Pai River

Pai River
Pai River near Mae Hong Son, Thailand
Map of the Thai highlands
Location
CountryThailand, Myanmar
StateMae Hong Son Province (Thailand), Kayah State (Myanmar)
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationDaen Lao Range, Pai district, Mae Hong Son province, Thailand
 • coordinates19°27′0″N 98°29′20″E / 19.45000°N 98.48889°E / 19.45000; 98.48889
 • elevation1,170 m (3,840 ft)
MouthSalween
 • location
Punghsa-se, Kayah State, Myanmar
 • coordinates
19°08′45″N 97°32′40″E / 19.14583°N 97.54444°E / 19.14583; 97.54444
 • elevation
111 m (364 ft)
Length180 km (110 mi)

The Pai River (Thai: แม่น้ำปาย, Thai pronunciation: [mɛ̂ːnáːm paːj]; RTGSMaenam Pai) is a river that originates in the mountains of the Daen Lao Range, in Pai district, Mae Hong Son province, Thailand. It flows first in a north–south direction and then east–west, down to Mueang Mae Hong Son district and across the Thai/Myanmar border. The river flows into the Salween River in Kayah State, Myanmar. It is 180 kilometres (110 mi) long.

In the Lanna language (), "Pai" means "male elephant", comparable to the word "plai" in the central Thai language. There is a story that in 1477, King Tilokaraj, ruler of the Lanna Kingdom, ordered his cousin Prince Si Chaiya to attack Ban Don. Meanwhile, one of his white elephants fled, and it was later found swimming in this river.[1]

Pai River is popular for whitewater rafting.[2] Rapids on the river range from class I to class IV on the International Scale of River Difficulty.

See also

References

  1. ^ Deja, Ong-Arg (23 December 2006). ""ปาย" เปลี่ยนไป..." ["Pai" has changed...]. Prachatai (in Thai). Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  2. ^ "Rafting Along the Pai River". Tourism Thailand. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.