Pai
A small town on the Pai River in Mae Hong Son, about 146 kilometres from Chiang Mai along a famously winding mountain road. Its valley of rice fields, hot springs and walking streets has made it a favourite stop for backpackers.
- Where
- Mae Hong Son, Thailand
- Grade
- Well known
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 1 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 19.3593, 98.4369
Get the Pai stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Pai. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Mae Hong Son volume with your photos and a note.
Near Pai
Tham Lot 29 km
A limestone cave near Soppong in Mae Hong Son, 1,666 metres long, with the Nam Lang river flowing right through it past stalactites, columns and flowstone. Its chambers hold ancient teak coffins, and swiftlets and bats stream in and out at dusk.
Doi Chiang Dao 46 km
A 2,175 metre limestone peak in Chiang Dao district, north of Chiang Mai, and one of the highest in the Daen Lao range on the Thai side of the border. Its sheer, lone summit rises high above the farmland of the valley below.
Elephant Nature Park 47 km
A sanctuary and rescue centre for elephants in Mae Taeng district, about 60 km from Chiang Mai, co-founded by Sangduen 'Lek' Chailert. Rescued elephants live here in small herds, and visitors watch them feed and bathe in the river rather than ride them.
Pang Ung 57 km
A freshwater lake ringed by pine forest in the hills of Mueang Mae Hong Son district, near the Burmese border. On cold-season mornings mist lies over the water, and Thai visitors have long called it the Switzerland of Thailand.
Mae Surin Falls 61 km
A waterfall in the forested mountains of Mae Hong Son, close to the Myanmar border, that gives its name to the national park around it. The water drops in a long fall from a cliff edge into the valley below.
Bua Tong Waterfall 74 km
A limestone waterfall in Mae Taeng district, north of Chiang Mai, where mineral deposits have made the rock rough and grippy rather than slippery. People walk straight up the falling water barefoot, which gives it its nickname.
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep 80 km
A golden chedi on the mountain above Chiang Mai, at 1,073 metres, reached by a long staircase lined with naga serpents. Legend says a white elephant carrying a relic of the Buddha climbed this mountain and chose the spot, and the city spreads out below the terrace.
Chiang Mai Zoo 81 km
Northern Thailand's first commercial zoo, opened in 1977 on Huay Kaew Road, just west of Chiang Mai University at the foot of Doi Suthep. Its 81 hectares of wooded slopes also hold an aquarium.
Questions
Where is Pai?
Pai is in Mae Hong Son, Thailand. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Tham Lot (29 km), Doi Chiang Dao (46 km), Elephant Nature Park (47 km).
How do I get the Pai stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Pai and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Mae Hong Son volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Pai before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Mae Hong Son volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.