Pai Canyon is made up of narrow, winding paths along ridges that branch out. You can wander along the ridges and find a quiet spot to take in the views. Most people visit the canyon during sunset, when the temperature is a little cooler and to watch the sun dip below the mountains.
But visiting Pai Canyon isn’t just a walk in the park. Its ridges have steep drop-offs on either side, so just navigating the place is an intense task that requires your full attention.
We visited Pai Canyon twice – once for sunset and another time in the middle of the day. After exploring the canyon, we put together this guide to share what you need to know before visiting Pai Canyon.
Pai Canyon Complete Guide
Pai Canyon has incredible panoramic views and is arguably the best place to enjoy the sunset in Pai. But beyond the sunset, Pai Canyon also has sweeping panoramic views and narrow ridgelines that you can explore.
Every evening, Pai Canyon turns into a social scene as people gather there to sit around and chat while watching the sun dip below the mountains. And best of all, there is no entrance fee to visit Pai Canyon.
The layout of Pai Canyon what makes it unique. Narrow ridges snake out in all directions with steep drop-offs on either side. In some places, the path is so tight that only one person can pass at a time.
If you’re up for some adventure, you can hike out along those ridges and find quieter spots away from the main viewpoint. Some sections of the canyon are steep and rutted out so I recommend wearing shoes if you want to explore Pai Canyon.
If you’re not comfortable with heights, you can still enjoy the views at Pai Canyon without going into the steep areas. But sunset gets busy, so arrive early if you want a good spot.
And if you do plan to hang out at Pai Canyon, I recommend bringing a blanket or towel to sit on because the dirt is powdery and will easily get into your clothes.
How to get to Pai Canyon
Pai Canyon is about a 10-minute drive south of town. The easiest and most flexible way to get there is by motorbike. That’s how we got there. There’s plenty of free motorbike parking on both sides of the road near the entrance of the canyon.
If you’re not comfortable riding a motorbike, you can also take a songthaew to Pai Canyon. We saw a few songthaews dropping people off when we visited Pai Canyon for sunset.
The map location below for Pai Canyon is accurate and can be used to navigate there.
Pai Canyon: Our Experience
We visited Pai Canyon twice. Once in the evening for sunset, and another time in the middle of the day. Both visits felt completely different, and each had its own vibe.
Sunset at Pai Canyon
Our first visit was in the evening, just before sunset. We rode down there and immediately knew we were in the right spot when we saw motorbikes parked edge to edge along both sides of the road.
I squeezed our motorbike into a tight spot, and as we walked through the entrance, we passed a few snack stalls.
The first area beyond the parking area is a paved pathway up to the canyon. It wasn’t a long walk and a few minutes later, we were standing at the edge, overlooking the canyon’s narrow ridges and steep drop-offs.
Right away we hit our first challenge: a narrow dirt path with sheer drops on either side. If you’ve got a fear of heights, this is where it gets real.
The next section of the trail was a bottleneck during sunset. It was a steep, rutted-out pathway that only one person could go through at a time. It wasn’t super dangerous, but it was steep so we had to use our hands to scramble through the crevice.
After skirting down a pathway, around a tree, and making our way uphill, we got to a flat, open area where people were chilling, chatting, and waiting for sunset.
A few fire dancers were standing by with poi balls and staff, gearing up for a show once the sun went down. From this spot, the trail split in two directions. We went left, looking for a quieter place to hang out.
We followed the left ridge downhill, squeezing our way by steep cliffs until it reached another narrow, rutted section.
We didn’t want to go too far with sunset approaching, so we decided to stop there. We found a good perch to take a seat and flew our drone to get some aerial photos of the area. You can check out our drone photos below.
Midday at Pai Canyon
Our second visit to Pai Canyon was around noon a few days later. It was a completely different experience.
When we pulled up, there were only a few motorbikes parked there during the day. We parked right in the front row and walked into an almost empty Pai Canyon.
This time, we explored the right side of the canyon first. It’s a wider ridge that veers off as soon as you enter. It’s a safer and easier path if you don’t want to walk over a narrow ridge or scramble through a rutted-out trail. The ridge sloped downhill, and if you explore far enough, you’ll probably stumble on a few quiet spots to hang out.
But we also wanted to check out the main canyon that was so crowded during sunset. So we headed back across the narrow ridge. This time there was no line or crowd waiting to get across. But the downside is that it was blazing hot in direct sunlight. Luckily we came prepared with hats and long sleeves.
If you want to explore the canyon without the crowd, aim for midday but just be prepared for the heat. And keep in mind, if you take a wrong step out there when it’s empty… there’s no one around to help.
I hope you enjoyed our guide to Pai Canyon! Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions 🐸
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Are You Following Our Pai Blog Series?
We spent 7 days in Pai and found so many things to do there—from canyons to mountains, waterfalls, and hot springs. To help fellow adventurers, we’ve put together guides to the best places we found. You can check them out by clicking the links below.
- Start planning your trip here: Pai Travel Guide
- Our ultimate guide to Pai: 14 Incredible Things to Do in Pai
- Best place to wander around in Pai: Kho Ku So Bamboo Bridge
- Our favorite place to swim in Pai: Sai Ngam Hot Spring
- Best sunrise views in Pai: Yun Lai Viewpoint
- Best sunset in Pai: Pai Canyon
- Pai’s Chinese Cultural Village: Santichon Village
