{"id":13611,"date":"2022-08-26T07:02:34","date_gmt":"2022-08-26T07:02:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hb4thbbsfl.onrocket.site\/?p=13611"},"modified":"2023-06-15T15:07:10","modified_gmt":"2023-06-15T15:07:10","slug":"pai","status":"publish","type":"travelguides","link":"https:\/\/www.geckoroutes.com\/nl\/thailand\/pai\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Pai Travel Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n <\/i>Exploring Pai<\/span><\/a> \n <\/i>Where to stay<\/span><\/a>\n <\/i>How to get around<\/span><\/a>\n <\/i>How to get there<\/span><\/a>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is Pai worth visiting?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pai boasts a laid-back hippie vibe where you can start the morning off with yoga, before exploring the rest of the town at the relaxed pace most small villages seem to have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most people\u2019s Pai adventure actually starts in Chiang Mai<\/a> where they set off on the 128 km motorbike ride. You\u2019ll have to tackle over 750 twists and turns though before you actually get to Pai, but the journey is unforgettable. You’ll get to pass rolling green hills, surging waterfalls and quaint villages in the distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you arrive in Pai, you can simply soak up the chilled atmosphere of the place or let the exploring commence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This could be hiking Thailand\u2019s answer to the Grand (Pai) Canyon, taking on the Pai river – whether it be whitewater rafting or simply floating along in a rubber ring – or experiencing a taste of Chinese culture at Santichon Village (the food is incredible).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A little heads up. Pai is already included in most backpackers itineraries to Thailand, but is also becoming a popular destination for a much wider audience now too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is clearly visible through the increase in tourists over the past few years, but luckily it\u2019s still managed to protect the chilled backpacker vibe it\u2019s known for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most people spend 3-5 days here, but be prepared to not want to leave no matter how long your visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also read:<\/strong> Top 15 Things to Do in Pai<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where to stay in Pai<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Being a relatively small town, the population is only around 3,000 people, wherever you choose to stay, you won\u2019t be far from the places you want to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We always like to know a bit about the different areas of a town before we decide which hostel or hotel to book. So we hope this breakdown of Pai\u2019s main areas is useful for you too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Location #1: Walking Street – night market and nightlife<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Pai
During the evening the main street of the night market turns into a pedestrianised walking street<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Like with most places in Thailand, if you choose to stay near the Walking Street<\/a>, you\u2019re choosing to be in the heart and soul of a place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Walking Street is where you\u2019ll find the places to eat, drink and where you can shop until you drop. It\u2019s also probably going to be the busiest place, and with that probably the nosiest!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we talk about the Walking Street area, we mean the area that\u2019s within 10 minutes walking distance of Chai Songkram road. This is where you\u2019ll find the night market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here you\u2019ll find plenty of accommodation options, ranging from hotels to some of the best hostels for making new friends in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Location #2: South Pai – the area to relax and find your inner zen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Nature
Relax with a coffee in Nature Coffee Cafe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pai is known for having a hippy, laid-back vibe and South Pai is the epitome of this. It\u2019s not too far from the city centre, but far enough that you can escape the hustle and bustle of Walking Street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The peaceful atmosphere is amplified by the large choice of yoga studios, health conscious cafes and the famous White Buddha overlooking the area from it\u2019s hilltop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another bonus to the area is that Earth Tone<\/a>, a vegan restaurant, will be on your doorstep. Expect to get hooked after your first try and then want to go back every day for dinner (at least you won\u2019t have to travel far).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Location #3: North Pai – get back to the simplicity of nature<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Mo
Natural waterslide at Mor Paeng Waterfalls<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

North Pai is another option if you want to be close to the action, but not too close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, the density of buildings starts to decrease and nature becomes a focal point to the resorts and hotels situated there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you head further north away from the city centre, you\u2019ll also be closer to some of Pai\u2019s best activities such as Mor Paeng waterfall<\/a> and Sai Ngam hot springs<\/a>. If your hotel doesn\u2019t have a pool you can always pop there for a swim!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for a place to relax, you\u2019ll find some of the highest rated resorts to the north\/north west of the city, and of course it\u2019s Thailand so a lot of them are still very reasonably priced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to get around in Pai<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Road
Curved road leading to Pai<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pai is a relatively small town, with most amenities clustered within the same area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means most of your exploring can be done by foot. This is great, as it’s free, you get to burn off all of the food you\u2019ve been eating and it\u2019s better for the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bicycle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Continuing on a theme of cardio, you can also rent a bicycle to explore the city. These are pretty cheap too, a bike for the day should cost you around 50 baht.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking to venture a bit further out of town, be warned it does get hilly, so you may want to opt for an electric bike instead. It\u2019s the perfect compromise between a bicycle and a motorbike, but they also tend to be more expensive than an actual motorbike. They\u2019re worth a try at least once though!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Motorbike<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now, even if you\u2019ve only Googled Pai once you\u2019ll know that it\u2019s like the mecca for motorbikes. The beautiful scenery, winding roads and less traffic make it the perfect place to zip around on a motorbike or try one for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A motorbike is a convenient and cheap choice to explore both the city centre and the surrounding area. If you\u2019ve travelled from Chiang Mai<\/a> by motorbike, you may already have one. If not, you can hire a motorbike for 100-250 baht per day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taxi and Tuk-tuk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Taxis and tuk-tuks aren\u2019t readily available in Pai. Unlike other Thai cities you won\u2019t see them roaming the streets. Grab also isn\u2019t available here, so to reach further afield places your best option is to hire a van, jump on a motorcycle taxi or hop on a shared public songthaew (a pickup-truck style bus).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to get to Pai<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Leaving from<\/th>Duration<\/th>Prices from<\/th>See details<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Chiang Mai<\/td>3-5 hours<\/td>from 90 THB ($2.80)<\/td>Chiang Mai to Pai<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Chiang Rai<\/td>6.5 hours<\/td>415 THB ($12.80)<\/td>Chiang Rai to Pai<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Exploring Pai Where to stay How to get around How to get there Is Pai worth visiting? Pai …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9026,"featured_media":4535059,"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,105],"travelguides_tag":[],"class_list":["post-13611","travelguides","type-travelguides","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-thailand","category-pai"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.geckoroutes.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/travelguides\/13611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.geckoroutes.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/travelguides"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.geckoroutes.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/travelguides"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geckoroutes.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9026"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geckoroutes.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.geckoroutes.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/travelguides\/13611\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geckoroutes.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4535059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.geckoroutes.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geckoroutes.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13611"},{"taxonomy":"travelguides_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geckoroutes.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/travelguides_tag?post=13611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}