One of the most unique places we’ve ever been to in Thailand is called Bua Tong or the Sticky Waterfalls. Located about an hour and a half drive north of Chiang Mai’s Old City, these waterfalls are not only impressive and gorgeous, but a special feature allows you to climb directly up the rocks into the oncoming cascading water.
Although waterfalls are a common tourist attraction in Thailand, we’ve hadn’t seen this one listed in a guidebook. In fact, like many fun things we’ve done, this trip to the Sticky Waterfalls was recommended by a good Thai friend. This was an awesome addition to our trip to the Mae Ngat Dam floating houses one weekend.
The Science Behind the Sticky Waterfalls
Waterfalls are notoriously slippery. One usually goes down a waterfall thanks to gushing waters and slick surfaces. So how is it possible to climb up the Sticky Waterfalls?
The Sticky Waterfalls get their name from a mineral deposit that is incredibly grippy. In fact, the rocks feel like a hardened sponge. They are callous and even slightly prickly to the touch but surprisingly give a bit under pressure. Since no algae or slime adheres to the rocks, they are the perfect canvas to climb up the waterfall. It is impressively steep in some places, but with the aid of the limestone deposits on the stones, we felt like Spider-Man!
Brawn and Beauty
The Sticky Waterfalls are an impressive sight. The rocks are cream-colored and bulbous, almost cartoonish, and contrast beautifully with the dark green forest. And the water? Crystal clear and cool. It comes from a mineral spring so the waterfall is present year-round.
The surrounding forest floor is coated with moss and small colorful flowers. There are plenty of forest creatures like butterflies and water bugs, and there are even the occasional minnows.
These multi-tiered waterfalls are easy on the eyes and a great way to cool off in Thailand’s heat. They are a challenge to your muscles, though. If you do plan to climb these waterfalls, be prepared to work muscles in your legs and feet you never knew existed. Even if you don’t plan on getting wet clambering over the rocks, there are a couple hundred steep stairs that take you down the various levels of waterfalls. Make sure to save your energy for the trip back up!
Stay for a Picnic
Located in the Sri Lanna National Forest (pronounced See Lanna), the Sticky Waterfalls is a great place for a picnic. There are drinks and light snacks for sale on the premises and clean (although Thai-styled) bathrooms. Food is not allowed down in the waterfall area. However, there are plenty of picnic tables with shade near the top area of the park entrance.
Alternatively, about a five minutes drive before arriving at the park is a small outdoor market with several open-aired restaurants. Vendors can whip up Thai meals to-go that you can take with you to the park. There are also grilled meats, fresh fruits, and some small packaged Thai snacks that are perfect for picnicking.
In addition to picnic items, make sure to bring:
- Camera
- Towels or change of clothes
- Strap on sandals or water shoes
- Tissues/toilet paper
How to Get to the Bua Tong Sticky Waterfalls in Chiang Mai
The trip from Chiang Mai to the Sticky Waterfalls is about an hour and a half. The attraction is about 60 km north of the Old City, up Route 1001, in the Sri Lanna National Park.
The best way to get there is by hiring a local driver or tour guide. The guide from Take Me Tour knows where all the good climbing spots are, she’ll take pictures of you while you’re on the waterfalls, and stop for a Thai lunch, too. Otherwise, you can hail a songthaew (red truck taxi) from main streets of Chiang Mai’s Old City and hire the driver for the day.
If you’re comfortable driving, we recommend renting a car (or a motorbike if you have riding experience) and enjoy taking in the scenery on the way up.
The photos of this place hardly do it justice. Go there and see for yourself how amazing the waterfalls are. This was one of Angela’s family’s favorite places to visit in Chiang Mai during their two-week visit. We highly recommended checking it out!
Hi,I’m going this Nov.
Can you recommend which hotel nearest sticky waterfall ?
Is the waterfall handicap accessible? Or is there a hiking path that can be walked on for 80 year old?
I really want to visits but am very short for time in chaing mai, would it be realistic to visit in the after noon/evening time? Say about 4pm?
How long did the waterfall experience take? And we are a little short on time in Chiang Mai, so if you had to chose between the sticky waterfall or going to Doi Inthanon for hiking which would you chose?! Thank you!
Hi we plan on visiting Chang Mai with our 5 month old baby. We purchased a sturdy backpack are we able to climb up the waterfall with our baby?
The waterfall is not slippery but you are taking a risk climbing with your baby in a backpack in case you lose your balance or step in the rare slipper spot. That is your judgement call.
Just visited the falls and they are slippery. My daughter was cautious climbing down and still tumbled down. They didn’t feel prickly or spongy at all.
What an unusual experience! The five or six times we’ve been they are always not-slippery. Sorry to hear that!
Hi, I absolutely loved this waterfall when I visited it in 2016! It was so serene and lovely! Just a MASSIVE warning that it can in fact get quite slippery in areas so just watch out. When I was there, I stepped on a slippery patch and slid down about 20m and had to go to hospital. I wasn’t too badly injured though – I broke my wrist and had a couple of deep cuts and scrapes. But it could have been so much worse… Don’t let me deter you from going, it’s absolutely beautiful! Just maybe be super careful… Read more »
Thanks for the heads up! We can’t imagine walking on terra firma and the next having your feet slip out from under you! Hope you’ve recovered in full :/
Hi is it realistic to hire taxi driver to the
Sticky Waterfalls ?if yes how much is suppose to cost?
Taxi rates will be expensive because it’s quite far out of the city, so it’s not realistic. If you’re looking for a private driver, we recommend Ms. Piangduan from Take Me Tou. Have fun!
I just visited Sticky Falls mid November . We got there by motor bike but I did ask a woman who got there by red taxi what she was paying and she said 1000 baht and the driver agreed to hang out for 2 hours before her return to Chaing Mai. I don’t know if she came from the old city .
I am considering going there with my family in early April, but have a 6 month old daughter. Is the water there safe for swimming? Also are mosquitoes a problem in early April?
Thanks
The water isn’t deep enough to go swimming for an adult. It’ll be perfect for your little daughter to splash around in up to her ankles. The exception is the bottom tier of the waterfall (it’s the very last one since you’re climbing down). It has a pool of water about mid-thigh deep. It’s really clear and clean to go in, just be careful with her because it’s deep. There shouldn’t be many mosquitos because it will still be smoky season in April – the rains don’t come until late May or early June. Have a WONDERFUL trip!
Yes, I think it not swimming . It climbing and it not dangerous for a child but I think at that time maybe not have water or just a little water. And about a mosquito in Thailand is very common please bring your protection. :)
Local people ^^
I’m heading here tomorrow! I’ll be going by bike as I love bike trips and have done many in Vietnam. Is there a prefered route that is more beautiful? Also, I want to make it a full-day bike trip, is there anywhere of interest or any nice roads nearby? Thanks for the great article 😊
we arrive at Chiang Mai airport 11.40 on July 21st next year and will then need to leave our suitcases at the hotel (C H Hotel) etc. Will it be realistic to expect to get a red car to the Bua Thong waterfalls that afternoon? We only have 2 and a half days there and want to do elephant sanctuary, waterfalls and some kind of trekking. We’re a family of 5 with 3 teenagers. What time would we need to leave the waterfalls? Thanks for any advice!
Yes, you’d be able to squeeze in a trip to the waterfalls on the same day. We think the park closes at sunset (5pm or 6pm?), so if you check into your hotel around 1pm and then head out (an hours drive) you’ll have 2-3 hours there, which is perfect. Have a great time!
I really want to go to the sticky waterfalls next year when I’m there, but.. I’m going alone. Is it recommendable and what would be the best way for me to get there?
You can rent a motorbike or a car if you are comfortable driving in Thailand. We would recommend going with someone else as a safety precaution. The falls are beautiful, but as with many natural attractions in Thailand, it is a “proceed at your own risk” type of place. There are always people going, so if you want some company try joining some of the backpacker Facebook groups and put out an open invitation to split a songtaew (red truck). This type of spur of the moment group trip is a very popular way to go for solo travelers. Safe… Read more »
Thanks for sharing this, I’m headed to Chiang Mai in a few months and will definitely be adding this to the itinerary along with the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. Question; is the traffic busy on the way? I would prefer to drive myself but am always concerned about travelling by motorbike on busy highways. Thanks!
Not trafficy aside from the usual rush hour times of 8-9ish and 5 in the afternoon on weekdays. But in our experience, it’s only on the city outskirts where things get a little bottle-necked. Have a great time!
GAH! How did I miss this place?
Thanks for sharing – I must add it on my to-do list if I ever come back to Chiang Mai again.
Yeah, it’s fantastic. Definitely worth the day trip out of the city.
Thanks for your article. We went today with our 2 children (2 and 4 year old) and everybody enjoyed it!
You’re very welcome :) Glad to hear your family had fun. One-of-a-kind place, isn’t it?!
Hello Chris and Angela, I am going to visit Chiang Mai in November and one of the things I really want to do is go to these waterfalls.
I just have two questions, do you pay to get in and if there are cabs avaiable around the park?
Thank you :)
Free entrance for everyone. There are no cabs there unless there is already a driver who is waiting on another group and yiu negotiatr with them to drive you home. Otherwise, you’d ask your driver who took yiur to the waterfalls to wait while you visit. Have fun!
Thanks so much for this review. My husband and I discovered sticky waterfalls today. We hired a taxi for 1500 baht, for most of the day, he was very chatty, from a mountain village and had lots to tell us about northern Thailand. We were very happy with the price and service and loved the national park and waterfalls
It’s such a unique spot, isn’t it? That must have been an unexpected treat to have your driver tell you all about Northern Thailand :)
We are thinking about going to the Sticky waterfall but are concerned that there may not be any water since it is the hot/dry season. Any idea about whether there is water all year round?
Yup, year round.
is Stsicky waterfalls on way to doi suthep Mt or in that direction?
Doi Suthep is northwest of the city, the sticky waterfalls are directly north.
Thank you for only recommending Elephant nature park for elephant experiences!!! It’s true that it’s the only safe project here and that anywhere else you give your money is supporting horrific abuse of elephants. The country is changing, little by little though. Thanks to the efforts and hard work of Lek and the other crew of Save Elephant Foundation! Elephant nature park is an awesome experience and we’ll worth it!!!
You’re welcome. We also recommend Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, a place we’ve personally visited and saw the care they gave them. We are glad Thailand is slowly turning around too, and that more visitors are becoming aware of a better alternative to seeing elephants.
How long is the hike would you say? I’m bringing a local friend and she doesn’t like exerting herself much but I feel like it’s an easy hike. What do you think? Do you have to hike from the parking lot to the waterfall or is it close to at least get to the first view?
Hey! It is about a one minute walk on flat ground to the first view point and about a 3 to 5 minute walk down big steps to get to the main waterfall area. We’d say it is a fairly easy hike down, but you might break a little sweat going back up. Have fun!!
Thank you for the information. So riding an elephant is not like riding a horse? Is it considered abusive to ride an elephant? The Karen hill tribe lodge looks like an amazing experience. And they have an hour or so on the elephant.
An elephant’s spine is very different from a horse’s and is not designed to carry a heavy load (i.e, humans on their backs). There is a vertical ridge of bones that makes their back very delicate and not fit for riding (just Google “elephant skeleton”), although it’s easy to think it’s ok to ride simply because they are large animals. Horses, on the other hand, have rib cages like ours that extend horizontally without the additional ridge. The link I previously provided mentions the “breaking” of the young elephant and the daily abuse it withstands during trekking. This typically involves… Read more »
I was wondering if I could pick your brain about an elephant trek/tour we are trying to book. We have two very different companies we are looking at- one is Asia elephant safari/Karen hill tribe lodge and the other is blue elephant safari. Do you have a recommendation?
Absolutely! We only only only recommend Elephant Nature Park, located very close to the Bua Tong Sticky Waterfalls. You get to participate with an organization that treats the elephants with the utmost care and respect and there is no riding. We think it’s important to promote responsible tourism, especially because many people don’t know the horrors and abuse elephants go through before they are ridden. Here’s a great article by a fellow blogger and his experience about choosing to not ride an elephant. We hope you decide to go with Elephant Nature Park! It will certainly be an experience you… Read more »
This is unique places only in thailand not far from chiang mai city
It’s not far at all and can be squeezed into your itinerary, even if you are only visiting Chiang Mai for a few days.
This is one of the weirdest things I’ve heard of in a while! Weird, but definitely totally cool. Nature, you’re so crazy!
~Sara
these look gorgeous! off to chaing mai on saturday, what are you must do tips?
Make a two day trip out of the waterfalls and the floating bungalows; go to the Saturday or Sunday Night Walking Street (ask any tuk-tuk driver and they’ll take you there); eat at the food stalls at Chiang Mai Gate (south gate) or the Chang Puak Gate (north gate); go to Maya Mall; hang out in Nimmenhamen area; go up Doi Suthep Mt. Enjoy!