THAILAND TRAVEL GUIDE
Riding from Chiang Mai to Pai | Northern Thailand
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The small town of Pai, 134km from Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand is becoming increasingly popular amongst both holidayers and travellers alike. Its laid back vibe, scenic surroundings and variety of accommodations suits a wide range of people looking to escape from the hustle and bustle of Thailand’s second largest city, Chiang Mai.
Pai is surrounded by rice paddies and framed by mountains, and with day trip options ranging from waterfalls, to hot springs, to tubing down the Pai River it’s not difficult to see why this small town is one you find yourself struggling to leave! Most travellers to Pai, choose the ease of a 3-4 hour journey in an air-conditioned minibus or for the budget traveller there is also a local bus. However for those with a sense of adventure and reasonable confidence on a motorbike or scooter, there’s a WAY better option! |
Photo: When we went to collect our bikes from AYA Service they had run out for the day so we didn't get a choice in which bikes we took. In the end we were given one 125CC Honda Click and a 110CC Honda Scoopy
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The route from Chiang Mai to Pai is one of the few places in Thailand where one-way motorbike rental is available, making this scenic drive even more accessible to travellers. AYA Service is a motorbike rental and tour agency with an office in both Chiang Mai and Pai making one-way motorbike rentals a popular yet adventurous choice for many travellers.
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Having the option of the one-way rental allows travellers to experience the drive to or from Pai, without committing to the motorbike rental for the full duration of their stay in Pai.
It also allows you to experience the journey as the driver and the passenger, by driving one way and then opting for the bus for the return trip. While the route itself has over 700 twists and turns (as every tourist t-shirt in Pai will tell you!), it is otherwise relatively straightforward and more or less involves only two major roads once you exit Chiang Mai city. Although, having said that as you can see from the sign on the right, some people don't find the bus journey all that relaxing! |
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Before deciding to ride this route, we spent a few days weighing up the pro’s and con’s of the minibus VS motorbike rental. The price worked out fairly similar with the air-conditioned minibus starting at 150 Baht per person and the scooters from 120 Baht per bike. A big plus for us is that AYA Service offer free luggage transfer service between Chiang Mai and Pai if you do choose to ride one of their bikes making the trip both safer and more comfortable.
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In the end, it came down to the freedom and flexibility of the bike for us. By riding, we were able to explore the waterfalls, hot springs and other sights along the way rather than almost certainly sleeping the entire way if we caught the minibus!
We researched the route beforehand and spoke to the staff at AYA Service and we both felt comfortable riding the route, especially considering that we could take it at our own pace and more or less spend the entire day getting there if we wanted to. Left: This is the map given to us by AYA Service detailing the route to Pai. As mentioned, it is fairly straightforward and once you are on the right road, you just keep going until you reach Pai. Sorry about the creases, but we couldn't get a scanned copy! |
We left Chiang Mai at 9:30am and arrived in Pai at 2pm. Along the way we had plenty of breaks including stopping for breakfast, visiting Huai Nam Dang National Park and also visited the Pai Canyon which we passed on our way into town.
While we passed plenty of cars and bikes going in the opposite direction, there was not a lot of traffic on the road and we were also lucky with the weather, which was overcast and quite cool but stayed dry throughout our ride.
Overall, we found the route to be very cruisy, enjoyable and would highly recommend it to other travellers with a sense of adventure who enjoy the freedom of having their own transport.
While we’re no experts, we thoroughly enjoyed riding this route and would love other travellers to be able to experience it also. However, safety is always our first priority so we’ve put together a few tips for anyone thinking about doing this ride.
While we passed plenty of cars and bikes going in the opposite direction, there was not a lot of traffic on the road and we were also lucky with the weather, which was overcast and quite cool but stayed dry throughout our ride.
Overall, we found the route to be very cruisy, enjoyable and would highly recommend it to other travellers with a sense of adventure who enjoy the freedom of having their own transport.
While we’re no experts, we thoroughly enjoyed riding this route and would love other travellers to be able to experience it also. However, safety is always our first priority so we’ve put together a few tips for anyone thinking about doing this ride.
WADE AND SARAH'S HOT TIPS:
- Know your ability - You are the best judge of your confidence and competence riding a motorbike or scooter. If you don’t feel comfortable on winding roads and some steep inclines, this is not the ride for you
- ALWAYS check your bike before leaving the rental office - The brakes are probably one of the most important factors on any ride, but this one in particular. PLEASE check them whenever you hire a bike. (We also chose to pay an extra 40 Baht per bike to cover damage/scratches. The bikes came with a significant number of scratches and we didn’t want to be blamed so we decided 40 Baht was a cheap way of eliminating any excess fees)
- Take plenty of breaks! - While 130km might seem like a short distance, the winding road and steep inclines make it a slow journey. You’re doing this for the experience so make it an enjoyable one!
- Be conscious of other drivers – The most common traffic we saw throughout our ride was minibuses and local Songtaews, however we also came across large trucks, other motorcyclists and a few cars. Many of the drivers who use this road frequently, become blasé and see the centre line on the road as more of a suggestion rather than a necessity! They cut corners and some drive much quicker than I would ever be comfortable with. Keep yourself safe by keeping to the left of your lane and taking blind corners with caution.
- Drive at YOUR pace – Being an amateur rider myself, I tend to take my time and ride defensively. I’m not saying this is how everyone should ride, but it is how I am comfortable riding. Whenever I see a car coming behind me I always make an effort to move to the side so they can pass if they so choose. This allows me to drive at my pace rather than being harassed or holding up another driver who may want to overtake.
- Fill your tank sooner rather than later! – Once we had taken the turn off for Pai, around 30km from Chiang Mai and started the climb we only saw one or two small restaurants that sold fuel. While most bikes should easily make the trip in one tank of fuel, every bike is different and if you choose to do some exploring along the way you may find yourself running short before arriving in Pai. The last 25-30km of the trip is all a winding decent to Pai where it would not only be difficult to pull off the road, but it would also just suck to run out of fuel!
- ALWAYS wear a helmet – while many of the helmets these rental places offer are about as good as an ice-cream container on your head, it’s always going to be better than nothing and also, it’s the law so just do it. Everyone looks as ridiculous as each other!
- And finally….. ENJOY THE RIDE!
- Know your ability - You are the best judge of your confidence and competence riding a motorbike or scooter. If you don’t feel comfortable on winding roads and some steep inclines, this is not the ride for you
- ALWAYS check your bike before leaving the rental office - The brakes are probably one of the most important factors on any ride, but this one in particular. PLEASE check them whenever you hire a bike. (We also chose to pay an extra 40 Baht per bike to cover damage/scratches. The bikes came with a significant number of scratches and we didn’t want to be blamed so we decided 40 Baht was a cheap way of eliminating any excess fees)
- Take plenty of breaks! - While 130km might seem like a short distance, the winding road and steep inclines make it a slow journey. You’re doing this for the experience so make it an enjoyable one!
- Be conscious of other drivers – The most common traffic we saw throughout our ride was minibuses and local Songtaews, however we also came across large trucks, other motorcyclists and a few cars. Many of the drivers who use this road frequently, become blasé and see the centre line on the road as more of a suggestion rather than a necessity! They cut corners and some drive much quicker than I would ever be comfortable with. Keep yourself safe by keeping to the left of your lane and taking blind corners with caution.
- Drive at YOUR pace – Being an amateur rider myself, I tend to take my time and ride defensively. I’m not saying this is how everyone should ride, but it is how I am comfortable riding. Whenever I see a car coming behind me I always make an effort to move to the side so they can pass if they so choose. This allows me to drive at my pace rather than being harassed or holding up another driver who may want to overtake.
- Fill your tank sooner rather than later! – Once we had taken the turn off for Pai, around 30km from Chiang Mai and started the climb we only saw one or two small restaurants that sold fuel. While most bikes should easily make the trip in one tank of fuel, every bike is different and if you choose to do some exploring along the way you may find yourself running short before arriving in Pai. The last 25-30km of the trip is all a winding decent to Pai where it would not only be difficult to pull off the road, but it would also just suck to run out of fuel!
- ALWAYS wear a helmet – while many of the helmets these rental places offer are about as good as an ice-cream container on your head, it’s always going to be better than nothing and also, it’s the law so just do it. Everyone looks as ridiculous as each other!
- And finally….. ENJOY THE RIDE!
