Where am I again?
Region: Northern Thailand> Province: Mae Hong Son> Location: Pai
Getting There and Away
Air
Pai's airstrip is two kilometres outside town and SGA Airlines are flying the Chiang Mai to Pai route using 12-seat Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft. The flight takes 20 minutes and costs 1,500B one way. See their website http://www.sga.co.th for more information.
Bus
Fan-cooled public buses leave from Pai's bus station on Chaisongkhram Rd, opposite Duang's Guesthouse. Vehicles stop en route between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son, and consequently buses to all destinations are only ever going in one of these two directions.
Overcrowding is a problem on the buses and, if possible buy your ticket the day before, or get to the bus station at least half an hour before departure time.
The bus to Mae Hong Son (70B) takes around 3.5 hours, if you're going to Soppong (35B), catch the Mae Hong Son bus and jump off at Soppong (takes about 1.5 hours from Pai).
There's around a half dozen departures to and from Chiang Mai daily, with the last departure in each direction at 16:00. Buses from Chiang Mai leave from the Arcade Bus Station. The fare in either direction is 80B.
Minivans also run the Chiang Mai to Pai and Pai to Mae Hong Son routes. They're faster than the bus but people frequently complain about terrible driving standards (driving at very high speeds mainly), so keep that in mind. The minivan fare to Chiang Mai and/or Mae Hong Son is 150B -- note the vans do not leave until they are full.
Getting Around
Pai town is small enough to walk around, but if you're planning on doing some exploring, you'll be needing some trasnport.
Bicycles are available around town for around 30-100B a day, depending if you have gears and suspension forks.
Motorbikes are a common way to get around and the roads are often cluttered with foreigners visiting the local Lisu and Shan villages or waterfalls.
Sriyon Motorbike have a wide range of different vehicles, including 100B per day for a kickstart 100cc, 120B for a kickstart 125cc, 150B for an automatic start 125cc, 300B for a fully automatic and 400B for a Phantom 200cc. You will need to leave 100B deposit for a helmet. Many guesthouses and tourist agencies also rent bikes at similar prices.