Getting around Pai without a scooter

Exploring town on foot (or pedals)

Around the middle of town, your feet are all you need. The park in front of Nolo is right on the doorstep, and Walking Street is a 10 to 15 minute stroll away. Staying with us? There’s a free lift back from Walking Street until 9.30pm. If you’re up for a longer walk, you can get out to the White Buddha in 45 minutes to an hour. There are no footpaths on the way, so keep an eye on the traffic.

Prefer wheels? Walking Street has plenty of shops renting bicycles, from 100 to 300 baht a day depending on the bike; a quick search on Google Maps will show you what’s nearby. And if you’re a runner, the quieter streets around Nolo are perfect for it. Just be ready for the hills.

The realities of Grab in Pai

There are no shared songthaews in Pai, so Grab is the app most people reach for. It works here, but it’s motorbikes only. Getting a rider to take you out to the sights is easy enough. Getting back is where it falls apart. Your rider will usually drop you off and head straight back to town for the next fare rather than wait, and riders based in town are very unlikely to accept a job that means coming all the way out to collect you.

This catches a lot of people out, especially after sunset at Pai Canyon, when riders rarely take the job, and it’s how people end up thumbing a lift back to town. If you go out by Grab, sort out your ride back before you leave.

Motorbike taxis (the yellow shirts)

For something more reliable, look for the motorbike taxi drivers in yellow shirts across the road from the bus station. They’ll take you out to the sights on the back of their bike, and unlike a Grab rider, you can ask them to wait. Their English can be limited, so have a translation app ready on your phone just in case.

Agree the price before you hop on, and make sure they’ll wait for you and bring you back. If the price doesn’t suit you, politely say no thanks rather than trying to haggle.

Share a taxi for sunset

Every evening in high season, we take the hassle out of sunset by arranging shared taxis: one to Pai Canyon and one to Two Huts. They usually leave Walking Street at 4.30pm, and if you book ahead, they can pick you up from where you’re staying. It’s just 100 baht a person, there and back: the driver waits while you watch the sunset, then brings you back into town. Each takes 8 to 10 people and goes once four are booked, and since people book the same taxis on Walking Street too, getting four together is rarely a problem. Want a seat? Ask at Nolo’s reception, or message us on WhatsApp.

Hire a private truck for the day

Got a group of friends, or a plan of your own? You can hire a private truck with a driver for the day. We can arrange one for you and agree the price with the driver before you set off, so there are no unpleasant surprises when the day is done. Message us on WhatsApp.

Nolo Hub Pai’s week in high season

For the places that are hardest to reach on your own, skip the logistics and jump on one of our day trips, with local drivers who know every bend of these mountain roads. Here’s our week in high season:

High season starts on Friday 30 October 2026, when tubing opens for the year. Contact us for exact times, pricing and specifics, and see every trip’s stops and route on our Activities page.

Not staying with us? No worries, you’re still welcome to join the crew: just message us on WhatsApp. Staying at Nolo? Book at reception.

The evenings are open to everyone too, and so is the pool once you’ve bought something at the bar. The one place we keep to guests is upstairs, where the rooms are.

A closer look at our day trips

Pai Landmarks

Pai’s greatest hits in a single day. We start at Yun Lai viewpoint, looking down over Santichon, the Chinese village, then head west to the natural rock slides at Mor Pang Waterfall, climb the 353 steps to the White Buddha, and finish with a smoothie, watching the sunset over the red earth ridges of Pai Canyon.

Tham Lod and sunset at Doi Kiew Lom

The big adventure. We head 50 km north-west to Tham Lod, where a river runs straight through the mountain. You follow it into the cave with a local guide and a lantern, and on the full route by bamboo raft. On the way home, we catch the sunset at Doi Kiew Lom, a mountain-top viewpoint over forested ridges and limestone peaks.

Ban Jabo, Kikokor and Mae Lana

Saturdays start at the market right outside Nolo. From there we head high into the mountains past Soppong for noodles with a view in Ban Jabo, a ridge-top village, then take in Kikokor viewpoint and the rice fields at Mae Lana, and end the day with the sunset at Doi Kiew Lom.

The Bamboo Bridge and sunset at Two Huts

A slower, easy-going day. We walk the Bamboo Bridge, 815 metres of woven bamboo across the rice fields, then head up the mountain behind town for a smoothie at Two Huts, a hillside bar with views right across the valley.

When our schedule doesn’t match yours

Want to see Tham Lod on a day we’re not going? We work with a local tour company that runs full and half-day trips too, including:

• A full day with Tham Lod (October to June): bamboo rafting in the cave, a hot spring, a viewpoint, the White Buddha and sunset at Pai Canyon
• A full day around Pai: the White Buddha, the Chinese village, a hot spring, a viewpoint, a waterfall, the Bamboo Bridge and sunset at Pai Canyon
• Half days around Pai, in the morning or the afternoon: the White Buddha, the Chinese village, a waterfall and Pai Canyon, with the Bamboo Bridge or a hot spring
• A half day at Tham Lod (October to June), in the morning or the afternoon. Go in the afternoon to see the swifts flying back into the cave at dusk

Transport is included on all of them, and lunch on the full days. Entry tickets, rafting and guides are extra. Check our days on the Activities page, or message us on WhatsApp to check what’s running, and we’ll get you booked.