Pai Solo
You Won't Be Lonely — But the Scooters Need Real Care

The real draw of Pai for a solo traveller is the freedom to ride wherever you like at your own pace. The canyon, Mo Paeng Waterfall, the hot springs and Santichon village are all a few kilometres out, with rice-field cafes to stop at along the way. But the safety point stands: you need a licence, wear a helmet, wear closed shoes, and never ride after drinking. A lot of the mountain roads are steep with loose sand, so keep your speed down, especially at first.

Worried about feeling lonely on a solo trip? Pai solves that better than almost anywhere. Stay at a hostel or guesthouse in town with a common area and a little bar, and you will meet travellers from all over who are also on their own. Many run activities or end up forming groups that head off together — this is exactly where the "Pai vortex" starts, when you click with people and decide to stay a few more days.

Come evening, the main street in central Pai closes to traffic and becomes a walking street packed with single-portion food stalls, craft sellers and tiny bars with live music. It is one of the best things to do alone here, because you can graze your way along it solo with no fuss — and if you want company, just pull up a stool at a live-music bar and chat to whoever is next to you. The atmosphere is friendly and nobody feels out of place on their own.

Pai Canyon (Kong Lan) is a maze of narrow earth ridges carved by wind and rain into deep gullies, with paths along the spines and valley views in every direction. At dusk it is the most popular sunset spot in Pai, and it is lovely solo — find a quiet ledge and wait for the sky to change. Take care, though: some ridges are narrow, high and made of crumbly, slippery earth. Walk slowly, wear shoes with grip, and do not go too close to the edge.

Around Pai there are natural hot springs to soak in and waterfalls to swim at. Mo Paeng Waterfall has tiers with pools and a smooth, slick rock section that people slide down like a natural waterslide (mind the slippery rock). The Tha Pai hot springs are good for a quiet solo soak. You can ride a scooter to both, and the waterfalls are at their fullest towards the end of the rainy season.

The big white Buddha on the hill to the east of town is one of Pai's best viewpoints. It is a short climb up the steps, and at the top the whole Pai valley opens out below you. It is lovely to do alone, quiet and cool in the early morning or late afternoon, and a good spot to just sit and think. It is an active temple, so dress modestly.

Around Pai are villages and little spots to wander to on your own. Santichon is a Yunnanese Chinese community with earthen houses, oolong tea and a hillside viewpoint — a different feel from the town. Nearby there are rice fields, a wooden bridge and field-side cafes to drop into. Riding a scooter loosely around the countryside for half a day with no real plan is exactly the kind of good day solo travel is made for.

Eating alone in Pai is easy, because most dishes are served as single plates anyway — khao soi (egg noodles in a coconut curry broth), sai ua (northern herb sausage), nam ngiao (a tangy clear noodle soup) and nam prik num (a young-chilli dip) with steamed vegetables. Small restaurants have plenty of single tables, and with the walking street full of single-portion food to graze, no one looks twice at a solo diner.

Pai has an unusual number of cafes with rice-field and riverside views, which suits solo travel perfectly — order one coffee and read, journal or work over the fields for a whole afternoon. Many are relaxed and full of people on their own, so it is easy to strike up a conversation with the table next to you, or simply enjoy your own company quietly. Either is completely fine here.

If you want to reach the further sights without riding a scooter yourself, a day tour is a good and safer choice for a solo traveller. Popular ones go to Tham Lod cave (drifting through on a bamboo raft past stalactites), Ban Rak Thai (a Yunnanese tea village by a lake), or loop the sights around Pai. You get transport, you skip the mountain roads, and you meet other travellers in the group along the way.