TOP EXPERIENCE
Detour to Pai
Live music, fun bars and fresh-air activities have made this formerly tiny village, located three hours west of Chiang Mai, a serious backpacker destination.
Great For…
yNeed to Know
Most of Pai’s sights are found outside the city centre, making hiring a motor-cycle (100B to 250B per 24 hours) a necessity.
In a nearly picture-perfect mountain-valley setting, the popular town of Pai (ปาย) is perfect for a whole host of natural, lazy activities to keep visitors entertained. It also has a vibrant art scene. The town’s Shan roots can still be seen in its temples, quiet backstreets and fun afternoon market.
Memorial Bridge
Originally built by Japanese soldiers during WWII, this bridge (สพานประวัติศาสตร์ท่าปาย ; Rte 1095) is one of several crucial photo ops to the thousands of Thais who stop along the ‘762 curves’ to Pai during the tourist season. It’s located 9km from Pai along the road to Chiang Mai.
Ban Santichon
The cheesy photo ops, piped-in music, restaurants serving Yunnanese food, tea tastings, pony rides, tacky re-creation of the Great Wall of China and mountaintop viewpoint (บ้านสันติชล ) can make parts of Ban Santichon seem like a theme park. But get past these and you’ll find a living, breathing Chinese village, one well worth exploring. Located about 4km west of Pai.
Pai Canyon
Located 8km from Pai along the road to Chiang Mai, a paved stairway (กองแลนปาย
; Rte 1095; 
hdaylight hours) culminates in an elevated lookout over high rock cliffs and the Pai valley. The trail lacks shade so is best tackled in the morning or afternoon.
Wat Phra That Mae Yen
This temple (วัดพระธาตุแม่เย็น
; hdaylight hours) sits atop a hill and has terrific views overlooking the valley. To get here, walk 1km east from the main intersection in town to get to the stairs (353 steps) that lead to the top. Or, if you’ve got wheels, take the 400m sealed road that follows a different route.
Activities
Pai is a great place to learn a new skill. The curriculum of courses available in Pai ranges from drumming to circus arts; check listings publications such as the Pai Events Planner (PEP) or the Pai Explorer (www.paiexplorer.com) to see what’s on when you’re in town. It’s also a great place for pampering. There are plenty of traditional Thai massage places charging from around 150B an hour. Reiki, crystal healing, acupuncture, reflexology and other nonindigenous methods of healing are also available. In addition to these, a few local businesses, all of which are located approximately 1.5km northweast of Tha Pai Hot Springs (บ่อน้ำร้อนท่าปาย
; adult/child 300/150B; h7am-6pm), have made open-air hot tubs with the area’s thermal waters.
If you’re more of a go-getter, rafting along Mae Nam Pai during the wet season (approximately June to October) is a popular activity. The trip runs from Pai to Mae Hong Son, which, depending on the amount of water, can traverse rapids from class 1 to class 5. Trips can be arranged with Thai Adventure Rafting (
% 053 699111; www.thairafting.com; Th Chaisongkhram; h10am-9pm).
Where to Stay
Pai’s popularity, particularly among domestic tourists, has resulted in a glut of midrange and upscale places. Rooms are cheaper just outside the centre of town, which is where you should base yourself if you’re coming to Pai with notions of an idyllic, rural stay.
Drinking & Nightlife
There are dozens of bars in Pai, often with a life span of a fruit fly. As a general guide to the town’s drinking scene, most of the open-air and VW van–based cocktail bars are found along Th Chaisongkhram; Th Wiang Tai is where you’ll find Pai’s highest concentration of bars, many with a reggae vibe; Th Rangsiyanon is where most of the guesthouse-style restaurant-bars with a diverse soundtrack and a dinner menu are located; and a knot of open-air, reggae-style bars can be found at the eastern end of Th Raddamrong, just across the bridge.
Getting There & Away
The bus station (Th Chaisongkhram) is the place to catch slow, fan-cooled buses as well as more frequent and efficient minivans to Chiang Mai and destinations in Mae Hong Son. Aya Service (
% 053 699888; www.ayaservice.com; h7am-10pm) and Duan-Den (
% 053 699966; h7am-9pm) also run air-con minivan buses to Chiang Mai (150B to 200B, three hours, hourly 7am to 5.30pm).