Pai Canyon

Kong Lan, as it is known locally, is a set of eroded ridges in soft red sandstone on the edge of the Pai valley. A concrete stair from the car park reaches a viewpoint in a few minutes, and beyond that the ground narrows into fins a metre or less across with drops of ten or twenty metres on either side. Paths branch and rejoin along the ridge, and how far you get is a question of nerve rather than fitness, since some links need hands and a controlled slide down loose earth. Pines grow on the flat tops. Below is the floor of the valley, rice fields and the river, with hills closing it in on all sides.

What you actually see

• The narrow fins - ridge paths a metre wide with red earth falling away on both sides.
• The valley floor - rice fields, the Pai river and the ring of hills around the basin.
• The pines - scattered trees rooted along the flat tops of the ridges.
• The first viewpoint - five minutes from the car park, and where everyone gathers at sunset.

When to go

The cool dry months from November to February give firm ground and clearer air. Late afternoon is the standard visit, which is also when the first viewpoint is most crowded; early morning is close to empty. Skip it during and just after rain, when the earth turns slick. Nothing is lit for the walk back down.

Honest expectations

This is a genuinely exposed walk with no railings, no marked route and a surface that crumbles underfoot, and people get hurt here. Flip-flops are a poor idea. It is far smaller than the word canyon suggests, and half an hour covers the easy part. Sunset draws a crowd to a viewpoint with room for a fraction of it.

Nearby

Pai town, the Tha Pai hot spring and the Mae Yen waterfall are all close.