Pai ↔ Chiang Mai on the 1095
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The minivans in and out — operators, fares, the last van back, and what the mountain road asks of you.
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Loading Pai ↔ Chiang Mai on the 1095…
The minivans in and out — operators, fares, the last van back, and what the mountain road asks of you.
Loading the latest information…
Pai has one road in and one road out: Route 1095 over the mountains from Chiang Mai — 762 curves and roughly three to four hours in a minivan. There is no train to Pai, and Pai's airport has had no scheduled flights since 2017, so the minivans are how almost everyone comes and goes.
If you get carsick, take this road seriously: ask for a front seat, go easy on breakfast, and pick up motion-sickness pills from any pharmacy before you board — every pharmacy in Chiang Mai and Pai knows exactly what you're asking for.
Plan your way back before you set off
There is no train. The buses out leave in the late afternoon, and missing the last one means staying the night. Note your last bus before you arrive:
Buses arrive at: Pai bus station, in the centre of town (Aya's vans use their own office on Chaisongkram Road nearby)
Aya Service — Pai office
22/1 Moo 3, Chaisongkram Road, Pai. Second line 087-177-8453.
Aya Service — Chiang Mai office
Kham Thiang Plaza (B13–14), Soi Srimongkol, Chiang Mai.
Heavy monsoon rain brings landslips on the 1095 that can slow or close the road — the hillsides are steep and slip-prone, and the wider district saw serious slides in 2024. In a wet spell, ask your guesthouse or the operator about the road before you travel, and don't plan a tight same-day connection in Chiang Mai.
The road itself is usually fine in the dry months, but the valley fills with smoke — check Pai's air-quality page before deciding when to come, and expect haze over the mountains en route.
The big local buses that once crawled the 1095 stopped running years ago — today it is minivans only, plus private transfers and the occasional shared songthaew for local hops.
These are the routes and the usual patterns. For exact departure times, prices and to book, use the official pages — they are the authority:
These are the routes and the usual patterns. Exact departure times change with the season, so always confirm with the operator before you travel, and book the reserved routes ahead.
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15:30 out of Pai
Last bus back toward Chiang Mai — Aya Service — plan your return before you set off.