This Small Town in Thailand Has Some of the Country's Most Beautiful Landscapes — How to Visit

Most people don’t go to Thailand to visit Pai. They end up in Pai because they heard about it at the food stalls of Khao San Road in Bangkok or in the beach bars of Phuket. About a three-hour drive from the more popular Chiang Mai, it’s a remote part of the country, isolated in northwestern Mae Hong Son province, which sits along Myanmar’s border. Pai is not an unheard-of destination, but it’s a far cry from the more raucous energy you’ll find in Thailand’s cities or on its best-known islands.

When travelers come to Pai, they find one of the most beautiful and undisturbed parts of Thailand. Mae Hong Son province is rippled with mountains, sliced by rivers, and carpeted in rolling rice paddies and oolong tea fields. Pai itself has long been a hippie haven, where backpackers flocked for affordable guesthouses, relaxed restaurants, and silent natural beauty.

“What I like about Pai is it’s a chance to get out into proper rural Thailand,” says Grant Ekelund, senior travel consultant with Inside Travel Group Ltd. and a Travel + Leisure A-List advisor. “It’s way up north, surrounded by beautiful mountains and completely out of the major cities. But it still has good accommodations and plenty of things to do.”

Recently, thanks to infrastructure upgrades and more commonplace amenities (a smattering of 7-Elevens, live music venues, and vegan cafes), more tourists are finding reasons to visit Pai.

“It has grown in popularity and is less off the beaten path than 10 years ago,” says Ekelund. "Even today, it’s still more popular on the backpacker route than the luxury route. But Pai is for someone who wants to be a bit more in touch with the culture. It’s for somebody who has a sense of adventure. There’s no Four Seasons. The roads are rougher. It’s a little bit more adventurous and exciting. But what you might give up in creature comforts, you gain in stunning landscapes.”

Pai, Thailand

• Enjoy the Thai village-style setting at The Quarter Resort, a property with gorgeous tropical gardens and a lagoon-like pool.

• Explore Pai’s night market, which comes to life every evening after sunset and buzzes with street-food stalls and live music.

• Get out of town to enjoy the quintessential Southeast Asian scenery along the area’s famous Ku Sui Bamboo Bridge, which is about six miles from Pai, and extends out over the jade-green rice paddies.

• Enjoy a lantern-lit meal in the lovely garden at The Blue Ox Bar & Grill.

• Have a nightcap and listen to reggae music at the iconic Reggae Pai.

Best Hotels & Resorts

Reverie Siam

Ekelund recommends Reverie Siam to his clients for its intimate 20 rooms and fantastic service. Pai is not a destination known for its luxury accommodations. Still, this is a solid hotel with a lovely vintage design and spectacular views of Pai’s lush, jungle-carpeted mountains.

The Quarter

Designed like a traditional rural village, The Quarter features bungalow-style accommodations spread across beautifully manicured tropical gardens. Amenities include a grand, open-air teak dining room and a turquoise-tiled swimming pool. While the resort feels tucked away, it’s just a quick trip into Pai’s town center.

The Oia Pai Resort

In the heart of Pai’s town center, The Oia Pai Resort is eclectic and whimsical. Its main feature is its massive central pool, which evokes the klongs of Bangkok and provides kayaks for guests to paddle around in. Other elements of the resort feel Grecian, including a blue-and-white color palette, whitewashed exposed brick, and rounded archways.

Pai Village Boutique Resort

Just a few steps from Pai’s “Walking Street,” this eco-resort offers a backpacker-chic vibe. Picture thatched-roof bungalows and villas, teak touches and furnishings, hanging nest chairs, and a lovely lagoon-like pool shrouded in bamboo. The hotel is also home to one of the best restaurants in Pai, The Blue Ox Bar & Grill.

Best Things to Do

Pai Canyon

Fifteen minutes from the paved streets of Pai will take you on a backroads adventure to Pai Canyon. Its rusty red ridges have been exposed due to thousands of years of erosion. The contrast of red against the green jungle makes for a lovely photo op, and you can get all the good angles from the naturally elevated walkways that put you at eye level with the treetops. Tip: Visit the canyon at sunset for the best light, or sunrise for the smallest crowds.

Pai Night Market

When the sun goes down, Pai’s Walking Street turns the energy up. The otherwise sleepy area starts to glow with the lights of hundreds of lights as vendors set up their stalls, selling everything from souvenirs and jewelry to street food. The music from Pai’s many bars fills the air, turning Walking Street into a buzzy outdoor event every night.

Bamboo Bridge

Pai’s Bamboo Bridge, also known as Boon Koh Ku Sui, extends for 2,600 feet over the green rice fields just outside Pai. “This is a quick, easy stop, and if you’re out there in the rainy season when the rice is growing, it’s incredibly scenic,” says Ekelund. “The bright green rice paddies backed against the mountains is such a quintessential Southeast Asian scene, and that’s the kind of thing the whole area really lends itself to.”

Tham Lod Cave

Mae Hong Son province has hundreds of caves, but Tham Lod, near Pai, which has a river running through it, is one of the most impressive. The cave, excavated in the mid 20th century, held evidence of prehistoric burials dating back thousands of years. The yawning mouth of Tham Lod gives way to a mile-long passageway that leads to three enormous, higher-level chambers.

Big Buddha

Locals call it Wat Phra That Mae Yen, but tourists know it as the Big Buddha. This gleaming white Buddha statue sits tucked in the rolling green hills overlooking Pai and the surrounding villages. You can see the iconic image from almost anywhere in Pai. It’s a thigh-burning 353-step climb to the top, but once you get there, you’ll have the most jaw-dropping views of this special, quiet part of rural Thailand.

Best Shopping

Pai Night Market

Pai isn’t exactly a destination for fashionistas or art collectors, but if you’re seeking souvenirs, handcrafts, and locally made jewelry, the night market on Walking Street has everything you’re looking for. Open every evening, this is one of the best places in Pai for local shopping.

Best Nightlife

Spirit Bar

For such a small town, Pai packs a punch for nightlife, with dozens of bars all within walking distance. Spirit Bar is a funky hippie hideout with cushions strewn across the floor, a neon-splashed passageway, a small jewelry shop, and lots of live music. Guests love it for the laid-back atmosphere, reasonably priced drinks, and psychedelic, dream-like decor.

Supermoon

Supermoon is a one-stop shop for all your nighttime needs. Live music? It has that. Cocktails? It’s got those, too. And if you’re craving a little karaoke and a steamy bowl of ramen, you’re in luck. This is one of Pai’s most popular bars, with strong drinks, a weekly roster of entertainment from karaoke to open mic nights, and a menu of hearty eats. The Rockstar Ramen is housemade noodles in 12-hour bone broth served with seared pork belly.

Night Owl Bar

This pocket-sized, open-air bar has plenty of outdoor seating, covered by creeping vines that hang overhead for privacy. Firepits on the bamboo terrace are a nice touch, especially on cooler evenings. This bar is never crowded and often has live music.

Reggae Pai

Reggae bars are part of the tourist culture in Pai, and Reggae Pai is one of the best in town. Its owner, who simply goes by Fang, has created a space for live music and relaxed vibes. It’s much more than a bar nowadays; it’s one of Pai’s premier destinations for music lovers. In fact, many musicians stop by to teach music lessons or light up the space with an impromptu jam session.

Best Restaurants

Na’s Kitchen

Most Thai options in Pai have been watered down for Western tastes, with catch-all menus touting the most exported dishes like pad Thai and wok stir-fry. But Na’s Kitchen is known for its traditional northern Thai fare and a clientele with just as many locals as tourists.

The Blue Ox Bar & Grill

Attached to Pai Village, The Blue Ox is one of the loveliest restaurants in town, with a romantic garden dining area that overlooks Tesaban Road. The menu here has a mix of Thai and Western dishes, cocktails, and spirits. Wine is hard to come by in Pai, but if you’re craving a glass, the list at The Blue Ox is impressive.

Silhouette

Fine dining isn’t exactly a thing in Pai, but the closest you’ll get is at Silhouette, in the Reverie Siam. The shabby-chic dining space creates a vintage and elegant vibe, with an outdoor patio and river views. The menu here serves elevated traditional recipes from northern Thai cultures, tapas, and Western cuisine (think everything from charcuterie boards and kebabs to grilled salmon over pasta).

Baan Pizza

Part of Pai’s rite of passage as a haven for backpackers means it has a selection of pizza joints (some better than others). Baan Pizza stands out as the best option in town, offering reasonably priced pizza and pasta.

Om Garden Cafe

Breakfast doesn’t get any lovelier than at Om Garden Cafe. The peaceful garden setting, with lush, hanging vines and clusters of potted plants, sets the tone for a menu of fresh-pressed juices, an all-day breakfast, and vegetarian and vegan options. The hummus with fried egg, tomato, and pita is a standout, as is the beet, avocado, feta, and pesto sandwich.

Best Time to Visit

Because of Pai’s elevation (2,500 feet above sea level), it’s often cooler year-round than other destinations in Thailand. This means there’s no wrong time to visit. Temperatures can reach 90 degrees Farenheit between March and September; the rainy season is from May through September. The high season runs from November through March, when prices can spike. Burn season typically begins in February, when farmers prepare their fields for the next crop rotation, which fills the hills and valleys with smoke. Arguably the perfect time to visit Pai is in October or November, just after the rainy season, when everything is bright, green, and lush.

How to Get There

Pai is about a three-hour drive from Chiang Mai’s international airport. The best and easiest way to get to Pai is to rent a car or hire a driver. The road between Chiang Mai and Pai winds up and down through the mountains, with lots of switchbacks, but the road is paved the entire way and the scenery is rural, rugged, and gorgeous. Many adventurous travelers get to Pai via the Mae Hong Son Loop, a twisting, 373-mile route passing through a few other towns in Mae Hong Son province. Travelers can do this by car or motorbike. If opting for the latter, it’s highly recommended you have previous motorcycle experience.

How to Get Around

It's easy to get around Pai once you’ve arrived. The town is small and walkable, with most restaurants, bars, and accommodations a quick trip from one another. It’s an accessible place to cycle around, too, and many accommodations offer bikes for rent. You can hire a motorbike for some of the attractions further afield, but again, be sure you have experience and wear your helmet.