Can you scooter 1095 on day four?

Only with a motorcycle licence and an IDP that includes category A. Most first-week rentals belong on the Prempracha van.

Pai or Chiang Rai if you must cut one?

Keep Chiang Rai if temples are the week. Keep Pai if the ridge road is why you came north.

Is the Mae Hong Son Loop in these seven days?

No. That loop needs four days on its own after Chiang Mai. This plan uses Pai as a night, not as a 600 km circuit.

7 days Northern Thailand loop

This north loop is Lanna wats, a mountain night in Pai, and Chiang Rai temples. Use Prempracha from Arcade Terminal 2. Use Green Bus VIP for Chiang Rai.

Lanna watsHighway 1095Green Bus

Pai vanPrempracha from Arcade Terminal 2, Hwy 1095, 3.5 to 4.5 hours

Chiang RaiGreen Bus VIP from Arcade Terminal 3, about 3.5 hours

Peak dayDoi Inthanon 2,565 m; park 300 THB foreign

SeasonCool November to February; haze risk March to April

Seven north days fit Chiang Mai, one mountain day, Pai, and Chiang Rai. They do not fit the full 600 km Mae Hong Son Loop. Sleep two nights in the Old City, take Doi Inthanon as a day, ride Highway 1095 to Pai, then Green Bus to Chiang Rai. Coffee highlands sit on the Inthanon road at Mae Klang Luang and again toward Doi Chang if you have a spare morning.

Prempracha holds the licensed Pai vans (route 612). Arcade Terminal 2 is the usual counter; some tickets print Terminal 3. Walk-up fares sit around 210 to 250 THB. They take a passport number. Green Bus VIP 24-seat coaches leave Arcade Terminal 3 for Chiang Rai Terminal 1. Chang Phuak (Terminal 1) is the wrong station for both rides. Check on arrival.

Day by day

Chiang Mai arrival

Fly CNX about 70 minutes from Bangkok, or wake on SRT 9. Sleep inside the moat. Temple booths 20 to 50 THB cash.

Old City and Nimman

Wat Phra Singh, Chedi Luang, a khao soi lunch. Nimman after dark. The moat loop is 75 to 90 minutes if you walk it.

Doi Inthanon

Leave by 07:00. Summit 2,565 m, Wachirathan, Twin Royal Pagodas 100 THB. Kew Mae Pan November to May with a 200 THB Hmong guide.

Highway 1095 to Pai

Prempracha van from Arcade Terminal 2, 762 bends, about 3.5 to 4.5 hours. Sleep in Pai town. Do not ride a scooter at night.

Pai morning, then east

Canyon or Walking Street at dawn. Afternoon van back toward Chiang Mai, or a booked car onward if you skip the return.

Chiang Rai

Green Bus VIP on Highway 118, about 3.5 hours. White Temple 200 THB for foreigners in 2026. Sleep in town.

Golden Triangle or coffee, then out

Chiang Saen or Sop Ruak if you want the Mekong. Doi Chang coffee if you want highlands. Fly CEI or bus back to CNX.

Pai, Chiang Rai, or both

Both fit this week if Doi Inthanon stays a day trip and Pai stays one night. Drop Pai if you hate vans. Drop the Golden Triangle if the White Temple is enough. The Mae Hong Son Loop is a different, longer product.

Stop	Who it fits	Skip if
Chiang Mai Old City	Everyone	You only have a weekend; then stay put
Doi Inthanon	Highlands, pagodas, a cool day	Burn-season haze in March and April
Pai	The 1095 night	You already feel van-sick
Chiang Rai	White Temple and a quieter grid	You would rather add a second Chiang Mai night

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Common questions

Can you scooter 1095 on day four?: Only with a motorcycle licence and an IDP that includes category A. Most first-week rentals belong on the Prempracha van.
Pai or Chiang Rai if you must cut one?: Keep Chiang Rai if temples are the week. Keep Pai if the ridge road is why you came north.
Is the Mae Hong Son Loop in these seven days?: No. That loop needs four days on its own after Chiang Mai. This plan uses Pai as a night, not as a 600 km circuit.