The hike to Mae Yen waterfalls is a relatively easy hike to do on your own if you would like to spend one day in nature once in Pai. It is really not crowded so you can expect to enjoy your time in the peaceful forest almost by yourself! You cannot really get lost because the trail is easy to follow and even if you are not sure of the way you just need to follow the river upstream to meet the trail again.
You can reach the beginning of the trail by foot from Pai village (count around 45 minutes, depending where you start from) or by bike (a parking will be indicated). To spot it on Google Maps just type “Mae Yen waterfalls Hiking Trail“. From that point you need to count around 2 hours to reach the waterfalls.
The trail is an easy jungle trail, accessible to all level; it is relatively flat all along except for one steep part towards the end (about 10 minutes walking up hill). However you need to take these points into account:
- There are about 35 river-crossing! While this is easy during the dry season, you may want to be extra-careful during the rainy season (actually I don’t even think the trail is accessible during the rainy season)
- It is a jungle trail so you will see many insects (including – inoffensive – spiders) and you may encounter some obstacles such as fallen trees
- It is getting very warm so make sure you bring enough water with you!
- In April 2018 there were many many bees around the waterfalls; if you stay relaxed they won’t sting you obviously but be careful. We didn’t read comments about it so it might just be a temporary phenomenon
Do we recommend it? Definitely! It was a very nice hike in a beautiful setting… even though the heat made it exhausting towards the end!!!
Now picture time!
