Bua Thong waterfalls

Why Bua Thong waterfalls is special ?

Bua Thong is one of the most unique places in Thailand. 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!

The Bua Tong Waterfall is actually a series of horsetail falls (water flowing over rocks without cascading or abruptly dropping) that cut through the jungle landscape, but what makes them unique is that they flow over tiers of porous limestone. Water is constantly rushing over the limestone, but the surface of the limestone has an almost sticky feel that creates great traction with skin. As a result, you can walk down the falls as if there were no water at all.

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What to explore at Bua Thong waterfalls?

The Sticky Waterfalls get their name from a mineral deposit that provides an incredibly grippy surface for bare feet and hands. In fact, the rocks feel like hardened sponges, callous and even slightly prickly to the touch, but surprisingly give a bit under pressure. There are also no algae or slime that adheres to the rocks, leaving a 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!

From the top of the waterfall you can admire the mountains and the jungle. You can also do what the locals do and have a picnic. The small pool on the left that you see in the picture below is absolutely safe for the kids to have a splash.

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How to get to Bua Thong waterfalls?

It takes about an hour drive from the city center of Chiang Mai to get to sticky waterfalls and directions are pretty straight forward. Drive on the superhighway towards the Central Festival Mall in Chiang Mai and take the exit up the 1001 highway towards Phrao. You'll drive past Mae Jo University and keep heading north, ignoring the random 1001 turn off that goes south east. Just go straight past Mae Jo University and keep driving north.

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