I wasn’t sure what to make of Pai, my first stop in Mae Hong Son province, upon arriving. On one hand, the much-written-about “road to Pai” had been a nothing-burger, and no more difficult than any other mountain pass in the world.
On the other hand, to paraphrase Gertrude Stein, there wasn’t a lot of there there. I drove down the town’s forgettable main road to my “resort” (which wasn’t really a resort); I felt charmed by a nearby rice field and enjoyed my lunch of hippie food, but after ascending the nearby Big Buddha, felt I’d seen it all.
This, of course, is not an exhaustive answer to the question “is Pai worth visiting?” But don’t worry: I will get there, over the next few paragraphs.
Why It Took Me 15 Years to Visit Pai
For many years, I told myself that I had been to Pai, even though I had no Pai travel blog content to speak of. I assumed I had been to Pai back in about 2012, when I spent several weeks in northern Thailand split between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. However, as I pulled into Pai a couple of weeks ago, literally nothing was familiar. It became immediately clear that I’d never been there.
Now, more than a decade has passed since 2012—I could’ve gone to Pai many times during those years, and chose not to. There are a few specific reasons for this—I’m not a hippie; I don’t spend much time in Chiang Mai in general. Ultimately, however, the larger reason is that Pai has just never really appealed to me, whether in the distant past up until relatively close to the present day.
5 Reasons Pai Rubbed Me the Wrong Way
It’s pretentious
Pai has a reputation as a hippie town, but trust me: It is no such thing. It might’ve been in the past, but these days, the people in Pai are largely affluent dude bros and yoga babes cosplaying as hippies. I don’t say this with spite or animus, but rather as a reflection of reality. As a result, I find the entire vibe pretentious, which is crazy since it still smells of weed and patchouli.
There’s not much to see or do
It’s not a coincidence that it’s pretty rare to find a detailed Pai itinerary—there simply isn’t a lot to do there. Once you’ve walked through the center of town, hiked up to the Big Buddha, had an organic meal and visited Pai Canyon, you’re ready to move on to Mae Hong Son. I spent only a night there, but didn’t feel like I had missed anything—because, if I’m honest, I hadn’t.
Accommodation options are mediocre
And dangerous. To be sure, my tiny bungalow at a “resort” near the Buddha outside the center of town was forgettable, but not bad. However, a design flaw meant that the stoop leading from the room down to the bathroom could’ve been an actual death trap, had I not been careful not to slip. Unfortunately, most other places I researched staying seemed similarly underwhelming.
It’s overhyped
As light on details as the typical Pai travel guide might not be, it’s definitely not light on hype. Which makes sense; it doesn’t appear that many such publications have been updated in at least a decade. To be sure, even if you end up liking Pai more than I did (which I don’t think would be hard, let’s be fair), I’d be shocked if the reality of Pai ended up matching your expectations for it in the slightest.
There are better destinations all around it
Of the three main towns along the Mae Hong Son Loop—Pai, Mae Sariang and, of course, Mae Hong Son—I found Pai to be the most disappointing by far. However, even micro destinations like the Thung Bua Thong sunflowers fields and Pha Suea Waterfall (near Ban Rak Thai village, which is also hugely disappointing) are more satisfying to me than Pai was.
How Many Days Should You Spend in Pai?
I spent just one night in Pai—and, if I’m honest, that seemed like overkill. I don’t mean to heap on the hate here, but I don’t think there’s anything I could’ve seen with two days or even a week in Pai that might’ve made me change my mind. The place is what it is; your first impression, whatever it ends up being, is likely to be your last impression in the end.
Of course, whether or not you end up liking the town shouldn’t be the only consideration for how many days in Pai you spend. Some of it is also down to what you do. For example, I did not visit the famous Pai Canyon. Had I stayed a second night, I might’ve decided to do so; I could’ve also visited Tham Lot Cave as a day trip from Pai, instead of on the way to Mae Hong Son.
Other FAQ About Visiting Pai
Is Pai worth it?
In my opinion, Pai is not worth making a trip all the way there, neither from Chiang Mai nor certainly from farther field in Thailand. However, if you happen to be driving the Mae Hong Son Loop anyway, then it makes sense to stop in Pai at least for the day.
Why is Pai so popular?
Pai is popular because of more than two decades of a good reputation. It’s known all along Southeast Asia’s backpacker trail as a hippie town, and one of the few places in Thailand where you could openly do drugs in the days before Thailand legalized marijuana. For this reason, I imagine that many travelers end up being as disappointed as I was when they finally get there.
Is 2 days enough in Pai?
In my opinion, two days is too long in Pai! There’s only half a day worth of things to do within the town (or a full day, if you keep a very leisurely pace); most of the activities on the periphery can be enjoyed on your way there from Chiang Mai or on the way out to Mae Hong Son.
The Bottom Line
Is Pai worth visiting? I suppose, if it’s convenient to where you’re going to be anywhere, you could go there and see for yourself how it is. On the other hand, as someone who’s been hearing travelers since the town’s praises for over a decade, I found it incredibly disappointing. Frankly speaking, its reputation as a “hippie town” seems undeserved. It’s instead a town full of well-to-do bros and babes cosplaying as hippies in the most insufferable fashion. Does this sound mean? Maybe it is. But I promise you I bring the same uncompromising discernment to the table when you hire me to plan your trip to Thailand.
