The Best Things to do in Pai

margauxgathy6
Nov 25
4 min read

Pai is probably the most popular place in North Thailand for backpackers. You might have heard of people getting ‘stuck in the Pai Hole’ because they love it so much. However, if you do not get stuck, 4 nights is definitely enough to see all the top places in and around the town. Make your own decision as to how great Pai is: here are the things I enjoyed most when I was there.

Most places are only accessible by scooter or by a tour. There are plenty of places to rent scooters for a day or more in town, ranging from 200 baht to 300+ baht (approx. £4.50 - £6.70+) per day. You need to have an international drivers licence to do this, and most places will make you leave your passport as security. Please be very careful if you decide to do this, as so many people get into accidents because they are inexperienced and the roads around Pai are very windy.

For more on Thailand, see my full itinerary and guide here.

Sunset at Pai Canyon and/or Two Huts

Pai is famous for its sunset points, and Pai Canyon is probably the most popular one. It has great views and at sunset is filled with people. Two Huts is just as good, and also has a bar where you can get food and drinks. Get there early if you want a seat, and even earlier if you want food! They also sometimes have live music. The easiest way to get to Pai Canyon and Two Huts is by scooter, however, there are also tours that drive you there and back from town for around 150 baht per person (approx. £3.40). You can book these tours in town on the day or the day before with one of the many operators there.

Visit Lod Caves

Lod Caves are a very cool cave system about an hour and a half’s scooter ride from Pai. If you don’t want to make this drive, you can take a tour from town for around 200 baht (approx. £4.50). When you get there, the entrance costs 200-300 baht (approx. £4.50 - £6.70) with a guide. The guide is mandatory, and the price varies depending on the group size. It includes a walk through three caves, a bamboo raft in the cave, and the guide who, despite not speaking much English, will point out rock formations that look like broccoli and the like. It was quite funny. As a heads up, there are toilets at the cave, but they aren’t the best - make sure you have toilet paper and hand sanitizer!

Do a Yoga Class

There are plenty of yoga classes in Pai, and most are drop in classes. I went to Pai Yoga Shala which was really great. It was outdoors and the instructor was amazing. He catered for people of all levels and made us all feel very comfortable. It cost 300 baht for a 1.5 hour lesson (approx. £6.70).

Visit Waterfalls

There are plenty of waterfalls around Pai. The easiest one to get to is Mo Peng Falls, which has a natural water slide and great views. It costs 100 baht (approx. £2.20) to enter and you can spend ages there sunbathing and swimming. If you don’t want to go via scooter, you can take a tour from town again, and this will include other waterfalls in the area. It will not be much more expensive than doing it by yourself.

Take a Tour of the Pai Hotspots

Many of the tours in Pai take you to other hotspots including waterfalls, hot springs, and the bamboo bridge. I recommend only visiting the bridge in the wet season or just after it, because it is in the middle of rice fields that will be completely brown and dry if you visit in the dry season. It’s not worth going if that is the case.

Take a Cooking Class

I took a cooking class with Pai Cookery School and loved it. It was a small group of four of us, and we cooked with a great view over the countryside at sunset. You can choose which dishes you want to make, and they are great at adapting the recipe to suit vegans and vegetarians. It cost 600 baht (approx. £13) for the short course in which you make 3 dishes, and 800 baht (approx. £18) for the longer course in which you make 4 dishes and visit a local market. The woman running it was lovely and I cannot recommend it enough.

I hope this gives you a good start for things to do in Pai. It can be a lot of fun if you’re with the right people and are doing things you enjoy. As always, look after the places you visit and only leave your footprints behind :)