Which hot spring is right for you?
Written by Nolo Hub Pai
Updated by the Nolo team, October 2026
tl;dr
Pai has four hot springs you can soak in, and no two are alike. If you’re choosing just one, we’d go with Sai Ngam: a warm stream running through the forest, with the clearest water of the four and a comfortable warmth all year round.
The short answer
- Tha Pai
- Close to town, with several soaking pools and eggs at the source
- Sai Ngam
- A warm, clear forest stream, and our pick
- Muang Paeng
- Free and basic, and worth it for the drive
- Pong Dueat
- A geyser to see, then separate pools to soak in; about 60 km out
Side by side
- Tha Pai
- Sai Ngam
- Muang Paeng
- Pong Dueat
Photo (cropped): Chaiyathat, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tha Pai
- From Nolo Hub Pai
- 8.8 km, south
- Best for
- Staying close to town
- Entry (foreign adult)
- 300 baht, plus 20 for a motorbike
- Hours
- 08:00–18:00
- In the pools
- From hot to lukewarm, pool by pool
- What it’s like
- A national-park spring: a steaming source up top, pools to soak in below
- Eggs
- Cooked in bamboo baskets at the source
Sai Ngam
- From Nolo Hub Pai
- 18.8 km, north-west
- Best for
- Nature lovers
- Entry (foreign adult)
- 200 baht, plus 30 for a motorbike; cash only
- Hours
- 09:00–17:00
- In the pools
- Warm to lukewarm
- What it’s like
- A clear, warm stream stepping down through the forest
- Eggs
- No
Muang Paeng
- From Nolo Hub Pai
- 32 km, south-west
- Best for
- Motorbike riders: the drive out is beautiful
- Entry (foreign adult)
- Free
- Hours
- 06:00–18:00
- In the pools
- Hot to warm
- What it’s like
- A natural spring in the countryside, with small spots to soak
- Eggs
- Yes, and sold at the spring
Pong Dueat
- From Nolo Hub Pai
- About 60 km, towards Chiang Mai
- Best for
- Riders on their way into or out of Pai; it isn’t close to town
- Entry (foreign adult)
- 300 baht; communal pools included, private tubs extra
- Hours
- Around 08:00–17:00
- In the pools
- Warm to hot
- What it’s like
- A geyser to see, then separate pools and private tubs to soak in
- Eggs
- Yes
Fees and hours as last checked on each spring’s own page, September 2026.
Tickets
- Sai Ngam and Pam Bok share a ticket: the same day’s ticket gets you into Pam Bok Waterfall, either way round. They’re in opposite directions from town, though.
- Tha Pai’s ticket covers neither. Tha Pai and Pong Dueat don’t share a ticket, even though they’re in the same national park.
Make a day of it
- Tha Pai is near the Memorial Bridge, south of town.
- Muang Paeng: Muang Rae’s roadside geothermal well is on the way. It’s a quick stop to look at, not somewhere to soak.
- Pong Dueat: riding up from Chiang Mai, it’s the stop on the way. See Getting to Pai.
- No scooter? Tha Pai is the easiest. It’s close to Pai Canyon, the Memorial Bridge, the White Buddha and Two Huts, so it’s easy to fit into a day with a private truck: see getting around Pai without a scooter.
Before you go
- Bring a towel, and test the water before you get in.
- Take silver jewellery off at Tha Pai: the sulphur in the water tarnishes it.
- Take cash for Sai Ngam. No smoking, vapes or alcohol there; the fines go up to 2,000 baht.
- Take your rubbish home, especially at Muang Paeng, in a rural community.