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A barefoot climber going up the limestone terraces of the Bua Thong sticky waterfall, water running around him

Bua Thong, full day

The Sticky Waterfall you climb barefoot, and the Dantewada angel park

A waterfall that grips the soles of your feet, and a garden park built for the opposite mood, in one day north of the city.

Full dayBua Thongfrom €34
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Duration

Full day

Stops

4 on the route

Starts in

Bua Thong

Price

From €34

The experience

Best for
Climbing a waterfall barefoot, with children or without
Not for you if
You cannot put weight on wet uneven rock. The falls are the day, and watching from the bottom is a thin version of it

The Bua Thong falls, about sixty kilometres north of Chiang Mai in Si Lanna National Park, are the strangest swimmable thing in the province and they are free to enter. The water runs over limestone, and the mineral it deposits builds a surface with the texture of coarse rock rather than the slime you get on any other wet stone. The result is that you can walk straight up the face of the waterfall, barefoot, against the current, without a rope and without technique. Everybody disbelieves this until their foot sticks. There are ropes bolted along parts of it, and almost nobody needs them.

At the top is Chet Si Fountain, the spring the whole thing comes out of, which is cold, clear and worth the extra five minutes most groups do not take. The falls sit in several tiers, so the climb is a sequence rather than a single wall, and you can go up and come back down as many times as your feet will tolerate. It is the rare attraction that is both genuinely unusual and entirely free, which is why every operator in Chiang Mai runs a version of it.

Read the rest

This particular day pairs it with Dantewada Land of Angels, a landscaped park in the same direction with flower gardens, ornamental buildings and animals you can feed. The two halves have nothing in common and that is the point of the pairing: one is a physical, slightly absurd scramble up wet rock, the other is a slow walk through somewhere designed entirely to be photographed. Six to eight hours all told, and a private version is available if you would rather not share the vehicle.

Everybody disbelieves the waterfall grips until their foot sticks to it.

The route

  1. A hairpin bend of tarmac road seen from above, cut through the dense forest of the north

    North to Si Lanna National Park

    About an hour and sixty kilometres out of the city, into the hills where the limestone starts.

  2. Water running over the pale limestone terraces of the Bua Thong sticky waterfall, between the roots of tall trees

    Bua Thong, the Sticky Waterfall

    Barefoot up the face, against the current, on rock that grips like coarse sandpaper. Several tiers, as many times up and down as your feet allow.

  3. The Chet Si spring, a pool of clear blue-green water in the forest with a sunken log on its floor

    Chet Si Fountain

    The spring at the top, cold and clear, five minutes past where most groups turn around. Worth the five minutes.

  4. A wide ornamental waterfall over a mossy rock wall, planted terraces at its foot

    Dantewada Land of Angels

    Flower gardens, ornamental buildings and animals to feed. Nothing to climb and nothing to dry off from: the deliberate opposite of the morning.

Why this one

01

A waterfall that grips

Limestone deposits give the rock the texture of coarse sandpaper. You climb the face barefoot, against the current, with no rope and no skill required.

02

Chet Si Fountain at the top

The spring the whole waterfall comes out of: cold, clear and five minutes past where most groups turn round.

03

The falls themselves are free

Entry to Bua Thong costs nothing. What you are paying for is the sixty kilometres, the driver and the second stop, which is honest arithmetic worth knowing.

04

Dantewada, for the other mood

Flower gardens, ornamental buildings and animals to feed. Nothing to climb, nothing to get wet, deliberately the opposite of the morning.

05

A private version exists

The same itinerary without sharing the vehicle, if the group format is what puts you off day trips.

What is included

Included

  • Hotel pickup and drop-off in Chiang Mai
  • Transport for the day, about two hours of road in total
  • A driver and guide for both stops
  • Time at the falls long enough to climb them more than once

Not included

  • Entry to the Dantewada park, and the animal food if you want to feed them
  • Lunch and drinks
  • A towel and dry clothes, which the waterfall makes non-negotiable
  • Tips, welcome but never expected

Practical detail

Duration
6 to 8 hours door to door
Where
Bua Thong falls in Si Lanna National Park, about 60 km north, plus the Dantewada park
Pickup
From your hotel in Chiang Mai. Time and point are confirmed when you book
The climb
Barefoot, against the current, up several tiers. Ropes are fitted on some sections and are rarely needed
Wear
A swimsuit under quick-drying clothes. Bare feet grip better than any shoe, so leave the sandals at the bottom
Bring
A towel, dry clothes, and a sealed bag: a phone in a pocket on that rock will not survive the day
Group
Shared vehicle by default. A private option is available at a different price
Best season
Any, but the flow is strongest just after the rains and the rock grips in all of them
Booking window
At least 3 hours ahead
Cancellation
Free cancellation applies; the exact terms for your booking are shown before you pay

Read the guide page: travel info ▸

Common questions

Is the waterfall really not slippery?

Really. The water carries dissolved limestone and deposits it as it flows, and the deposit is porous and rough rather than smooth, so it grips bare skin like coarse sandpaper. Algae, which is what makes normal wet rock lethal, does not get a foothold. Go barefoot: shoes are worse, not better, and the sensation of walking up a waterfall with no equipment is the entire reason to come.

There are three Sticky Waterfall trips on this site. Which one?

This one is the full day with the Dantewada park, flower gardens and animals, and it has a private option. The bamboo rafting day is eight hours and swaps the gardens for a river raft. The small group day is five hours, costs more, and buys you a smaller vehicle and a relaxed pace. Pick by what you want beside the falls, because the falls are identical in all three.

Is the entrance free?

To Bua Thong, yes: it sits inside a national park area and charges nothing. The Dantewada park has its own admission, which is not included here. Your money on this booking pays for the drive, the driver and the day being organised, not for access to the waterfall.

How wet do I get?

Soaked, if you do it properly. You are climbing up through falling water. Swimsuit underneath, dry clothes in the vehicle, and anything electronic sealed or left behind.

Can children do the climb?

Many do, and the grip works the same for small feet. The tiers vary though, and some sections have a real drop beside them, so children need a hand and an adult who is watching rather than filming. Say their ages when you book.

Could I just get there myself?

You could: it is sixty kilometres north, and a rented scooter or a private car will do it. The falls cost nothing to enter, so a self-drive day is genuinely cheap. What you are buying here is not access, it is somebody else doing two hours of driving on roads you do not know, plus the second stop.

Book it

Ready when you are

Dates, times and live prices come up at the next step. Booking takes two minutes, and the cancellation terms are shown before you pay.

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From €34

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