Chiang Mai to Pai is a route not short of travel options. The small mountain town of Pai, Thailand is located in the northwest of Thailand not far from the Myanmar border. It is roughly a three hour (135 km) drive from Chiang Mai on twisty, wooded, and elevated mountain roads. The route is simultaneously dangerous and beautiful and offers endless breathtaking mountainside views of rural northern Thailand.
How to Get from Chiang Mai to Pai
There are actually several different options if you plan to travel from Chiang Mai to Pai. Whether you want to go it alone on a motorbike or travel with a group of friends via bus or flight, there is no shortage of available methods.
Car or Motorbike
Get ready to dodge rampant potholes, get stuck behind slow-moving buses, and drive around brokedown vehicles as you navigate the over seven hundred turns on Route 1095 (map below).
We drove our Honda Forza from Chiang Mai to Pai, but we only recommend traveling on a motorbike if you are experienced. If you do ride a motorbike, make sure you have plenty of gas before turning off of Route 107 onto Route 1095. There are no gas stations in the mountains and the 120cc tanks barely hold enough to get from Chiang Mai to Pai. Also, during the rainy season be prepared to negotiate muddy portions of the road. With all this said, we had a blast riding through the mountains!
Bus
If you are not conformable driving a motorbike from Chiang Mai to Pai, there are other ground transportation services that can be booked, many of which leave several different times throughout the day.
Larger buses operated by Prempracha Transport depart from Chiang Mai’s Arcade Station Terminal three every few hours but take a bit longer because they are forced to drive slower given the road conditions. These cost 150 baht. We recommend buying them in advance and arriving at the bus station at least 30 minutes prior to departure. The bus schedule departs at 7:00 am, 9:00 am, 10:30 am, 12:00 pm, and 2:00 pm daily and takes 3.5 hours.
Van and Mini Bus
Vans and minibuses can be booked at various agencies in Chiang Mai and average between 72 and 180 baht (3.50 to 6 USD) for a one-way ticket. Many hotels and guesthouses will arrange one of these minbuses for you for a small booking fee.
We’ve heard good things about the AYA Bus Service, which runs minivans with air conditioning from Pai to Chiang Mai and back. They will pick you up from your hotel in Chiang Mai’s Old City thirty minutes to one hour before departure. They leave from Chiang Mai to Pai every hour between 7:30 am and 5:30 pm.
As a warning, the twisty road between Chiang Mai and Pai often makes people car sick. We recommend taking an anti-nausea pill (such as non-drowsy formula of Dramamine) before getting on the road to prevent discomfort and possible embarrassment during the ride. Remember, it is roughly a three-hour trip and drivers make a 15-minute bathroom stop about halfway through the trip. However, they don’t stop if you get sick!
Flights
As a final option to get to Pai, Kan Airlines offers very short flights between Chiang Mai and Pai that cost 1890 baht or 60 USD for a one-way ticket. Flights operate between Chiang Mai International Airport and land at Pai’s small local airport located roughly 2 km north of town. Kan Airlines operates one flight per day on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Flights depart from Chiang Mai at 10:20 am and arrive in Pai at 10:45 am. Flights depart from Pai at 11:00 am and arrive in Chiang Mai at 11:25 am.
If you’re planning a trip to Pai, you might also like…
The Adventure Seeker’s
Ultimate 7-Day Guide to Pai
This week-long itinerary is a collaboration of the best things to do in Pai, Thailand plus our personal recommendations for hotels, restaurants, vehicle rentals, and more.
Directions from Chiang Mai to Pai
Leave the Old City of Chiang Mai via Route 107 (Chang Phuak Rd), which is a northbound highway that originates at Chiang Mai’s North Gate. Drive approximately 30 km and then turn left onto Route 1095, which will be at a big intersection with signs pointing towards Pai. Route 1095 passes through several very small towns, goes up and down two mountains, and has 746 turns. Stay on Route 1095 for 95 km until you see Pai’s city limit signs.
Hi there,
I’m planning with my Gf to go from Bkk to Chiang Mai then Pai, all by car. I just read that there is 746 turns!!! Do we need a 4×4 or is a simple ford focus alright to drive up there?
Looking to stay in a hotel near the Pai River and go to the Pai Canyon. All accessable by car? Or require professional help to get there?
Thanks in advance for your advice :)
We’d recommend getting one step up from a Ford Focus since some of the hills to Pai are steep – get a car with an engine just over 1.5L, but a 4×4 is not necessary. You can go to the Pai Canyon without professional help and it’s accessible by car. Have fun!
Hello, me and my boyfriend are looking at going to pai for a couple of nights, we will be flying from Bangkok, to chiang mai and are hoping to get a bus from there. Would you be able just to hop on a van/bus or do you need to book in advance (online)?
Thank you
You can book a bus online in advance with the bus service we mentioned in the post. Have a great time!
Absolutely love your blog! My boyfriend and I have been living in Chiang mai for a month and decided to take a scooter up to Pai for a few days. Unfortunately, we got into a pretty bad accident and we’re a little too scarred to drive the scooter all the way back to Chiang Mai. Know of any vans that would take us back with our scooter? A few Thai locals who witnessed the crash offered to drive us with our scooter in the back for the rest of the way. Do you think we’d be able to find someone… Read more »
Yikes, we hope you and your boyfriend are ok. We wouldn’t be surprised if some businesses in Pai know of a service that takes visitors and their motorbikes to and from Chiang Mai. It’s pretty specific, but you are not the first people to need this. As far as asking a random civilian to stop and pick you up on the road heading back to Chiang Mai – well, it’s certainly possible, but the road is dangerous to simply wait around on and who knows how long that will be. Best to ask someone at your guesthouse or a nearby… Read more »
Would you recommend taking a moped/scooter up?
Not unless you are an experienced rider. If you have only ridden a few times before on straight roads, take a van and then rent a scooter once you are there.
Great blog and article Chris & Angela,
One suggestion, if you request an early pickup you can usually select your seat on the minibus. The seats closest to the front will be much cooler than the far back. Also, if you are prone to car sickness, the front is better too.
That stretch of road is not enjoyable, but the destination is worth it.
Good luck!
~joseph
Great tip about sitting in the front. We definitely agree!