Getting to Pai
Pai sits in a valley in the mountains northwest of Chiang Mai, and there is one road there. It is a famous piece of tarmac, not because of scenery alone but because of the sheer number of switchbacks between the two towns, and minivan operators run it several times a day from Chiang Mai's bus terminal complex north of the Old City.
Prepare for the drive rather than enduring it. Take motion sickness medication before departure rather than when you start feeling it, sit as far forward as you can, keep your eyes on the road ahead rather than on a phone, and eat lightly beforehand. Travellers who do all four generally arrive fine; travellers who do none of them arrive with a story.
Getting to Chiang Rai
Chiang Rai is a longer but far gentler journey east, served by intercity coaches from the Chiang Mai bus terminal in several comfort classes. The differences between classes are real: seat width, recline, air conditioning and how many stops the service makes.
Book a higher class than instinct suggests for a journey of this length. The price gap is small in absolute terms and the comfort gap is not.
Getting to Bangkok
Two very different options. A flight takes about an hour and costs a day of your time in airports and transfers. The overnight sleeper train takes the night and gives you a bed, arriving in the morning with a hotel night saved.
The sleeper is a genuinely pleasant way to travel and berths sell out well in advance, particularly in the cool season. Book it as early as you can rather than assuming availability, and check which Bangkok station your service uses, since the city's rail hub arrangements have changed in recent years.
| Journey | Best by | Plan for |
|---|---|---|
| Chiang Mai to Pai | Minivan, medicated in advance | Continuous curves the whole way |
| Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai | Intercity coach, higher class | A long but easy road |
| Chiang Mai to Bangkok | Sleeper train or flight | Sleeper berths selling out early |
Timing and the seasons
Thailand's rainy season runs from mid-May to mid-October, and mountain roads in the north are exactly where heavy rain has the most effect on a journey. That does not mean avoiding these routes in those months; it means treating a schedule with a tight connection at the end of it as optimistic.
The dry early months bring the opposite problem in this region, when haze can reduce the mountain views that are much of the reason for taking these roads in the first place.
Before you book
Decide whether the journey is transport or part of the trip. If it is transport, fly to Bangkok and take the shortest option to Chiang Rai. If it is part of the trip, the sleeper train and even the Pai road have a lot to recommend them, provided you have prepared for what they actually involve.