We had a look around Pai for buses going to Sukhothai but we couldn't find any on offer. The only choice we had was to get a minibus to Chiang Mai and then a bus onwards. We manged to do this for 357 baht each.
In Pai, we booked a minibus with a company called Prempacha. We decided to use them instead of aYa Services as they drop you off at the bus station in Chiang Mai. This cost 150 baht each which included a bottle of water. We booked onto the 8am minibus and arrived 10 minutes prior to departure. 3 minibuses were leaving at this time so check your receipt for the bus number and your seat numbers. Big backpacks go onto the roof and they are covered in case of rain. The journey again took around 3 hours with a short stop in the middle.
We arrived around 11am at Chiang Mai bus station and quickly found a company called WinTour offering bus tickets to Sukhothai for a reasonable price of 207 baht leaving at 12. Please be aware that this was a second class bus, I'm unsure what time first class buses leave.
We boarded the bus straight away in order to get good seats as you aren't allocated any. We managed to sit on the back row upstairs in front of the emergency exit with extra legroom however bags will get piled up here too!
At Chiang Mai bus station, there are toilet facilities, some food/drink stalls and a 7- eleven around the corner. Stock up for 6/7 hours as you won't be stopping again to buy anything.
We left bang on 12 with a full bus mainly of locals but a few tourists. It was a very basic bus, with cracked windows, a broken toilet and very weak aircon. It got quite hot at times! On a positive note, the seats were comfy and we arrived on time. Throughout the journey, the bus stopped many times picking up and dropping off locals. They also stop at Lampang and Tak bus stations which is the best chance to use a toilet.
We pulled into Sukhothai bus station around 6.45pm which is located 1km away from New Sukhothai. We then got a tuk tuk to our hotel in New Sukhothai for 120 baht which we now know was 40-60 baht too much. They also have wooden buses that go to the New and Old Sukhothai for 30 baht per person but I think they stop running around 6pm.
3 out of 5
A quick note about New Sukhothai; it is a very quiet place with limited restaurants/bars/cafes and things to do. It costs 30 baht to get the bus to the historical park which is very nice!
At 180 baht each, we decided to just book the minibus to Pai with our hotel '24 Guesthouse'. We booked onto the 11am bus and we were picked up by a pick up truck and taken to the minibus.
The company was called aYa Services and have offices in both Chiang Mai and Pai. It might be a little cheaper booking directly with them.
After another pick up truck of people turned up, we left for Pai. It takes around 3 hours with a short stop in the middle. The journey involves some very windy roads and even I started to feel a little light headed by the time we arrived! If you get travel sick, make sure you take some medication as you have 762 curves to deal with!
We arrived on time at aYa Services office on walking Street in the centre of Pai.
4 out of 5
We booked our final bus out of Laos at our hotel Thaveesinh opposite the gibbon experience office. The ticket costs 90,000kip which included a tuk tuk to the border, bus transfer over the friendship bridge and a minibus to Chiang Mai on the Thai side.
The tuk tuk picked us up 8.30am and we were given a sticker so the minibus driver in Thailand knows who to look for. After 20/30 minutes we arrived at the border.
Laos passport control is quite quick but can be limited to only 2 queues for foreigners. Make sure you fill your departure card in before queuing up or you'll be sent back to complete this. One additional note; we were required to pay 10,000kip each to leave Laos after passport control.
We waited for the border crossing bus to pick us up, we'd been allocated a ticket for this. Again this is pretty quick and we arrived at Thailand's border control (Chiang Khong). We had to fill in an arrival card and queue up to be stamped into the country.
Prior to arriving, we had heard/read various things on whether you get a 15 or 30 day visa at a land border. Most official sources say 15 days, however we received 30 days.
We then met our pick up driver and got told we will leave in about an hour, presumably waiting for more people. After half an hour we were ushered onto the minibus and within 15 minutes it was full and we set off for Chiang Mai.
The drive was fine and took about 5 hours with a 30 minute stop. We arrived in Chiang Mai around 4pm and got dropped off opposite the main entrance gates to the old town. From here it's easy to grab a red sorngtaaou (red pick up truck) to your accommodation for 20 to 40 baht per person.
4 out of 5
