The mountain town of PAI - incredible experience
Pai is a small town in Northern Thailand that is truly a must-visit during your tour to South-East Asia. If you're ever in Chiang Mai, every traveler you meet will tell you they should go to the mountain town of PAI and not at all miss that place.
Pai is an adorable mountain town in northern Thailand which
is approx 3 - 4 hours from Chiang Mai.
With around 3,000 residents, it attracts travelers from the world who
are looking to escape their routine boring life. This small town is beautiful,
charming and loved by all.
How to go there
Commonly the route
from Chiang Mai to Pai is traveled by van, city bus, or moped, I have around
750+ winding turns, which becomes really tough for the ones with motion
sickness.The journey from Chiang Mai to Pai is one of the most talked about
journey amongst Thailand visitors.
Stay at PAI
There are the hostel,
lodges available at quite a cheap rate all over PAI. The best part of these
places is, you get to meet travelers from all over the world.
There are dorm style huts and outhouse style bathrooms, which
will give you feeling as if you are camping. No matter where you stay, it may
be budget stay, or luxury you will need blankets. As the temperature in Pai
drops drastically at night.
Getting Around the town PAI
The easiest thing is
to rent a moped. The town is too small so It's the best way to get around,
which allows you to have your own schedule and explore the places according to
your own liking. There are many agents who give moped on rent in Pai town. In
some $10 - $15 you will get a bike, helmet, and accident/theft insurance. You
can also book a training lesson. Just if you are planning to rent, keep your
driving license with you on a safer side.
Things to do
Pai is a very small
town so it has one main street that attracts all of its western visitors with
its variety of shopping options at very reasonable rates. So I spent a half day
here, finding some good souvenir for my friends. There are street food vendors
after 6 pm, so you can explore the local food here.
Some foodies spend a
lot of times exploring all the food stalls. I would say even at night it is
worth spending time at the markets as it becomes very live.
Some popular places
Wat Pha That Mae Yen-
white buddha
Watch the beautiful
sunset and enjoy the peace of the Buddha.
Pai Land Split & Pam Bok Waterfall
From 2008 earthquake
there is one land split - it’s like a huge crack. A must visit the place it is.
About 2 miles from the Land Split is Pam Bok waterfall. If you go in the wet
season, you will get to see spectacular views.
These both are not a very big spot to visit but if you are in this area,
this will be worth visiting.
Tham Lod Cave
It is around 2 hours
drive from Pai. The best part about Tham Lod is that it's a cave with no
artificial lighting to guide you. Soy
Ou will have one guide with a lighted lantern throughout
your way.
Sai Ngam Hot spring
There is a park,
which you can enter by paying 5$. After the park area, you will get to see this
hot springs. You can also enjoy swimming here, as the water is pretty warm When
the outside temperature is cool, it is even better. So I request to visit this
place in the morning.
There are some more
good places which you will surely visit as the town is small. All I want to say
is, this place won’t be like any other luxury holidays or planned tour package.
But it will give you a real experience of exploring.