095. Almost entirely free of visitors. The walk through the surrounding teak forest is extraordinary. Entry free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Walking Street stalls, Pai Khao tom rice porridge and fresh-pressed sugarcane juice from the extraordinary morning market. | Lunch: Na's Kitchen, Pai Outstanding northern Thai food beloved by locals. The massaman curry and khao soi are extraordinary. | Dinner: Baan Benjarong, Pai The finest dinner restaurant in Pai. Local mushrooms, river fish and house-made chilli paste.
DAY 2
PAI COUNTRYSIDE
MORNING
MO PAENG WATERFALL AND THE LISU HILL TRIBE VILLAGE
Mo Paeng is the finest waterfall near Pai, a series of natural rock slides and pools in a jungle valley 8km from town. The Lisu hill tribe village at Ban Santichon nearby is one of the most authentic accessible from Pai, with extraordinary traditional costume, silver jewellery and the finest hand-woven textiles in the north. Entry to waterfall free. Village entry approx 20 baht. Drive/Travel: 30 min by scooter
MIDDAY
PAI HOT SPRINGS AND THE THA PAI HOT SPRING JUNGLE POOL
The Tha Pai Hot Springs are the finest natural hot springs in northern Thailand, a series of geothermal pools in a jungle setting where water reaches 80 degrees. The natural stream where hot and cold water mix creates perfect bathing temperature in extraordinary jungle surroundings. Entry approx 200 baht. The egg-boiling pool is a local tradition. Drive/Travel: 25 min by scooter
AFTERNOON
COFFEE IN A CLOUD FOREST, THE MAE HONG SON MOUNTAIN ROAD
The 762 curves of Highway 1095 between Pai and Mae Hong Son is one of the most extraordinary mountain road journeys in Thailand, climbing through extraordinary cloud forest with views over multiple valleys. The hill tribe coffee stops along the road serve the finest Arabica coffee grown at altitude in northern Thailand. Entry free. Scooter or hired car essential.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The ghost town of Yunnan Chinese village at Ban Rak Thai, 44km north of Mae Hong Son near the Myanmar border, is one of the most extraordinary hidden destinations in northern Thailand. A community of Kuomintang soldiers and their descendants who fled China in 1949, they still speak Yunnan Chinese, grow Oolong tea on terraced hillsides and live in a village that feels more Yunnan than Thailand. Entry free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Pai riverside cafe Coffee and fresh pastry at one of the extraordinary river cafes before the morning scooter ride. | Lunch: Lisu village restaurant Extraordinary hill tribe food cooked over wood fire. Local vegetables and smoked pork. | Dinner: Walking Street night market, Pai The finest night market in the Mae Hong Son loop. Thai-Shan fusion street food extraordinary.
DAY 3
MAE HONG SON
MORNING
MAE HONG SON TOWN AND THE TWIN TEMPLES OF THE LAKE
Mae Hong Son is the most remote provincial capital in Thailand, a misty valley town on the Myanmar border with an extraordinary Shan-Burmese Buddhist character entirely unlike anywhere else in the country. The twin temples of Wat Chong Kham and Wat Chong Klang reflected in the morning mist on Chong Kham Lake are among the most extraordinary images in northern Thailand. Entry approx 20 baht each. Drive/Travel: 15 min walk
MIDDAY
WAT PHRA THAT DOI KONG MU, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY HILLTOP IN MAE HONG SON
The two extraordinary white chedis of Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu on the hill above Mae Hong Son give panoramic views over the entire valley, the Myanmar mountains and the morning mist that fills the basin. The larger chedi dates from 1860 and contains the ashes of a Mon king. The climb takes 20 minutes through the jungle. Entry free. Drive/Travel: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
THAM PLA FISH CAVE AND THE FRESHWATER FISH SHRINE
The Tham Pla fish cave 17km north of Mae Hong Son contains a stream inhabited by thousands of sacred carp that have been fed and protected by local villagers for centuries. The extraordinary fish, some exceeding one metre in length, crowd the clear water of the cave entrance in an extraordinary natural spectacle. The adjacent forest trail to the second cave is fine. Entry approx 200 baht.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Shan village of Ban Huai Dua, 15km south of Mae Hong Son on the road to Khun Yuam, is one of the most extraordinary and least visited traditional Shan communities in Thailand. The villagers maintain extraordinary traditional weaving techniques on handlooms producing cotton and silk textiles of remarkable quality. A visit with advance arrangement through the Mae Hong Son guesthouse network takes half a day. Entry free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Fern Restaurant, Mae Hong Son Outstanding Shan and Thai breakfast in Mae Hong Son's finest local restaurant. | Lunch: Lakeside cafe, Chong Kham Lake Simple Thai food with extraordinary views over the lake and the twin temple reflections. | Dinner: Night market, Mae Hong Son The finest evening market in the province. Shan noodles and grilled corn are extraordinary.
DAY 4
BAN RAK THAI AND PANG UNG
MORNING
BAN RAK THAI, THE YUNNAN CHINESE TEA VILLAGE ON THE MYANMAR BORDER
Ban Rak Thai is the most extraordinary hidden village in northern Thailand, a community of Kuomintang Chinese soldiers and descendants who fled China in 1949 and have maintained their Yunnan culture, language and tea-growing traditions for 75 years. The extraordinary terraced Oolong tea gardens above the lake, the Chinese-style wooden architecture and the views over the Myanmar mountains are unlike anywhere else in Thailand. Entry free. Drive/Travel: 45 min drive
MIDDAY
PANG UNG, THE SWITZERLAND OF THAILAND
The reservoir of Pang Ung at 1,500 metres in the pine and cherry forests of Mae Hong Son province is one of the most extraordinary landscapes in Thailand, its still water reflecting the forested hills in an image that seems entirely un-Thai. The morning mist that fills the valley until 9am is extraordinary. The cherry blossoms from late December to February transform the landscape completely. Entry approx 200 baht. Drive/Travel: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
HUAI NAM DANG NATIONAL PARK AND THE SEA OF MIST
Huai Nam Dang National Park on Highway 1095 between Pai and Chiang Mai is the finest viewpoint for the extraordinary sea of mist that fills the Mae Taeng valley each morning from October to February. The park viewpoint at 1,500 metres requires arrival before 6am for the mist and is one of the most extraordinary natural spectacles in northern Thailand. Entry approx 300 baht.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Lahu village of Ban Ja Bo near Ban Rak Thai is one of the most extraordinarily remote and authentic hill tribe communities accessible from Mae Hong Son, perched on a ridge at 1,600 metres with extraordinary views over Myanmar. The Lahu people here maintain traditional animist practices alongside Buddhism. A local guide from Mae Hong Son is essential. The walk from the road takes 45 minutes through primary forest.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Mae Hong Son guesthouse Early Thai breakfast before the 6am departure for Ban Rak Thai. The drive is part of the experience. | Lunch: Ban Rak Thai tea house Extraordinary Yunnan dim sum and Oolong tea served in a lakeside wooden house above the reservoir. | Dinner: Fern Restaurant, Mae Hong Son Return for the finest northern Thai dinner in the province. The Shan pork curry is extraordinary.
DAY 5
THE MAE HONG SON LOOP
MORNING
THE MAE HONG SON LOOP BY SCOOTER, THE GREATEST ROAD IN THAILAND
The full Mae Hong Son loop from Chiang Mai via Pai and Mae Hong Son is 600km of the most extraordinary mountain road in Thailand, passing through 14 hill tribe groups, 1,864 curves and some of the finest landscape in Southeast Asia. The section from Mae Hong Son back to Pai via Mae Sariang on Highway 108 is the least travelled and most extraordinary, passing through Shan villages and teak forest. Scooter hire in Pai or Mae Hong Son approx 200 baht per day. Drive/Travel: 2 hours drive
MIDDAY
PAI RIVER VALLEY BY KAYAK, THE FINEST FLOAT IN THE NORTH
The Pai river from Wiang Nuea village downstream to Pai town is the finest kayaking route in northern Thailand, a 2-hour float through extraordinary bamboo forest, limestone outcrops and rice paddies with views to the surrounding mountains. The river is calm and suitable for beginners from November to April. Guided kayak tours from Pai town approx 600 baht including transport to the put-in. Drive/Travel: 20 min to town
AFTERNOON
PAI FAREWELL AND THE SUNSET FROM THE WALKING BRIDGE
The final afternoon in Pai is best spent slowly. The bamboo walking bridge across the Pai river gives the most extraordinary sunset view in the valley as the light turns the surrounding hills golden. The Walking Street opens at 5pm for the finest final dinner in the north. The night sky above Pai, far from city lights at 800 metres elevation, is extraordinary.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Pai Circus School on the edge of town is one of the most extraordinary and unexpected institutions in northern Thailand, a community of travelling performers who settled in Pai and established a free-to-watch evening performance school combining Thai dance, fire performance and acrobatics. Performances happen organically most evenings near the Walking Street from around 7pm. Entirely free and extraordinary.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Mae Sariang roadside stalls Buy sticky rice and grilled pork at the 7am market on Highway 108. | Lunch: Riverside restaurant, Pai Return to Pai for the finest lunch of the trip on the river terrace. | Dinner: Walking Street, Pai The finest farewell dinner in northern Thailand. Order everything.
Where To Stay
Pai, Nights 1 to 3 Riverside bungalow or guesthouse. Spicy Pai or Charlie's House. Approx 15 to 60 USD. Mae Hong Son, Nights 4 to 5 Baiyoke Chalet or Pooklon Country Club near Pang Ung. Approx 30 to 80 USD. Budget Option Breeze of Pai Resort or Pai Circus School guesthouses. Approx 8 to 20 USD per night.
Top Tips
1. Ban Rak Thai requires an early start from Mae Hong Son. The 6am light on the lake is extraordinary.
2. Pang Ung sea of mist: arrive by 6am from November to February. Completely clear by 9am.
3. Pai Canyon at sunset: arrive 30 minutes before sunset for the finest light on the valley.
4. The Mae Sariang route back to Chiang Mai on Highway 108 is the finest and least travelled road in the north.
5. Huai Nam Dang National Park mist viewpoint requires a 5am departure from Pai. Bring a jacket.
6. Pai Circus School evening performance near the Walking Street is free and extraordinary. From 7pm.
Total Budget
24 to 115 USD/day