Tumbling Down the Pai Hole

I fell headfirst down the Pai Hole before I even knew what it was. 

I drove to the mountain town of Pai from Chiang Mai, where I’d based myself for a week after temple-hopping in Myanmar. This was supposed to be a week of catching up on work before I headed to Indonesia for orangutan-spotting in Sumatra and volcano-chasing in Java. But then Pai happened. 

Setting off bright and early, my plan was to spend the afternoon in Pai and be back in my apartment by nightfall. I’d lap up the fresh air, admire the mountains, eat some Pad Thai, catch the sunset, then drive back home. 

But once I arrived in the little hippy oasis, I toppled right down the Pai Hole and couldn’t bring myself to leave. I spent the whole afternoon zipping around the countryside – checking out waterfalls, the bamboo bridge, the land split. I read my book and sipped herbal tea in town and wished I never had to leave this carefree bubble.

My Trip Down the Pai Hole

Pai is one of those places in Thailand that people either love or hate.

As part of the well-trodden Banana Pancake Trail, it has a reputation as a party town which puts off just as many travellers as it attracts. But there is a completely different side to Pai if you’re not after that kind of trip. Nature, wellness, banging art and music scene and an amiable community spirit. Pai has a little slice of something for everyone. 

Both of my Pai visits were during the low season which means the streets, bars and local sights were less crowded.

So my first tip if you’re mulling over visiting Pai is to schedule your visit between May and November. You will definitely need to pack your poncho but you’re less likely to get caught up amongst hoards of drunken backpackers. 

My second tip: don’t do what I did and plan a day trip to Pai. You’ll want to stay at least a couple of nights.

In hindsight driving to Pai and back to Chiang Mai in one day was a ridiculous idea. It’s around 4 hours each way by motorbike, so that’s 8 hours before you even start exploring. Yes, maths was never my strongest subject. Plus, despite its teensy size, there is a lot to see and do in and around Pai. 

My third tip is to factor in some time to do absolutely nothing – because the Pai Hole is all about taking a pause. Leading on to exactly what it was about Pai that got under my skin.

The Pace of Life

The magic of Pai is that life grinds to a halt.

As much as I love travelling around South East Asia, sometimes it’s hard to catch a breather. In busier, more touristic places you end up spending a lot of time being chased around by tour operators. Fair enough, tourism does drive the economy – but sometimes all I want to do is sit and look at a mountain and not talk to anyone for three days straight. 

Everything just feels slower once you’re down that Pai Hole. Tucked away in the mountains of the Mae Hong Son Province, the town is surrounded by beautiful nature which does soothe a weary backpacker’s soul. There are waterfalls, valleys, canyons and viewpoints.

Come the evening, the temperatures in Pai can drop below 20°C. This calls for hats and scarves by Thai standards. It’s a pleasant change if you’ve been schlepping around Southeast Asia for a couple of weeks or months. 

The town itself is awash in with tranquil cafes serving Thai and health food. Meanwhile, the daily night market is brimming with international dishes. There’s a lot of emphasis on wellness, so there’s no shortage of vegan food, yoga classes and hammocks. 

One thing about Pai is that I wouldn’t say it is authentically Thai. It only takes a glance down Walking Street at all the cappuccinos and smashed avocado brunches to tell you that. But it’s a town where it feels like the Thai community has adapted to accommodate Western tastes, without scrunching out the Thai-ness of the place. 

Overall, the vibe in Pai reminded me a lot of Koh Lanta – my special place in Thailand. 

Pai’s nature

As much as I like Chiang Mai, it is very developed – so it was a welcome relief to see mountains in place of malls.

En route to Pai, I stopped off at the Land Split. A freak crack opened up on a farmer’s plot in 2008 following an earthquake and putting a great big chasm in the middle of the land. The farmer who owns the land decided to open the divide up to tourists. When I visited the first time, he brought me a tray of delectable goodies grown on his farm.

Chemical-free tamarind, fruits, nuts and some rosella juice to wash it all down. He didn’t ask for a payment, only a donation of my choice. The second time I visited, around a year later, a similar set up was in play. Only this time we didn’t meet the farmer but were able to help ourselves and leave with an honesty box. 

Following the road onwards (which becomes rugged), I came to the Pam Bok Waterfall. It’s only a short walk through beautiful forest, and the pool is deep enough to swim in. This is only one of several waterfalls in Pai – you can hear about my failed attempts to visit the other ones later. 

After the waterfall, I continued on my way to find the Bamboo Bridge (Boon Ko Ku So). 800-metres long, the bridge stretches over beautiful rice fields that are cradled by mountains. As I visited during Green Season, the rice was long and verdant green. It felt like a fairytale – elves and hobbits would be right at home there. It was calm and peaceful the day I visited. Although I expect it’s a magnet for drones and influencers during high season.

Run away and join the (Pai) Circus 

Once the blistering afternoon heat had started to subside, I perched myself on the Pai Canyon for the sunset. After that, I was supposed to fire up the bike and drive back down the mountains before it got too dark. Instead, I turned left and headed back into town to find a dorm for the night.

Scanning over Hostelworld, this listing caught my eye:

“Let us invite you to The Famous Pai Circus Hostel to party with our fire-juggling, globe-trotting gang! Guests have said staying with us is like being at a mini-festival – come and judge for yourself if that’s because of our open-mic nights, pool parties or volunteer-run activities like yoga or circus classes. Plus, there’s free dinner! You’ll probably meet Jack Daniels, our resident Labrador, sniffing around too!”

This place sounded unreal so I drove right there and asked for a bed in the cheapest dorm.

‘No.’ the woman on reception said.

‘Oh.’

‘No space in the dorm. But we do have a bamboo hut which costs the same as the dorm and you get it all to yourself.’

‘Oooooh.’

Music to every traveller’s ears.

Pai by night

So I handed over the 150 baht and headed to the bar to grab a drink and wait for the fire show. There, I bumped into someone who I’d met on Koh Lanta months ago. He was now working at the hostel after arriving in Pai and not wanting to leave. It was this guy who told me all about the so-called Pai Hole. Basically, weary backpackers and nomadic types float into town and then never leave.

That night, we all sat around a roaring campfire doing classic backpacker things that are typical in Pai – sharing stories and playing instruments. One couple brought out a hang drum which makes the most unbelievable music. I’m not even going to begin hunting for the vocabulary to do it the justice it deserves. Have a listen to it for yourself. 

My favourite thing about Pai nightlife is the live music scene. Yes, there is the typical hopscotch of buckets, shots and neon paint that we all know and love Thailand for. But a lot of the bars also host some incredible local and vagabond bands. When I returned with my boyfriend to Pai for a longer stay, we were really impressed with the live acts.

Because Pai is so small, you can let your ears guide you to where the gigs are the night you’re in town. 

Digging myself out of the Pai Hole

Checking out of the circus-hostel early I decided to visit a few more sights before heading back to Chiang Mai. 

At 3 pm, I wrapped myself up in my scarf at the foot of Pai’s big white buddha – Wat Phra That Mae Yen. Huffing and puffing up the 300+ steps under a sweltering Pai sun, I bumped into some people from the hostel. After we admired the statue and the views, they invited me to join them for a beer. Why not.

After this, I returned to the hostel to chill for a bit before finally hitting the road. As I splashed around in the infinity pool, the receptionist came over and asked if I would like to stay another night. Otherwise, I’d have to make myself scarce as non-hostel folk weren’t allowed in the camp.

Convincing myself that all that work back in Chiang Mai wasn’t urgent and that I could go another night without brushing my teeth, I exchanged another 150 baht for another night in my hut.

So how to get out of the Pai Hole?

That second night, I set my alarm for 5.30 am so I could hit the road at first light. Although hopeful for a mountain sunrise, that didn’t work out thanks those pesky low season clouds. But, it was beautiful to have the road almost exclusively to myself. Well, what I could see of it through the mist anyway.

My Pai waterfall fail: a tale 

As an aside, there are a few other waterfalls which Pai is famous for. 

My first time in Pai I tried to visit the Mae Yen waterfall. After following what I thought was the road for a good 20 minutes or so, I came to a clearing next to a river. Flowing water is a good sign, I thought, so I parked up and set off down towards the start of what looked like a trail…but wasn’t. A sign written in Thai was propped up there, which later I realised was explained that this was a three-hour hike….through the river. 

It’s definitely the way to get to that waterfall, but I wasn’t competent enough to figure it out, it seems. Although, it looks like Weirdos Abroad and Go To Thailand both managed to get there.

The second time I visited Pai, it was with my boyfriend. We drove to the Mo Paeng waterfall – which is popular with Pai residents and visitors alike because of its slides. This one is only a short drive north out of town, near the Chinese Yunnan Village.

As I approached the waterfall, we spotted a cluster of police officers ahead. Assuming they were checking international licenses, I did a swift u-turn before they spotted us. But not fast enough; within seconds a grinning policeman appeared at my side.

After searching and finding no drugs in neither the hold, our backpacks, or strapped to our shoes, the policeman waved us off with a cheery smile. In retrospect, we could have continued to the waterfall but I was nervous that on the way back they’d ask for my (non-existent) licence so we bailed.

Pai: Definitely not overrated 

A lot of travellers I’d met whilst trotting around South East Asia spoke highly of Pai. Actually, many of them declared it as one of their most memorable places that they’d visited. Yes – that is the power of the Pai Hole…

Because of that, Pai was somewhere that I visited with high expectations but was fully prepared to find overrated. 

But, just like it’s kindred spirit of the south, Koh Lanta, Pai didn’t let me down at all. And although I’d not heard of the ‘Pai Hole’ until that night around the fire, I absolutely did fall victim to it and get stuck!

Actually, I don’t think I’ve managed to claw myself out of it yet…

As my boyfriend also tumbled down the Pai Hole I’m pretty sure it’s somewhere that we’ll head back to someday. 

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