Prem Pracha is a bus company based in Chiang Mai. It operates van rides between Chiang Mai and the popular tourist destinations in Northern Thailand – Pai and Mae Hong Son.
Prempracha has around 40 years of experience within Mae Hong Son province and is the leading transport operator in the region.
The journey takes around four hours and follows the notoriously famous Chiang Mai–Pai route 1095 featuring 762 turns.
On their route to Pai, Prem Pracha vans pass through Soppong, the prime destination for caving.
Chiang Mai–Mae Hong Son
From Chiang Mai you can also visit Mae Hong Son a bit further afield. There are buses all day through between 06.30 and 20.00 from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son.
Chiang Mai–Mae Hong Son route is served by both Prem Pracha buses and vans.
Note that the vans that connect Chiang Mai – Mae Hong Son also stop at Pai and Soppong on the journey.
Chiang Mai–Mae Sariang
Chiang Mai to Mae Sariang is another popular route offered by Prempracha, with seven services per day making the four-hour trip.
The alternative for getting to Mae Sariang is hopping onto a cheaper local bus equipped with fan ceilings only. If choosing between these two options, we highly recommend you to consider Prem Pracha vans.
The biggest advantage with Prem Pracha is the decades of experience in the mountainous regions of Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son provinces. The company enjoys an excellent reputation and is rightfully considered one of the most reliable and popular options for travel in the northern regions of Thailand.
The company boasts high safety standards and outstanding safety records. Prempracha buses are equipped with safety belts and the staff puts a lot of effort into keeping high safety standards.
There are plenty of departure times to choose from on all of the routes offered by Prem Pracha so there is bound to be a service that will suit your schedule.
The option of an overnight service from Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai can be very useful if you have an early morning flight back from Chiang Mai airport as this will save you the cost of overnight accommodation. This option is a rarity on these routes.
Cons
If you suffer from motion sickness then come prepared with tablets to combat this as a lot of the journey will be on winding mountain roads and the hour or so before you reach Pai is particularly bad. Of course, this is more of an issue with the terrain and the quality of the road than with the operator.
Almost all the vehicles on these routes are minibuses/vans which will be fine for a shorter journey but may get a little cramped if you are making the longer trips between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son.
Prem Pracha reviews
The level of service and the quality of the minibuses is superior with Prem Pacha compared to many other operators on these routes. It is a very popular option for both locals and visitors who wish to travel between Chiang Mai and towns such as Pai and Mae Hong Son.
Prem Pacha can boast loads of experience so visitors will feel safe on these services, something that is very important on a potentially dangerous route.
Prem Pacha drivers tend to drive more cautiously than the drivers employed by some other companies on these routes so the operator has probably done all it can to make the journey as comfortable as possible.
Chiang Mai Arcade 2PaiMae Hong SonKhun YuamMae Sariang
Prem Pracha Company Reviews
A K
Alex K
Ride is expected but the people running it were unnecessarily rude both before and during the trip
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Jul 4, 2024
L K
Lucy K
skay
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Jun 14, 2024
B B
Brett B
The swaying is a bit hard to sleep but definitely worth paying for the 2nd class with ac for the trip in my experience!
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Jun 14, 2024
E K
Emma K
Perfect wasn’t not as bad as everyone says it is, ac was working well
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Jun 13, 2024
J S
Julie S
Fine ride :) arrived hour early
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Jun 12, 2024
M M
Miss M
The driver was extremely rude!!!
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, May 6, 2024
P O
Peter O
Like the other reviews it’s very cheap so don’t expect to much ride is crazy windy people throwing up others snoring but got there early and always felt safe. it is what it is
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, May 1, 2024
L H
Lovisa H
Very rude and angry driver
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Apr 29, 2024
A J
Aurelio J
Best experience in Thailand if you love F1 xD 4h journey was done in 2h. Fernando Alonso would not have been able to complete the 762 curves on that time on a Ferrari. Congratulations driver! xD
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Apr 23, 2024
I T
Isabelle T
Bus left half an hour later than stated, then after 45 minutes of driving the driver was on the phone, pulled over on to the side of the road. He then turned around and drove another 30 minutes back towards Pai, not telling us any information on why we had turned around. We picked up 4 locals from the side of the road and then continued back to chiang mai. Horrible journey.
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Apr 13, 2024
D P
Davina P
Easy
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Apr 1, 2024
T G
Tom G
The driver was great
He drove slow and safley
The minibus itself is spacious and nice
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Mar 16, 2024
B S
Beruta S
Comfortable ride. Driver handled the windy road conditions. Short comfort stop midway. Left on time. Arrived early.
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Mar 8, 2024
L F
Lukas F
The driver drove like a madman, sometimes you really thought it was a race track for him... we arrived 2 hours earlier than planned
This review was autotranslated
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Mar 7, 2024
H N
Hanna N
Everything worked well, the bus was just very small and hot, but other than that, all good!
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Mar 7, 2024
W R
Wolf R
Well, they get you there. And the airco more or less works. And we didn't die, but that's probably just because we were lucky. If you scare easily, you might want another way of getting to Pai. If not, it's fine, even if the driver thinks he's driving a formula 1 car
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Mar 5, 2024
S H
Sophia H
left on time, took a break, arrived early. Driver was safe
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Mar 2, 2024
W R
Wolf R
Comfortable bus, airco too much so really cold in the night. Bring large towel or have long sleeves. We arrived almost an hour late due to the heavy traffic in the beginning so keep in mind that this can happen
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Mar 1, 2024
A H
Andrew H
Cramped in the back row, otherwise very good.
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Feb 25, 2024
N L
Nicholas L
Decent. Not super comfortable or uncomfortable. The driver went pretty fast at some points which scared people in the bus bc we had heard of an accident that had happened just a few days before. Would recommend a private transfer if carsick.
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Feb 25, 2024
M C
Matthew C
Decent ride. We have taken this bus like 4 times to and from Chiang Mai-Pai. Yes granted it's a bit of luck of the draw with what bus you get - some are newer than others but on the whole for a bargain price, and about a 3 hour ride with some absolutely stunning views one really cannot complainm
For as windy the road is the driver did a good job managing the curves.
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Feb 1, 2024
L L
Lavadio L
On time and efficiant. Good driver.
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Jan 27, 2024
S C
Shannie C
The train in ok, simple, average maintenance.
I don't have high demands, so for me it was enough and I slept ok. The only thing is the operator's service, the communication was very bad, from on boarding impatient, picking on thinkgs, loud voice from 6am, always with angry face... I felt very inconvenient to ask, move or do something not to get their bad reaction, avoid even I looking... As I'm not a costumer, just a bother to him. That was very bad.
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Jan 2, 2024
S P
Sebastien P
We left slightly after the giving time (+10mn).
Van was full with passengers and many bags. Got to sit at the back with all luggage on the left hand side which could feel a bit overwhelming.
Driver was good though and for the first time in Thailand, A/C was not full on.
We got there 50mn ahead of given time. Road with lots of curves (+700) so I took tablets to avoid being sick and it worked wonders. I highly recommend if you are subject to sickness as others in the van were feeling nauseous.
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Dec 29, 2023
A R
Anneli R
The bus left one out too late.
My child
Forgot a bag on his seat and it was not left at the desk for
Lost and found.
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Dec 27, 2023
E T
Eliska T
the bus was timely, and stopped at a requested point at Pa Pae for me. Thank you!
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Dec 26, 2023
K K
Khadija K
The driver was good and quiet on time
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Dec 14, 2023
T R
Tamara R
No break and no stops, so we arrived an hour earlier due to fast driving
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Dec 11, 2023
L K
Lotte K
The bus was very small and uncomfortable. But that was not even the issue. We where scared to dead by the drivers drivingstyle. He took over busses and cars in a turn and drove way too hard.
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Dec 10, 2023
C L
Cristian L
Arrived 1h30’ before.
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Dec 9, 2023
E B
Esther B
Very organised and efficient. Highly recommend
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Dec 8, 2023
A M
Alice M
very comfortable drive, driver was very accommodating despite the car sickness - stopped at a toilet and shop along the way. definitely recommend!
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Dec 7, 2023
N T
Nassima T
I recommend this company ! We arrived 1h before the expected time.
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Dec 5, 2023
S E
Sem E
A bit of a scary and fast drive, but overall quite comfortable and pick-up location was communicated correctly.
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Dec 1, 2023
F H
Frieder H
Quick and Safe driving; arrived in under three hours!
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Nov 28, 2023
R K
Ro K
yes the road has lots of curves. It is not bad, I could sleep a little. the morning bus was 1 hour 10 faster than expected. the arrival station is in the middle of pai. recommend it
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Nov 13, 2023
J G
Jan G
Car without A/C, Driver has performed a very bad and risky style of drive
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Nov 12, 2023
M C
Martin C
Nice van with AC and 1 stop with facilities. Total duration is actually 3 hours.
HOWEVER, driver drove very badly in the curves, would burp loudly all the time whilst drinking soda, make stops for his own snacks, be on the phone. Very rude
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Nov 7, 2023
A L
Aoife L
It’s a windy road so if you get travel sick just prepare yourself! Wasn’t as bad as I expected though!
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Nov 3, 2023
R W
Ricky W
Nice ride, but if you book in the local bureau or hostels, the price will be cheaper (100-150thb)
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Nov 3, 2023
A V
Alte V
Sorry, we krijgen de Mini Van niet mee. We maakten een vergissing bij het reizen. Dus we zijn niet gegaan.
This review was autotranslated
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Nov 1, 2023
G B
Gemma B
Was on time and got to Pai over an hour early!
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Oct 30, 2023
J G
Jennifer G
The driver wasnt very polite.
The van was dirty
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Oct 28, 2023
B G
Brian G
A much better driver than previously
He drove sensibly and with care and patience
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Oct 27, 2023
J K
Jenna K
The ride was very windy as expected, glad we were told about that. The bus left on time and arrived early however we did not know where to check in or where the bus would be waiting as the check in counter didn't tell us anything.
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Oct 24, 2023
C S
Corinna S
The bus was very on time (left before actual departure) and the driver drove very fast therefor we arrived before actual arrival. For me it was good, on the other hand one girl had to vomit the whole ride because the way is steady with riding slowly a challenge.
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Oct 17, 2023
A V
Anne V
Please ask the driver to drive more slowly. Its already a though ride with all those curves without the high speed he was going for.
Bus Minivan, Prem Pracha, Oct 15, 2023
4.3
3219 customer reviews
5
51%
4
30%
3
13%
2
6%
1
0%
94.4% of 3,219 travelers were presumably happy with Prem Pracha as they left good or no review