From the north the way to Pak Nai Fishing Village and Ferry is where Route 1026 makes a turn east at the intersection with iconic Rural Road 4010 at Na Thanung. The 10000mile Bikers Cafe around the corner is confirmation you have taken the correct turn.

Route 1266 weaves 77 kilometres through the Phi Pan Nam Range to the Pak Nai Fishing Village, in the south of Nan Province.

Pak Nai is on an upper arm of the Sirikit Dam Reservoir. It originally was on the bank of the Nan River. When Sirikit Dam was completed in 1974 Pak Nai was submerged. The fishing community responded to this displacement by building their houses on rafts that ensured they would never lose their village again and, moreover, could compensate for changing water levels in the reservoir.

The main reason for using the ferry crossing if heading south from Nan is that it shortens the journey by many kilometres.

The 20 minute ferry crossing of an upper arm of the Sirikit Reservoir at Pak Nai allows more direct access to Nam Pat and ultimately a shorter journey to Phitsanulok and surrounds.

The ferry operates on demand from different locations within the village depending on the water level in the reservoir and lands at a point 1.5km south-east of the fishing village — or reverse, depending on your direction of travel. This south-east landing point is the start/finish of Route 1339 that runs to Nam Pat in Uttaradit Province.

There is no need to book the ferry. In actuality, as there is no internet there is no way to book the ferry. Don’t believe uninformed comment that you have to arrive by mid morning to ensure you can get to other side. It’s a commercial operation. If there are customers it operates. Just turn up and pay cash. Between 2025 and 2026 the fare increased from ฿200 to ฿300.

Without the ferry Pak Nai would a dead end, requiring a 230 kilometre detour around the reservoir. The journey from Na Noi to Phitsanulok (either east or west around Sirikit Reservoir) is 329 kilometres whereas going through Pak Nai reduces this to 264 kilometres.

 

© Kim Epton 2026
455 words written entirely by the author, not AI.
Nine photographs, one image.

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