I wrote a fun story on the wonders of driving to Pai with a motorbike last week. Despite the potentially perilous journey, it’s a scenic and exciting road that I highly encourage an experienced motorbiker to drive on.

Pai is a small farming village located a threeish hour drive northwest of the famous city Chiang Mai. In recent years, it’s turned into a backpacker’s paradise. The town is a small relaxed hangout stuffed with cheap accommodations and cheap eats for those looking to see the most picturesque mountainside. Rice paddies with small huts line the valleys while imposing mountains with their peaks covered in fog line the horizon.

You can easily reach this backpacking mecca by jumping on a minibus for 150 -200 baht and make it there in a sickening three hours. I say sickening because there are 762 curves on the road to Pai. If you’re one to get carsick, bring a barf bag or some ginger to chew upon (it’s supposedly a natural anti-nausea). But you can avoid all of this sickness by hopping on a motorbike! It’s an absurdly beautiful road that you learn to truly appreciate by driving on a motorbike instead of being car sick in a minibus.

So what do you need to do to make this road trip?

 

Renting a motorbike

There are scooter rental companies all over Chiang Mai, but most of these companies only allow you to take the scooters around city limits and place mileage restrictions on the bikes. There is currently only one company in Chiang Mai that caters to the Pai drive.

Aya Service will allow you to take their motorbikes all the way to Pai and even leave them at their Pai office for an additional 300 baht ($9) fee. They also will transport your luggage with you to Pai for free with your motorbike rental.

While there can be some mixed reviews online, it’s the only service available and seemed pretty professional during my interactions and with other backpackers I interviewed.

Honda Click is great but I’d recommend a 200 cc bike due to the large inclines

 

So what can you expect from the Aya motorbike rental?

Aya will take a 2000 baht ($60) deposit with a photocopy of your passport. There’s another 100 baht ($3) deposit for the helmet and 300 baht ($9) deposit for the relocation fee. You can get the 300 baht ($9) deposit back for the relocation fee if you drive the bike back to Chiang Rai. This totals 2400 baht ($72) in deposit.

The motorbike rental itself will cost 200 baht ($6) a day.

Most of Pai’s sights can only be explored through overpriced tours or with a motorbike. You may want to consider keeping the bike in Pai for a few days and even driving the bike back to Chiang Mai to reclaim that 300 baht ($9) deposit. Not only will you reclaim the relocation fee (which is essentially a day and a half motorbike rental) but you will also save another 200 baht ($6) on a bus ticket back to Chiang Mai.

Then there’s the daily insurance. It starts at 79 baht ($2.38) a day for minor damages and goes up depending on how conservative you wish to be. It’s well known that many of these rental insurance policies are scams but I believe it’s worth it this one time for the following:

• It’s a windy road to Pai. Accidents can certainly happen.
• Buys you goodwill with this small rental company so they’re more willing to overlook potential problems
• Its 79 baht ($2.38). It’s cheap and worth the peace of mind.

When you get the rental, take pictures of all the damages on the bike just in case it becomes an issue. Also inspect the bike to make sure everything is working, otherwise you might end up with a bike without one headlight like me.

 

The Actual Drive to Pai

Fill up on gas since most motorbike’s gas tanks will barely be within range of Pai or just outside of its range. A full tank usually runs for no more than 140 baht ($4.20).  Once you get halfway, it’s a safe bet to top off the tank again.

The road is straight in Chiang Mai but it can be pretty difficult due to the sheer amounts of traffic. If you’re trying to make good time, be prepared to weave between cars like the locals. Once you get past the city limits, the road empties out greatly.

The real journey begins when you take the left onto Highway 1095. The highway becomes much more scenic and much more fun to drive. The first half of Highway 1095 is pretty straightforward with wide roads and some curves. The second half of 1095 will contain the largest elevation changes and the most extreme curves.

Steep and sharp turns

 

A Word of Caution

I’m really not trying to scare anyone out of driving to Pai with my story last week. I feel the need to emphasize the experience and caution needed to drive to Pai safely. 762 curves is a lot of fun to drive on, but it’s nothing to scoff at. When I got to Pai, it wasn’t terribly uncommon to see the occasional Farang (Thai for foreigner) with scuffed up elbows and knees from the likely motorbike accident.

So here are a couple big pointers to help you make your trip to Pai safely.

Even during the dry season, the days may be peppered with intense rainfalls. This makes the curvy and inclined roads of Pai deteriorate drastically. Accidents from both foreigners and locals seem to spike dramatically. When the roads get wet, there’s no shame in driving slowly.

The road has been repaved in recent years, but the tropical climate makes the road deteriorate fast. Landslides covering a portion of the roads are common, as are broken pavement and potholes; usually on the ideal spot you want to turn on. Add in traffic going the other direction, often meandering onto the median to manage the curves means you’ll need to keep your head straight for the entire drive.

 

These bumps are less of a problem for cars and more of a problem for bikers

What happens if you do get into trouble?

First, I’d recommend one person in the party keep a first aid kit on hand with the hopes you never have to use it.

Second, I’d wear jeans for the trip. The trip can get very chilly around the summit so packing a sweater and a rain jacket is another good idea. Plus these long articles of clothing will help ease the pain if you do crash at slower speeds.

Third, Thailand’s emergency medical number is 1554.

Lastly, there’s one more number to keep on hand. Thanks to my comrade who managed to fall three times during our trip, we learned that Aya will send a truck to pick up you and the bike. Ask for their business card and keep their number handy if you happen to get too hurt, damage the bike beyond function or get too mentally beaten to continue the drive.

And remember that caution about driving in the rain? Aya service told me that they send out their truck to pick up crashed rentals 3-4 times more often after a good rain.

Aya won’t pick you up entirely from their good will. There’s a nice charge of 1500 baht ($45) for this service but it’s very worth it if you get into this scenario. And remember that recommendation on buying insurance? When my mate fell three times, the insurance covered all the other damages.

You can find some of these spirit houses along the road. Sometimes they’re placed in an auspicious spot, other times they’re commemorating a death from a car accident…

 

 

Two More Suggestions

One legal point is that an International Drivers Permit (IDP) is technically required while driving in Thailand. While many forgo getting this license, it can save you some hassle and a 500 baht ($15) fine if you get pulled over.

There are plenty of places for a rest stop along the road to Pai but my absolute favorite and highly suggested stop is 32 Coffee Hill. Its located almost exactly between Chiang Mai and Pai and is absolutely a wonderful stop. The prices are higher than average, but its lovely coffee shop with friendly employees and boasts wonderful views of a little valley out back. Its part of a larger hotel but I’m not sure I would stay there. There’s little else to do in the area.

Oh and make sure to use the toilets there. They’re so awesome.

 

That’s everything you need to drive to Pai. Good luck!

 

General Thailand Tips

• When taking a normal Taxi, insist they turn the meter on. It will also cost less than anything you can haggle on.
• A lot of guesthouses can’t be found online. It may be worth visiting the city and checking out the guesthouses personally to find some better deals.
• Be careful when petting the stray dogs; they can be feral.
• Also be careful when petting the stray cats.
• You know what, just be careful when petting animals in Thailand.
• ATMs often dispense 1000 baht ($30) bills which is hard to use in common transactions. Buy something small at the ubiquitous and common 7 Eleven to break those bills.

 

Until next time.