Sticky Waterfall or officially known as Bua Tong waterfall

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Sticky waterfall is really beautiful journey and incredible falls

The Sticky Waterfall is an amazing day trip outside Chiang Mai. It’s very cool to walk up and refresh yourself.

The Buatong Sticky Waterfall are located about 60 km north of Chiang Mai City, in the Sri Lanna National Park. Not too many people know about this sticky waterfall, because it’s off the well-worn tourist track.

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The Sticky Waterfall 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.

There are 3 different levels to experience, in which the top levels are the starting point. The rocks are cream colored and bulbous, almost cartoonish, and contrast beautifully with the dark green forest. And the water? Crystal clear and cool. In the rainy season (June through September), you can expect the water to be more rapids-like and powerful as they surge down the falls.

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Thanks to the lime stone, which floats in the water, the rocks are not slippery and you can climb them easily without any equipment. You don’t even need shoes! The rocks are a little prickly, and some feel like pumice stones. The middle level seems to be a little more dangerous and slippery. Also, it is better not to walk around the paddles in your flip flops as you can easily lose them in the mud.

Bring :

  • Bathing suit
  • Camera
  • Towel
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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 (there are no trash cans to dispose of your garbage), but there are plenty of picnic tables with shade near the top area of the park entrance.

How to get to Buatong Sticky Waterfall

Buatong Sticky waterfall is located north of Chiang Mai. To get there, you need to take the 1001 Highway, and that is the easiest part of the trip. If you are on the Superhighway, the 1001 turn-off is on the north side of the highway, east of Chang Phuak Road. It’s the one that leads to Mae Jo. You stay on the 1001 for pretty much the whole journey. The hard part of this trip is knowing when to turn off to the waterfalls, because contrary to what earlier blog posts and articles might say, the waterfall is NOT well signposted. In fact, when we eventually realised we had already seen and passed the sign to the waterfall road, it was only because there are no other signs for 5km after that one. So if you see a big old sign that is completely washed out and faded, with a few other little indecipherable signs scattered around it, you’re almost definitely on the right track. Also, it is the next road after a series of wooden huts selling vegetables and plants, along with a tiny bottle store, and probably a few friendly locals milling about. It’s not hard to miss 🙂

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Entrance fee : Admission is Free

Operating time : 06.00 a.m. – 06.00 p.m.

Address : Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Mae Ho Phra, Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 50150

rs: 08:00 – 17:00

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