Over the Curves to Pai

A famously twisting mountain road to a small valley town of rice fields, canyons, hot springs and morning mist, best taken slowly and with at least one night.

Area

Further North

Start from

Chiang Mai

Distance

about 135 km north-west

Time needed

2–3 days

Best season

November – February; the valley is green from July to October; smoky from March to April

Difficulty

Moderate

Transport

Minivan from Chiang Mai Arcade bus terminal, or a private car

Tickets & rules

None; small fees at some hot springs and viewpoints

Why go

Pai sits in a broad green valley ringed by mountains, a small town of a few streets where the Pai River slides past bamboo bungalows and rice fields. For decades it has drawn travellers who meant to stay two days and stayed two months, and even if you only have one night, it is easy to see why. The pace drops, the air cools, and mornings begin with mist lying over the fields like milk.

The road there is half the story. Route 1095 climbs over the mountains in a long series of hairpins, often said to number 762, and a T-shirt proclaiming that you survived them is sold in every shop in town. The views from the passes, over forested ridges fading into blue, are worth the queasy moments.

Once there, days are spent on a scooter or in a hired car, drifting between viewpoints, waterfalls and hot springs: the knife-edge ridges of Pai Canyon at sunset, the white Big Buddha watching over the valley, a bamboo walkway across rice paddies, the Yunnanese hill village of Santichon. In the evening the walking street fills with food stalls, handmade jewellery and musicians.

The story

Long before backpackers, Pai was a quiet market town of Shan, Thai, Lisu, Lahu and Karen communities, a stop on the slow mountain route between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son. Its temples, such as Wat Klang in the centre, show Shan influence, with layered roofs and Burmese-style details. The town only became widely known in the 1990s, when travellers began arriving and some never left.

Outside town, the Tha Pai Memorial Bridge crosses the river on a steel span. During the Second World War, Japanese forces moving troops towards Burma built a crossing here, with villagers pressed into the work. The original wooden bridge did not survive; the present steel bridge was brought from elsewhere later, and is now as photographed as anything in Pai.

Santichon, on a hill west of town, was settled by Yunnanese Chinese families, many of them connected to Nationalist soldiers who retreated from China after 1949 and stayed in the hills of the north. You can taste their heritage in steamed buns, braised pork and oolong tea, and see it in the earthen houses and small Chinese-style square.

Getting there

Minivans leave Chiang Mai's Arcade bus terminal several times a day and take about three hours, with a rest stop at the top of the pass. Book a day ahead in high season and sit near the front if you get carsick. A private car is slower but lets you stop at viewpoints and waterfalls.

Experienced riders sometimes ride the whole route by scooter, but the mountain road is no place to learn. In Pai itself, scooters and bicycles are easy to rent, and local drivers will take you around for the day.

A suggested plan

1. Day 1 morningMinivan from Chiang Mai, checking in by lunchtime.
2. Day 1 eveningWander the walking street and eat your way down it.
3. Day 2 dawnYun Lai viewpoint above Santichon for the sea of mist, then tea and buns in the village.
4. Day 2 middayHot springs, the Memorial Bridge and the Big Buddha at Wat Phra That Mae Yen.
5. Day 2 sunsetPai Canyon, a short scramble along the red ridges.
6. Day 3Bamboo walkway across the rice fields or Pam Bok waterfall, then back to Chiang Mai.

Where to stay

Bungalows on the edges of town, among rice fields or by the river, are the quintessential Pai experience. Guesthouses in the centre are convenient for the walking street but louder. Book ahead around New Year, when Thai visitors fill the town.

Good to know

• Take motion-sickness tablets about half an hour before the road trip.
• Bring a warm layer; December mornings in the valley can be genuinely cold.
• Cash is useful; many small places do not take cards.