Plan Your Visit
Welcome home.
We're thrilled to welcome you home to Pai Meditation Center. We hope you can find the time to visit us for a drop-in meditation or 7-day retreat experience. In the meantime, we'll be tending to the rice fields and planting new seeds on the grounds to await your arrival.
Getting here
Fly into Chiang Mai International Airport (CMX)
The easiest way to get to Pai is by flying into Chiang Mai International Airport (CMX), taking a taxi to the bus terminal, and then taking a van service, which is both affordable and popular. Once you arrive at the airport, turn left as you exit the baggage area and walk all the way to end of the terminal building.
Once you exit, there will be people at the door offering taxi services. Let them know you will be going to Chiang Mai Arcade Bus Terminal 2. The fare is usually around 200THB.
Take the charter van to Pai
From there, we recommend taking the charter van, which is both affordable and popular. It's crucial to reserve your ticket in advance as they often sell out quickly. You can book your ticket from Chiang Mai Arcade Bus Terminal to Pai via this link: https://premprachatransports.com/welcome/.
If you are coming for a retreat, please try to pick outbound trips from 12:30 to 15:30 to ensure arrival at Pai at an ideal time for us to welcome you at the meditation center. Closer to the retreat dates, we will create a WhatsApp group to coordinate rides from the town center to the meditation center.
The trip from Chiang Mai to Pai takes just under 4 hours, and goes through a series of almost 400 turns as you make your way up the mountain, so we recommend preparing motion sickness medications for those more sensitive to car sickness.
Take a private taxi to Pai (alternate option)
If you'd like to take a private taxi from Chiang Mai to Pai, or need help arranging a taxi to the meditation center from nearby, we're happy to help coordinate a taxi for you. Please reach out to us on WhatsApp at (+66) 9-1119-1892 and we'll make sure you are well taken care of.
The standard fare for a private taxi from Chiang Mai to Pai is around 2000THB. If many people are arriving for a retreat and are interested in a private taxi, we may be able to help coordinate rides.
When visiting the meditation center, please wear comfortable, modest clothing in respect for Thai Buddhist tradition. We ask that all clothing cover the shoulders, midsection, and knees. Please refrain from tank tops or other revealing clothing. To harmonize with the serene environment, we recommend wearing earth tone, light, or pastel colors while on the grounds.
For those joining us for a retreat, three sets of comfortable white clothes will be provided for you to wear on the grounds during the length of your stay. This helps maintain neutrality of mind and reduce concerns around attire so that choice of clothing is not a distraction to meditation practice.
