| allaboutpai.com → Transport Here's the skinny on how to get between Pai and Chiang Mai. Timetable and prices last updated in December 2007. Would you like to spend 4 hours pancaked between a smiling old Thai Yai geezer and a toothless Lisu woman with a half-naked crying baby, who, every time you look away, shifts ever closer and knocks what small fraction of your remaining single buttock is still resting on the seat? No? Then you better read the advice section below to avoid that situation, and many others like it. | |||||||||||
| Chiang Mai to Pai | Arcade Bus Station Most of your transportation options leave from the Chiang Mai "Arcade" bus station on Kaew Nawarat Road (not the "Chang Peuak" bus station). The bus station's telephone number is As of December 2007, the Pai bus company is now accepting bookings up to 3 days in advance (definitely for the minivans and #24 bus and probably also for the regular buses). To make a booking, you must go to Arcade in person and purchase at the Pai bus company's counter; you cannot "IOU" or pay by wire transfer. I highly recommend that you do this to get a good seat. Not all of the bus company employees are even aware of this new policy and you may need to politely point out the sign on the window saying that advance booking is possible. For those of you who will be landing at Chiang Mai Airport and then heading to Arcade, you should allow at least 40 minutes of travel time as they are on opposite sides of town and sometimes traffic is nasty (plus extra time to purchase bus tickets in advance, as explained below). Although you can get to Arcade using the private taxis, minivans, or red two-row pickup truck taxis who will tout you endlessly and overcharge you ridiculously (a shared two-row pickup truck taxi to the airport should be no more than 50 baht per person if others are in the vehicle too), it is often cheaper and easier to use the Chiang Mai local buses... Chiang Mai has a wonderful, under-promoted (thanks to mafia lobbying groups who sabotage any attempt by the bus company to promote or advertise) public air-conditioned local bus service from the Airport directly to Arcade. Click here for a printable route map. This is a great option with great service and it is only about 15 baht. It goes all around Chiang Mai. Ordinary Non-Aircon Bus To get to Pai, go to the Arcade Bus Station. Buses leave: 07:00 am, 09:00 am, 10:30 am, 12:30 pm, 02:00 pm, 04:00 pmCost is: 80 B (and rising every month). Purchase tickets at the bus station ticket counter. Numbered seats are pre-assigned. All the good seats are gone 30 minutes before departure—show up early or book in advance (more on that below). If someone is sitting in your seat, tell the conductor immediately so he can reseat them before the bus gets packed. In the low season (July-October), the bus company may substitute a minivan for some of the less popular bus runs (especially 7am), and they may or may not offer the 4pm run. Check with the station to be sure. Note: as explained below, as of January 2007 there is no longer a difference between the non-aircon and so-called "aircon" bus fare. However, you may now choose the fine #24 Golden Dragon... #24 Golden Dragon Half-Bus (Not Minivan) This is an exciting new transport option that actually doesn't suck. For more info, see below. Bus leaves from the Chiang Mai Arcade Bus Station at 8:30am every day (only one departure) and goes only to Pai (not Mae Hong Son). They are still toying with the routes and times so you may want to call the station the day before just to make sure. You should book in advance, but failing that, it will be mandatory for you to show up the instant that tickets go on sale that morning in order to get a ticket. Time: 8:30am Cost: 150 baht Minivan and Taxi Although there is an appearance of a set schedule, it seems more like minivan and taxi drivers swarm around the Chiang Mai Arcade bus ticket counter around 08:00 am, 10:30 am, and sometimes 12:30 pm. You can also book minivans or taxis to Pai from many guesthouses in Chiang Mai, though these often seem to be the same guys that go to Arcade and after they pick you up, they will circle around Chiang Mai until they have a full vehicle. A minivan or taxi ride generally costs 150-160 B per person for a full vehicle. You might also consider renting a whole minivan or taxi for 1500-2000 B one way. See below for some warnings about minivans. Airplane! Regular, daily, two-way airplane service between Chiang Mai and Pai began on 1 February, 2007. See details below. | ||||||||||
| Pai to Chiang Mai | Ordinary Non-Aircon Bus The humble Pai bus station is right downtown. As of December 2007, you can (and should) purchase tickets up to 3 days in advance. Failing that you can purchase tickets on the bus. For ordinary buses, there are no assigned seats. It is important to stake out a seat at least 30 minutes in advance to guarantee a place to sit. As far as I know, the station has no telephone number. Buses leave: 08:30 am, 10:30 am, 12:00 noon, 02:00 pm, 04:00 pmCost is: 80 B (and rising every month). In the low season (July-October), the bus company may substitute a minivan for some of the less popular bus runs. Note: as explained below, as of January 2007 there is no longer a difference between the non-aircon and so-called "aircon" bus fare. However, you may now choose the fine #24 Golden Dragon... #24 Golden Dragon Half-Bus (Not Minivan) This is an exciting new transport option that actually doesn't suck. For more info, see below. Bus leaves from the Pai bus station at 2:30pm every day (only one departure). They are still toying with the routes and times, so check at the station. I highly recommend that you buy tickets a day or two in advance. Time: 2:30pm Cost: 150 baht Minivan and Taxi Drivers hang out around Wat Klang (just down the street from the bus station) at roughly the same time as the 8:30am, 10:30am, and 12:00 noon bus departures. There is no set schedule: when they have enough people, they go. The Pai bus company also has its own set of minivans which leave from the bus station itself. A minivan or taxi ride generally costs 150-160 B per person for a full vehicle. You might also consider renting a whole minivan or taxi for 1500-2000 B one way. See below for some warnings about minivans. Airplane! Regular, daily, two-way airplane service between Chiang Mai and Pai began on 1 February, 2007. See details below. | ||||||||||
| Important Advice | Getting between Chiang Mai and Pai is an adventure no matter how you go. Here's a little advice to help make your trip as pleasant as possible. Ordinary Non-Aircon Bus The buses are aging behemoths which crawl up or down the windy mountain roads in 3-4 hours, although to many, the fact that they take it slow is actually a blessing (see minivans below).  When traveling by bus, is absolutely critical to book in advance, or failing that, arrive at least 30 minutes before departure, so that you can reserve (from Chiang Mai) or stake out (from Pai) an actual seat. Buses are often packed beyond Guinness-Book-of-World-Records full, and believe me, you don't want to be standing, leaning, or leaned upon for 4 hours. While riding, always remember that this is part of the entertainment. The bus makes only one stop, for 15 minutes, at a small town called Mae Sae that is 1 hour from Pai and 3 hours from Chiang Mai, where there are food and toilets. Be sure you leave the bus station (especially Chiang Mai) with an empty bladder! If you've been to Pai before, you may wonder what happened to the "aircon buses." Up until January 2007, the regular buses used be divided between non-aircon and aircon buses (which cost about 40 baht more). Unfortunately, the aircon bus windows do not open and the aging aircon units, when they worked, rarely had the power to keep the bus cool. So the bus company has finally admitted this by charging the same amount they do for the non-aircon buses. If you arrive at the bus station and encounter an ordinary bus whose windows are sealed shut, you may want to wait for the next departure. Fortunately, in January 2007, the bus company finally reached into their deep pockets and purchased the Golden Dragon... #24 Golden Dragon Half-Bus (Not Minivan) This is an exciting new transport option that actually doesn't suck. As of January 2007, there is one Golden Dragon Half-Bus in the fleet, #24:    As of January 2007, the one vehicle shuttles from Chiang Mai to Pai and back to Chiang Mai every day, but they are still toying with the schedule and route so check at the station to make sure. This vehicle is significantly wider and taller than a minivan, with more legroom than a minivan (though the seats are still Thai-narrow), aircon that actually works (unlike a minivan), but it is only half the length of an ordinary bus. The trip is much quieter than an ordinary bus, and in the few rides I've heard of, the driver actually drove as if his life meant something. Not bad. Minivan This is the fastest way to go. Several minivans a day fly both ways between Pai and Chiang Mai in 2-3 hours, careening around each corner, driven in a way which can only stem from the deeply-held Thai belief in reincarnation. I have been on one minivan where the passengers revolted and refused to let the driver continue. Minivan drivers will hang out at the departure point, usually well past their stated departure time, until they have managed to find and pack 10-12 people into their tiny vehicles. In Chiang Mai, they will often then circle around guesthouses for some more folks to sardine. This effect is intensified in the November-March high season, and even moreso in the recent economy where the driver pays more than 500 B in one-way fuel costs. If you are a tall or even average-sized foreigner, strongly consider the bus or taxi instead (the bus seats are also small and close together, but at least you have a chance of getting a bus seat with no seats in front of it, or sticking your legs out into the aisle). If you are Thai-sized and steel-nerved, the minivan might work out. If you must take a minivan for some reason, consider getting a few friends and renting out a whole minivan for yourself for around 1500-2000 B one way. All minivans technically have air conditioners, but most of them are woefully underpowered during hot times of the year, and the driver often turns them down to save fuel costs. For that reason, sitting in the front or second row may be a life-saver for you. Taxi There are also covered pickup truck taxis with two rows of seats in the back ("sawng teeo" in Thai). They tend to drive more sanely than the minivans, however typically you will not be able to see forward and this causes many folks to get ill on the windy road. Also, during dry parts of the year you will get a good coating of road dust. If you can sit in the front, this may well be the most comfortable way to get to Pai. On 1 February 2007, after a few false starts, the small Thai carrier Siam General Aviation (SGA) now offers daily, 1690 B one way, 14-seater, 20 minute flights from Chiang Mai to Pai and back again. As described in my journal page here, they have been fancying up the airport and it looks like Nok Air will be doing the ticketing, so you might be able to book a ticket through Nok too. December 2007 update: holy cow, now there are three daily flights in both directions on weekends, and two on weekdays. | ||||||||||
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