Take the minivan, with a plan to combat travel sickness.
The journey from Chiang Mai to Pai is 130 km and follows the winding Route 1095 with its 762 curves. Most travelers use minivans. Prempracha vans depart hourly from Chiang Mai's Arcade Bus Station between 6:30 am and 5:30 pm, reaching Pai's bus station on the main road in 3.5 to 4 hours. The fare is approximately 150–220 baht at the counter or 270–355 baht when booked online. Aya Service offers seven daily departures from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm and will pick you up directly from your hotel in Pai for 250 baht.
Check the current departure times and seat availability for Chiang Mai → Pai on 12Go.
The drive takes about three hours and costs between 2,100 and 4,000 baht, depending on the vehicle. Experienced drivers can rent a scooter or motorcycle – a great half-day trip in dry weather, but not recommended in heavy rain or for beginners. There are no flights or trains. An airline had announced a service to Pai for autumn 2026, but cancelled it before it even started. Whichever mode of transport you choose, plan for the winding route with a motion sickness tablet 30 minutes before departure, a seat near the front, and a light breakfast.
Where to stay in Pai
This route ends in Pai. Search for hotels in Pai for your desired travel dates. Filter for hotels with free cancellation if you'd like to book a room and decide later.
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My selection in every price range in Pai
Key facts
The cheapest seat is in Prempracha's delivery van from Arcade.
Approximately 150–220 Baht at the counter, 270–355 Baht online, hourly departures on the half hour from 06:30 to 17:30. Large pieces of luggage are transported on the roof, maximum 15 kg per person.
The fastest way is by private car, about three hours.
From approximately 2,100 baht for a three-seater to 3,400–6,700 baht for a nine-seater minibus, door-to-door, with stops upon request. The price can easily be divided into three or four parts.
Aya Service is the easiest van service with hotel pick-up.
Seven minibuses depart daily from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm every half hour for 250 baht. Pick-up is directly from your hotel in Chiang Mai. As the buses are often fully booked a day in advance, early booking is recommended.
Route 1095 is 130 km long and has 762 curves.
The journey takes approximately 3.5–4 hours by minivan with one stop, about 3 hours by car, and 3.5–5 hours by scooter with breaks. The second half of the journey leads over a continuous mountain pass.
There are neither flights nor train connections.
Pai Airport has not been served by any airline since 2017, and a planned resumption of operations in 2026 was cancelled before it could commence. Since there is no rail connection near Pai, the train journey ends in Chiang Mai.
The best time to travel is from November to February.
Mornings are dry, clear, and cold, and the vans book up quickly. Therefore, book one or two days in advance. From May to October, rain makes the road slippery and can cause landslides.
All routes from Chiang Mai to Pai compared (2026)
For minibus timetables and online fares for late October and December 2026, check 12Go, busonlineticket, and the Aya Service timetable; fares at the ticket counter are based on recent travel reports and are not marked as official fares. Private hire car rates are also available on 12Go for the same period. There are no shared taxis from Chiang Mai Airport to Pai; take a car from the airport or go to Arcade first.
Check live vans and seats from Chiang Mai to Pai
12Go displays departures from Prempracha and Aya, the Old City vans, and private vehicles with open seating and e-tickets. Aya vans are often fully booked a day or more in advance, and during the peak travel season of December/January, a reserved seat is the best alternative to queuing at the Arcade ticket counter.
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From Chiang Mai to Pai by minivan, Prempracha or Aya
Where to board, what to expect, and which seat to request.
Prempracha operates the bus service. Minibuses depart hourly, on the half-hour, from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from Chiang Mai 2 (Arcade) bus station, 3 km east of the Old City. There are twelve departures daily, with additional buses running during peak hours. A ride from the Old City to Arcade by Grab or red songthaew costs approximately 100–150 baht. According to the timetable, the journey takes 4 hours and 20 minutes, so the 6:30 a.m. bus arrives in Pai at 10:50 a.m. Most journeys take 3.5 to 4 hours, including a rest stop about halfway through with restrooms and snacks. The minibuses have a capacity of 12 or 13 passengers, and seats are reserved. Large luggage is transported on the roof under a tarpaulin, and the luggage limit is 15 kg per person. The buses arrive at the Pai bus station on the main road, within walking distance of most of the town's guesthouses. Online providers charge 270–355 baht. Travelers have recently paid around 150–220 baht at the Arcade counter.
Aya Service, the company behind the one-way scooter rentals, offers its own vans at 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 13:30, and 14:30 for 250 baht on its website (approximately 280 baht via 12Go). Pick-up is directly from your hotel in the city, eliminating the need to go to the arcade. The journey takes about 3.5 hours and ends at the Aya office in Pai on Chaisongkram Road, near the bus station. Seats are often booked up a day in advance, so it's advisable to book as soon as your travel dates are confirmed.
Several other companies, including Tara Tour and Travel, K Buddy (departing from the Aya office in Chiang Mai), and North Ride Go, offer vans from their Old City offices for approximately 500–900 baht via 12Go between 8:30 am and 3:00 pm. These are more expensive than Prempracha for the same route and are therefore only worthwhile if the Arcade and Aya vans are fully booked.
Book a shuttle bus for the morning one or two days in advance, take your tablet with you from the hotel before you leave, and ask for a seat at the front. Contact Aya if you would like to be picked up from your hotel, or Prempracha at Arcade if you prefer the cheapest seat or a later departure.
Is there a bus or train connection from Chiang Mai to Pai?
The bus is a minivan, and the train stops in Chiang Mai.
When booking sites list "bus" to Pai, they're referring to the minivan from Prempracha. Prempracha is the bus company operating on this route, and Arcade is Chiang Mai's main bus station. However, the vehicles listed in the timetable are 12- and 13-seater vans. Older guidebooks mention a large orange fan-equipped bus departing from Arcade, but there's no current timetable or reliable pricing for it, so I wouldn't base my trip on that.
There is no train connection. Mae Hong Son province is not connected to the rail network, so the train from Bangkok terminates at Chiang Mai station. From there, you have to continue your journey like everyone else – by minibus, car, or scooter. A night train arrives from Bangkok in the morning, in time for a minibus that departs from Arcade station at midday.
The road to Pai, curve after curve
Route 1095, the stops along the route and how best to navigate the curves.
From Chiang Mai, Route 107 heads north to Mae Malai, where Route 1095 branches off west into the hills, and the 762 curves begin. The first half is gentle. The second half, through the forest of Huai Nam Dang National Park and down into the Pai Valley, is one long, continuous climb and descent with hardly a straight stretch between the bends.
If you're traveling by car or bicycle, there are a few places to stop. Mok Fa Waterfall is about 1 km off the road, roughly 54 km outside of Chiang Mai. It's a twin waterfall with a pool, reachable in five to ten minutes on foot from the parking area. Pong Deuat Pa Pae, a geyser field in Huai Nam Dang National Park, is about 84 km from Chiang Mai via a short side road. An 800 m long wooden walkway leads to the vents where boiling water gushes out. Entry costs 300 baht per foreign adult and is free from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (the same ticket is also valid for Tha Pai hot springs on the same day). Pai Canyon is right off the road, 8 km outside the city. Entry is free, and it's especially beautiful at sunset. Many visitors prefer to return rather than stop with luggage. The vans don't stop at these locations. They only stop once at a rest area on the side of the road, roughly halfway along the route.
The winding road is the real price of this trip, and the vans travel along it quickly. Take a motion sickness tablet 30 minutes before departure (available at any Thai pharmacy or 7-Eleven), ask for a seat in the front, eat only a small snack, and look out the window instead of staring at your phone. One couple experienced their van leaving half an hour early in February 2026, so take the tablet early and be at the terminal 30 minutes before departure.
From Chiang Mai to Pai by scooter or motorcycle
A famous attraction for riders who already ride
A trip to Pai is a backpacker tradition, and Aya Service makes it easy with one-way rentals: from 200 baht per day for a Honda Scoopy, Click, or Wave (115–125 cc) and from 500 baht per day for a Click, PCX, NMAX, or Aerox (150–160 cc). Pick-up is at their office in Kham Thiang Plaza in Chiang Mai, and drop-off is at their office in Pai. When booking, ask about the one-way fee and whether you can send your luggage ahead in the van, as Aya doesn't publish this information.
You need a driver's license that includes motorcycles. For most travelers, this means a motorcycle license from their home country plus an international driving permit that includes the motorcycle category. Be prepared for police checks along the way. Check your insurance before you set off. Most travel insurance policies only cover scooter accidents if you have the appropriate license, were wearing a helmet, and were sober. Some insurance companies exclude motorcycles above a certain size. Genki insures scooters up to 125cc without a motorcycle license. This applies to scooters up to 200cc, but not to those with 160cc.
The road is well-paved but steep and narrow. Trucks cut the center line on the bends, and the descent to Pai is the most winding section. It's best to drive in a low gear rather than relying on the brakes. Leave Chiang Mai early. One driver left at 6:30 a.m. in January 2026 and arrived in Pai around 11:00 a.m. Try to navigate the switchbacks in daylight. Fill up your tank before starting Route 1095, bring extra layers as it's cold in the forest sections in the morning, and avoid the route during heavy rain, as the road becomes slippery and landslides can block the lanes. If this is your first time riding a scooter in Pai, consider taking the van and practicing on the quieter side roads around Pai.
Only use this route if you are leaving Chiang Mai from home, on a dry day, and before 8:00 AM. Everyone else should take the van and rent a scooter in Pai.
When to drive and the road conditions during the rainy season
Dry and cold from November onwards, slippery from May to October.
The best time to travel this route is from November to February. According to the weather station in Chiang Mai, it rains on average only one to three days a month during this period. Mornings in the mountains are cool (so bring warm clothing for the air conditioning in the van and for the scooter). Vans are also most booked during this time, so book one or two days in advance, and even further ahead over Christmas and New Year's.
From mid-February to April, smoke hangs over the north, and visibility from the mountain passes is hazy. The rainy season lasts from May to October, peaking in August with around 220 mm of rainfall over 17 rainy days in Chiang Mai. While vans continue to operate, Route 1095 becomes slippery, landslides can block a lane after a night of heavy rain, and journeys can take longer. I would avoid using a scooter altogether during this time.
The best-rated hotels in Pai
Here is my ranking of the 10 best hotels in Pai. Each button opens the hotel on Booking.com, where your travel details are already entered.
From Chiang Mai airport to Pai and why there is no flight
A car from the airport or arcade and the delivery van
There are no shared taxis from Chiang Mai Airport to Pai. If you are arriving and wish to travel directly to Pai, you can either take a Grab to Arcade (approximately 20 minutes) and then a prempracha taxi, or book a private car directly at the terminal (approximately 3 hours, around 2,100–4,000 baht, depending on the vehicle). If you arrive after late afternoon, a private car is the only option for same-day travel, as the last taxi departs from Arcade at 5:30 pm, and the winding road is best navigated in daylight.
Pai does have a runway, but it hasn't been used by any scheduled airline since Kan Air withdrew in 2017. In July 2026, EZY Airlines announced a daily flight from Chiang Mai using a 12-seat Cessna, scheduled to begin in the fall. However, in August, the flight was suspended indefinitely due to a dispute over airport fees, before it had even started. No new date has been given. Booking sites may still list the flight, so don't plan your trip around it.
Is it possible to visit Pai as a day trip from Chiang Mai?
You can do that, but I wouldn't.
The round trip by minibus takes seven to eight hours and follows winding roads. This leaves only a few hours in Pai at midday, when it's hot in the canyon and the pedestrian zone isn't yet open. Even by car, the drive takes about six hours. Pai is worth the trip to experience the relaxed days, the sunrise at the viewpoints, and the sunset in Pai Canyon—all of which can't be combined in a single day. Stay at least two nights; three or four nights are sufficient for most.
The van and the journey from Chiang Mai to Pai
Three journeys on Route 1095, filmed by other travelers in 2026, using a minivan, motorcycle, and scooter. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press "Play".
In the other direction, from Pai to Chiang Mai
The same minibuses drive down the hill, and some drop off passengers at the airport.
Prempracha vans depart hourly from Pai bus station between 7:00 AM and 5:30 PM, and Aya offers six daily connections between 8:30 AM and 3:30 PM. Some tickets can be purchased in the Old City or directly at Chiang Mai Airport. The latter is recommended if you are flying. The Pai to Chiang Mai travel guide includes all departure times and the recommended departure time.
Watch live vans from Pai back to Chiang Mai
12Go lists the vans departing from Pai with stops in Arcade, Old Town and Airport, as well as the private cars with live seating.
Booked your trip? Plan both your arrival and departure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions about the route from Chiang Mai to Pai.
Most travelers take a minivan. Prempracha departs hourly from the Arcade Terminal in Chiang Mai between 6:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. and takes about 3.5–4 hours to reach the bus station in Pai. Tickets cost approximately 150–220 baht at the counter or 270–355 baht online. Aya Service offers a pick-up service from hotels in the city between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. for 250 baht. A private car costs approximately 2,100–4,000 baht, and experienced drivers can rent a scooter in dry weather.
For the cheapest option, the Prempracha minivan is recommended; for hotel pick-up, Aya Service offers a van; and for the fastest and most comfortable journey, a private car is the best choice – the trip takes about three hours and costs between 2,100 and 4,000 baht. The most fun option is a scooter, but only for riders with a motorcycle license and in dry weather.
The journey from Chiang Mai's Arcade Bus Station to the bus station in Pai is approximately 130 km by road, initially on Route 107 and then on Route 1095. The route itself is short; the 762 curves on the second half extend the journey to 3.5 to 4 hours.
At the Prempracha counter in the Arcade, it costs approximately 150–220 baht, booked online 270–355 baht, and with the Aya service including hotel pick-up 250 baht. Rides by minibus from other offices in the Old City cost approximately 500–900 baht.
The first van from Prempracha departs from Arcade at 6:30 a.m. and the last at 5:30 p.m., every half hour. The Aya service runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., also every half hour.
Approximately 3.5–4 hours by minivan including a rest stop (Prempracha estimates 4 hours 20 minutes), approximately three hours by car and 3.5–5 hours by scooter including stops along the way.
762 is the number for which Route 1095 is known. The second half of the journey crosses a continuous mountain pass, which is why motion sickness is common. A pill 30 minutes before departure, a front-row seat, a light meal, and looking at the horizon help most people.
The bus is a minivan operated by Prempracha, departing hourly from the Arcade bus station between 6:30 am and 5:30 pm. There is no train connection; Pai is not connected to the railway network, so the train line from Bangkok terminates in Chiang Mai.
No. No scheduled airline has flown to Pai since 2017. EZY Airlines announced a daily flight for autumn 2026, but suspended it indefinitely in August before its scheduled start. Therefore, a flight to Pai found through a booking website is not available.
There is no shared transfer from the airport. Take a Grab to the Arcade bus station (approximately 20 minutes) and from there a Prempracha van, or book a private car from the airport (approximately 3 hours, around 2,100–4,000 baht). If you arrive after late afternoon, a car is the only option for onward travel that same day.
For experienced motorcyclists, it's a beautiful and manageable route on a dry day. The road is steep and winding; trucks cross the center line in the bends, and the descent to Pai is the most twisty section. You'll need a motorcycle license, usually an international driving permit, and motorcycle insurance. If you don't ride a motorcycle at home, take a minibus and rent a scooter in Pai.
It's worth it. Aya's vans are often fully booked a day in advance, and the peak season in December/January is particularly busy. Prempracha usually still has spaces available outside of peak season, but booking a day or two in advance guarantees your preferred departure time.
Prices for a private car range from 2,100 to 4,000 baht, depending on size and booking location, while a nine-seater minibus can cost up to 6,700 baht. A three-seater car is available from 12Go starting at around 2,100 baht, and on Aya's own website, a private minibus costs 3,000 baht. The journey takes approximately three hours.
This is possible, but it means seven to eight hours of winding van driving for just a few hours in the city at midday. Stay at least two nights; three or four nights are sufficient for most.
Yes, if you have three or more days and want to take it easy, with Pai Canyon at sunset, hot springs, the sea of mist at dawn, and a pedestrian zone every evening. For a short trip or if you're prone to travel sickness, it's less worthwhile, as the drive takes almost a full day each way.
Choose Chiang Mai as your starting point. There you'll find the airport, temples, cooking classes, and excursions. If you have three or more days, you can plan a stopover in Pai. Pai is a place to relax, not a replacement for Chiang Mai.
From November to February, the road is dry, the mornings are cold and clear, and delivery vans are at their busiest. From May to October, rain makes the road slippery and can cause landslides, and from mid-February to April, smoke from the wildfire season reduces visibility.
Prempracha vans depart hourly from Pai bus station between 7:00 and 17:30, and Aya Service offers six daily connections between 8:30 and 15:30. Some tickets can be redeemed in Chiang Mai's Old City or at the airport. All departure times are listed in the Pai–Chiang Mai route guidebook.
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Further from Pai
The next stage, with the fastest and cheapest way to get there.
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I lived in Bangkok for four years and traveled throughout the country from there. The guidebooks reflect my personal opinion and are written as I would explain things to a friend planning a trip.
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