The Pai Valley in Northern Thailand is blessed with several lovely hot springs, or thermal springs, that you should definitely visit when you’re there. What a treat to take an early morning dip in the warm, crystal clear water of your very own jungle hot tub! As there are multiple hot springs in Pai, we’ll give you our top-3 favorites.
1. Sai Ngam Hot Spring Pai
Our most favorite hot spring in Pai is, without a doubt, The Sai Ngam Hot Spring. With crystal clear water, pleasant temperatures and amazing natural surroundings that one would expect from a jungle spa. Sai Ngam has it all!
These hot baths are mainly popular with the locals – who love diving in fully dressed – and is located right next to a quiet road. If you go first thing in the morning (before 9:00 AM) you can enjoy a private bath.
If you continue to follow the road uphill, you’ll come upon a lovely, authentic Thai village. We recommend it to drive through the streets to see how Thai people live in their traditional wooden stilt-houses.
Getting there
The Sai Ngam Hot Spring is located about 20 kilometers from Pai. Follow road 1095 towards Mae Hong Son. After driving for 20 minutes you’ll see a clear sign where you take a right. Pay the entry fee at the gate and continue driving for almost 5 kilometers on a winding road with many steep hills. Not for the faint-hearted!
- Entry: 200 baht for adults, 100 baht for children and 20 baht per motorbike
- Opening hours: 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM
2. Pai Hotsprings Spa Resort
If you’re crazy about mineral baths and hot springs, the Pai Hotsprings Spa Resort is the perfect place for a relaxing morning or afternoon.
The resort itself isn’t all that great, but you can enjoy the hotel’s facilities for just 100 baht. There are several thermal baths and there is a beautiful swimming pool overlooking the river and countryside.
What more could you ask for?!
Getting there
The Pai Hotsprings Spa Resort is located on the way to Ta Pai Hot Springs. It’s clearly signposted, so you can’t miss it. The resort is 7 kilometers south of Pai’s town center, only a few kilometers away from the White Buddha and Pai Canyon.
- Entry: 100 baht for non-hotel guests, free for hotel guests
- Opening hours: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Hotelinfo: Pai Hotsprings Spa Resort
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3. Ta Pai Hot Springs
The Ta Pai Hot Springs are the most popular hot springs in Pai. The surroundings are somewhat magical, especially at the crack of dawn. Imagine steaming hot springs surrounded by nature, overhanging vines and tree roots reaching all over. Magical.
Don’t forget to take a walk in the park. Follow the creek up along an easy path leading to the spring. The water in the spring is warm enough to boil an egg (80 °C), though this is now prohibited.
The path also leads to various baths – ranging between 34°C and 38°C. Although the water is said to have a medicinal effect, it’s best to briefly exit the bath every 15 minutes. The vapors made us slightly dizzy after we bobbed around in them for nearly half an hour.
Getting there
The Ta Pai Hot Springs are located approximately 8 kilometers south of Pai’s town center, near the Pai Canyon. From the center, drive towards the White Buddha (Wat Mae Yen), which is impossible to miss. The road takes you past rice paddies and beautiful lookouts over the Pai Valley.
You’ll probably pass a couple of elephants on the way, that belong to one of the elephant camps. Even though we don’t recommend these camps because of the poor conditions and elephant riding, we still think it’s very impressing to overtake an elephant on your motorbike!
- Entry: 300 baht
- Opening hours: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Best Hotels Pai
Medio de Pai - $$
Excellent rooms equipped with aircon and a nice swimming pool. But the best part about Medio de Pai is its location: right in the center, on a street parallel to the Walking Street. It also has some spacious, and affordable, family rooms.
Hello, thank you for your nice article. However, there is one mistake that should be corrected. The entrance to hot springs – Sai Ngam Hot Spring Pai is not 20 bats as your article says. It costs 20 bats for Thai people, but for foreigners the entrance fee is 10x higher – 100 bats for kids and 200 for adults + 20 per motorbike. Can you please change this information for the first springs you mention? I was quite suprised when I arrived there today. Thank you for doing such a great job, wish you good luck 🙂
Thanks for your correction Martin, we’ll change it! Have fun in Thailand 🙂 .