Things to do in Pai
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Thai Adventure Rafting
This French-run outfit leads one- and two-day trips. On the way, rafters visit a waterfall, a fossil reef and hot springs; one night is spent at the company's permanent riverside camp. Thai Adventure has two offices along Th Chaisongkhram.
reviewed
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Baan Benjarong
This converted house serving central Thai dishes is where the locals come for a ‘nice’ Thai meal. Dishes like stewed, salted crabs in coconut milk, and spicy banana flower salad are delectable. Out the back are tables with views of the rice paddies.
reviewed
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All About Coffee
This tiny wooden place was probably the first business to do the cutesy ‘bohemian’ style that now dominates much of Pai. Come here for eye-opening coffee drinks and the best French toast in town. Yummy open sandwiches are made with homemade bread.
reviewed
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True Bee Gym
Offers scholarship in Thai boxing just across the Nam Pai. Lessons are held twice daily (8am to 10.30am and 4pm to 6.30pm).
reviewed
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Big's Little Cafe
Big does largely English-influenced Western dishes, from bacon butties to burgers, not to mention breakfasts and a tasty homemade sausage.
reviewed
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Yunnanese Restaurant
This open-air place in the Chinese village of Ban Santichon serves the traditional dishes of the town's Yunnanese residents. Standouts include màntŏ (steamed buns), here served with pork leg stewed with Chinese herbs. There are several dishes using unique local crops and other dishes involving exotic ingredients such as black chicken. Or you could always go for the excellent noodles, made by hand and topped with a delicious mixture of minced pork, garlic and sesame. The restaurant is in an open-air adobe building behind the giant rock in Ban Santichon, about 4km west of Pai.
reviewed
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Thom's Pai Elephant Camp
The most established company and with an office in town. You can choose between riding bareback or in a seat, and some rides include swimming with the elephants – a barrel of laughs on a bouncing elephant in the river. Rides include a soak in the hot-spring-fed tubs afterwards.
reviewed
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Baan Phleng
A branch of the excellent Mae Hong Son restaurant of the same name, this popular place does a mix of northern Thai and Mae Hong Son–specific dishes. To go truly local, try the ‘fern salad Maehongson style’, tender ferns par-boiled and mixed with a dressing combining sesame oil, dried chili and garlic, or ‘pork and tomato chili paste’, the Shan dish known locally as nám prík òrng. There’s an English-language menu with photos if you feel you’re treading in unfamiliar waters.
reviewed
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Laap Khom Huay Pu
Escape the dreadlocks and tofu crowd and get your meat on at this unabashedly carnivorous local eatery. The house special, and the dish you must order, is lâhp kôo·a, minced meat (beef or pork) fried with local herbs and spices. Accompanied by a basket of sticky rice, a plate of bitter herbs and a cold Singha, it's the best meal in Pai. The restaurant is on the road to Mae Hong Son, about 1km north of town, just past the turn-off to Sipsongpanna.
reviewed
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Tha Pai Hot Springs
Across the Mae Nam Pai and 7km southeast of town via a paved road is the springs, a well-kept local park 1km from the road. A scenic stream flows through the park; the stream mixes with the hot springs in places to make pleasant bathing areas. The water is also diverted to a couple of nearby spas.
reviewed
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Pai Traditional Thai Massage
This long-standing and locally owned outfit offers very good northern-Thai massage, as well as a sauna (cool season only) where you can steam yourself in sà·mŭn·prai (medicinal herbs). Three-day massage courses begin every Monday and Friday and last three hours per day. The friendly couple that do the massages and teach the course are accredited and are graduates of Chiang Mai's Old Medicine Hospital.
A few local businesses near Tha Pai Hot Springs have taken advantage of the healing thermal waters.
reviewed
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Pai Cookery School
With a decade of experience, this outfit offers a variety of courses spanning three to six dishes. The course typically involves a trip to the market for ingredients. Contact a day in advance.
reviewed
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Nong Beer
The atmosphere at this extremely popular place is akin to a food court (you have to exchange cash for tickets, and everything is self-serve), but it's a good place for cheap and authentic Thai eats ranging from kôw soy to curries ladled over rice. Open until they run out of food – usually about 8pm.
reviewed
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Burger House
If you are hankering after a big juicy burger this is the place to come. Try the super-high Barbarian Burger with its two quarter pounders, two cheeses and special sauce. Or if you need a fortifying breakfast, go for the Truck Driver Special, which will probably take most of the morning to get through.
reviewed
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The Sanctuary
The local/organic dishes at this new-agey quasi-veggie restaurant are rather expensive by local standards, but the cakes and coffee are tasty, and the free wi-fi and, yes, free yoga lessons (10.30am Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) are a good deal. There’s also a variety of live music on most nights.
reviewed
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Ting Tong
A sprawling compound of bamboo decks, concrete platforms, hidden tables and towering trees, this is one of the larger bars in town. Reggae/dub defines but doesn't rule the play list, and there's occasional live music.
reviewed
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Eat & Chat
For a couple of beers and a chat at conversation, rather than shouting-over-the-guitar-solo level, head to this low-key place across from the Blue Lagoon Hotel. Music ranges from jazz to Sinatra, there’s live acoustic most nights, and as the name suggests, there’s food as well.
reviewed
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Pai Post Studio & Gallery
This white wooden building is home to Pai’s English-language rag, and the front is a white space for photography. But every night, after the computers are turned off, a fun mixture of live music (mostly rock/jazz) and performance (a ventriloquist, at last check) takes over.
reviewed
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Amido's Pizza Garden
Considering how far Pai is from Naples, we reckon they do a pretty damn good pizza here.
reviewed
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Park@Pai
Parking Toys, one of Bangkok’s best live-music pubs, has opened a branch in Pai. Rock to visiting bands while seated on funky furniture and snacking on their excellent food (it’d be a crime to miss their fantastic ‘hot & sour crispy chicken salad’).
reviewed
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Je-In Pai
Opposite the District Office, this simple open-air place serves tasty and cheap vegan and vegetarian Thai food. During lunch, choose from the metal trays out front. There's good fruit and soy milk shakes too.
reviewed
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Cake Go “O”
This Muslim-run bakery serves decent baked treats (try the oatmeal scones), coffee and light meals. There are a couple of other Muslim bakeries in town, although the others don’t have quite as many entertaining signposted house rules.
reviewed
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Mama Falafel
This friendly native of Pai has been cooking up tasty felafel, hummus, schnitzel and other Jewish/Israeli faves since 2002. Set meals win in both quality and quantity. Come on Friday and Saturday when she does hamin, the Jewish stew, accompanied by challah bread.
reviewed
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Fluid
Pool/gym complex just outside of town, roughly across from Sun Hut. Includes a herbal steam room during the cool season (per hour 80B).
reviewed
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Phu Pai Art Café
This attractive wooden house is another highlight of Pai’s live music scene. The amps turn on at 8pm, and on our visit we enjoyed some very good live acoustic guitar music.
reviewed
