Pai

Currency

One bank street, ordinary rates. Change money in Chiang Mai before the minibus.

ATMs & cards

A handful of machines on the walking street, and they can empty in high season. Bring cash — many guesthouses and food stalls here take nothing else.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

Very safe town. The two real risks are the road in — a genuinely winding mountain route where minibus accidents happen — and scooter injuries on gravel, which the local clinic treats daily. Burning season from late February to April brings some of the worst air quality in the country to this valley.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.

Worth having

• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid
• Tetanus up to date
• Rabies if you will be near animals or staying a while
• Japanese encephalitis for long rural stays

Getting treated

One of the best places in the world to have an accident. Private hospitals in Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai are excellent, fast, English-speaking and cheap by Western standards — a consultation runs a few tens of euros. They expect payment or an insurance guarantee up front.

Dengue is present year-round and worse in the rainy season; there is no prophylaxis, so repellent is the defence. Rabies is present in street dogs and monkeys — any bite or scratch means a clinic the same day.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

The walking street turns into a food market every evening and is the cheapest good eating in northern Thailand. Northern sausage, sai ua, is the thing to try.

Getting around

• On foot — the whole town is fifteen minutes end to end
• Scooter — how everyone reaches the waterfalls and viewpoints
• Minibus — Chiang Mai to Pai, 3 hours and 762 bends; sit at the front if you travel badly
• Bicycle — fine for the valley floor, not for the hills
• No airport in practice: the strip is largely unserved, so it is the minibus from Chiang Mai

Must-see

Things to do

• Watch sunset from Pai Canyon
• Soak in the Tha Pai hot springs
• Ride the loop to Mo Paeng waterfall
• Cross the Boon Ko Ku So bamboo bridge
• Eat through the walking street market
• Take the Mae Hong Son loop onward

Nearby day trips

Religion

Theravada Buddhist

About 93% Buddhist, and it governs a lot of daily etiquette. Monks may not be touched by women. Never point your feet at a Buddha image or climb on one — people have been prosecuted for it.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Return the wai greeting — palms together, a slight bow — when someone offers it first
• Remove shoes before entering temples and homes
• Cover shoulders and knees at temples, including for men
• Keep your cool; visible anger loses you the argument and the respect

Don't

• Do not touch anyone’s head, including children — it is the most sacred part of the body
• Do not point your feet at people or at Buddha images, and never step over someone
• Do not say anything critical of the royal family; lèse-majesté carries prison sentences and is enforced
• Do not climb on Buddha statues for photographs