Pai to Mae Hong Son — The 08:30 Minivan, Later Vans Passing Through, Fares and the Road (September 2026)
One Prempracha minivan leaves Pai for Mae Hong Son at 08:30 daily, ฿150, about 3 hours; the hourly Chiang Mai–Mae Hong Son vans also pass through Pai from late morning if seats are free. Private car ฿2,900–4,500. What the road is like, and how to do it as part of the loop.
Quick answer: the Prempracha minivan from Pai bus station at 08:30, ฿150, about 3 hours to Mae Hong Son. Miss it and the Chiang Mai–Mae Hong Son vans pass through Pai from roughly 10:30 onwards, but only with the seats they have left. A private car is ฿2,900–4,500 and takes 2–2.5 hours. Return from Mae Hong Son at 16:00.
The route in numbers
| Pai → Mae Hong Son | checked September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Distance | about 110 km on Route 1095, over two mountain ranges |
| Direct minivan | 08:30 daily · ฿150 · 3 h · Prempracha Transport, 14 seats |
| Vans passing through | Chiang Mai → Mae Hong Son vans, hourly from Chiang Mai 07:30–14:30, reach Pai about 3 h later · ฿160 on 12Go · seats not guaranteed |
| Private car | ฿2,900–4,500 per car (2–4 people), ฿4,500–5,900 for a 8–9-seat van · 2–2.5 h |
| Return | Mae Hong Son → Pai 16:00 daily, ฿150 |
| Leaves from | Pai bus station, Chaisongkhram Road (town centre) |
| Arrives at | Mae Hong Son bus station, Khunlumprapas Road, 1 km north of the lake and night market |
The 08:30 van
Prempracha Transport, the same licensed operator that runs Chiang Mai–Pai, sends one minivan a day from Pai to Mae Hong Son at 08:30. It is the only departure that starts in Pai with all its seats for sale, so in high season (November–February) buy the ticket the day before at the bus station counter or online; on 12Go it shows as ฿160 with the booking fee.
The van takes about three hours with one stop, usually at Pang Mapha (Soppong) — the turn-off for Tham Lod cave — about an hour out of Pai. Drop-off is at the Mae Hong Son bus station on the main road, a ฿60–100 songthaew or a 15-minute walk to the guesthouses around the lake.
Later in the day: the Chiang Mai vans
Prempracha's Chiang Mai → Mae Hong Son service runs hourly from 07:30 to 14:30 (฿400, six hours) and every one of those vans passes through Pai about three hours after leaving Chiang Mai — so from around 10:30 until 17:30. They stop at Pai bus station and take passengers if seats are free. On a quiet weekday you will usually get on; on a Saturday in December you may watch two full vans leave. If your day depends on it, take the 08:30.
Private car
12Go lists Pai–Mae Hong Son taxis from ฿2,900 (economy, two passengers) to ฿4,500 for a nine-seat van, at any time, 2–2.5 hours. For three or four people that is ฿1,000–1,500 each for a door-to-door ride that stops where you want — Tham Lod cave, the Ban Rak Thai turn-off, viewpoints — which the minivan does not.
The road
Route 1095 between Pai and Mae Hong Son is the quieter half of the famous loop: fewer bends than the Chiang Mai–Pai stretch but longer climbs, forest most of the way, and a stretch of hairpins descending into Mae Hong Son. Motion-sickness advice is the same as for Pai — front seat, medication 30–60 minutes before, morning departure. Between June and October the road can be foggy in the early morning and there are occasional landslips after storms; vans still run, sometimes an hour late.
Riding it yourself. Many people do this leg on a rented scooter as part of the Mae Hong Son Loop. Aya Service in Pai rents one-way with drop-off in Mae Hong Son. It is 110 km of mountain road with little traffic and fuel only in Soppong and Mae Hong Son; carry a licence — there are police checkpoints on 1095 — and start by 09:00 to arrive in daylight.
Onward from Mae Hong Son
- Mae Hong Son → Chiang Mai direct: Prempracha vans hourly 07:00–17:00, ฿400, 6 hours via Pai.
- Mae Hong Son → Mae Sariang → Chiang Mai (the southern half of the loop): buses and vans from the same station, about 4 hours to Mae Sariang.
- Fly: Mae Hong Son's small airport has a few flights a week to Chiang Mai (about 35 minutes) — check the current schedule, it changes by season.
- Chiang Mai → Pai · Chiang Mai → Mae Hong Son
Where to stay
Compare hotels and guesthouses along this route (prices change by season; check the live price on the booking page): Mae Hong Son · Pai
Sources and last check
Checked 15 September 2026 against: Prempracha Transport's route schedule as published on BusOnlineTicket (Pai–Mae Hong Son 08:30 / 16:00, ฿150, 3 h; Chiang Mai–Mae Hong Son hourly 07:30–14:30, ฿400) and 12Go listings for Pai → Mae Hong Son (van fare with booking fee, private-car prices and times). Songthaew fares, stop locations and road conditions are traveller-reported, not official.