Pai to Chiang Mai

Prempracha is the standard. Its vans leave Pai's bus station, on the main street in the middle of town, every hour from 07:00 to 17:30 (with an extra 11:30), and the counter fare is about ฿150. Online sellers charge ฿180–270 or more, which buys you a confirmed seat without walking over the day before. The vans are 13-seaters, big bags go on the roof under a cover, and there's one 15–30 minute rest stop roughly halfway. Plan on 3.5 to 4 hours; they arrive at Chiang Mai's Arcade Terminal 2, 3 km east of the Old City, from where a Grab or red songthaew into town is ฿100–150. Get to the station 20 minutes early so your bag goes on with you.

Aya Service, the company behind the one-way scooter rental, runs its own vans at 08:30, 09:30, 10:30, 13:30, 14:30 and 15:30, scheduled at about 3 hours 20 minutes, at a similar fare. Some tickets on the booking sites, from either company or smaller operators, drop in the Old City, at Tha Phae Gate or at Chiang Mai airport instead of Arcade, which saves the last leg. In December and January everything sells out, so book a day or two ahead.

The curves are the real cost of this trip. Recent passengers on the September 2026 Prempracha vans complained about speed and about feeling sick in the back row. Book or ask for a seat near the front, take a motion-sickness tablet 30 minutes before you board, eat lightly, and look out of the window rather than at your phone.

Pai's old airstrip has had no scheduled flights since 2019, so any flight starts at Chiang Mai airport, 10–15 minutes from the Old City. The van takes 3.5 to 4 hours, plus about 20 minutes by Grab from Arcade if your van doesn't go to the airport. I'd take a van that leaves Pai at least six hours before a domestic flight and seven before an international one, because a slow driver, a rest stop that runs long or a December queue for seats can eat an hour.

The safer option for an early or important flight is a private car straight to the terminal, about three hours, or one of the vans that drop at the airport. Kiwitaxi's fixed fare from Pai to Chiang Mai airport starts around ฿3,800, and Pai's travel agents and guesthouses arrange cars too.

Aya's one-way rental lets you ride a scooter from Pai and drop it at its Chiang Mai office for a ฿300 one-way fee, with your luggage sent ahead on a van for about ฿100–150 a bag. It takes 4–6 hours with viewpoint stops. The road is well paved but steep and tight, and rain makes it slick, so it's only for experienced riders with a license and insurance that covers them. The Chiang Mai to Pai guide covers the ride in detail.

The vans run the same road uphill from Chiang Mai's Arcade terminal through the day. The Chiang Mai to Pai guide has the departures, the motion-sickness plan and the scooter ride in more detail.