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Chiang Mai · Mae Taeng · Bua Tong
Sticky Waterfall Tour from Chiang Mai
Six hours from Chiang Mai: Dantewada's landscaped Land of Angels park, then two hours at the Bua Tong Sticky Waterfall to climb the limestone, with the van, a driver and the entry fees included.
- 4.9 / 5 2954+ Reviews
- 6 hours Duration
- 53 km From Chiang Mai to the park by Route 1001
- 2 hours Free time at the waterfall on the day trip
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What the Day Trip Covers
Two parks north of Chiang Mai in one day, with the ride there and back.
Highlights
- Two hours of free time at the Sticky Waterfall
- About 90 minutes at Dantewada, the Land of Angels park
- Entry fees included
- Air-conditioned van and bottled water
What's Included
- Air-conditioned van with a driver
- Entry fees, Dantewada included
- Bottled water
Good to know: The driver confirms the exact pickup time on the morning of the tour. · Lunch is not included; Dantewada has cafés serving Thai and Western dishes. · Bring water shoes, a change of clothes and something to dry off with. · Not suitable for pregnant women, people with back problems or wheelchair users. · Not suitable for: Pregnant women, People with back problems, People with mobility impairments, Wheelchair users · Not Included: Lunch, Personal expenses & gratuities
How the Day Runs
Pickup in Chiang Mai, Dantewada first, then the waterfall, and back to town.
Pickup in Chiang Mai
The van collects you in Chiang Mai city; the driver confirms the exact time on the morning of the trip. It is about an hour north to the first stop.
Dantewada, the Land of Angels
About an hour and a half at Dantewada, a landscaped park with man-made waterfalls, gardens, caves and cafés, made for photos rather than climbing.
Two Hours on the Sticky Waterfall
Half an hour on to Bua Tong, where you have two hours to climb the grippy limestone tiers, cool off in the water and walk up to the spring that feeds the falls.
Back to Chiang Mai
About six hours after pickup you are back in the city. Lunch is not included, so eat at Dantewada's cafés or bring something.
Photo Gallery
The Falls and the Park
Photos from the day trip's listing: the limestone cascades, the pools and Dantewada.
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
Select your preferred date and time. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
Plan the Trip
The Falls, the Road and the Combos
The waterfall itself, getting there from Chiang Mai, Dantewada and Wat Ban Den, the elephant days, the climb and the season.
Prices are each page's featured tour: GetYourGuide checked November 2026. Listing prices are per person, adult fare, unless the card shows otherwise.
Four Ways to the Sticky Waterfall
A day with Dantewada, a three-stop day with Wat Ban Den, a cheap half day and an adventure day. Prices from the listings, with the month they were checked.
| Feature | THIS PAGE Falls and Dantewada | Three stops, small group | Half day, hotel pickup | ATV and rafting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What You Pay | From $39 per person (checked November 2026) | From $37 per person (checked November 2026) | From $14 per person (checked November 2026) | From $103 per person (checked November 2026) |
| Paid on the Day | Lunch; tips | Soft drinks | Food and drinks | Personal expenses |
| Time | About 6 hours | 8 to 9 hours | About 5 hours | A full day |
| At the Falls | 2 hours of free time | Time to climb, and the spring | About 2 hours | Time in the pools |
| Also on the Day | Dantewada, the Land of Angels park | Dantewada and Wat Ban Den, lunch | Nothing else: just the falls | An ATV ride, whitewater rafting, lunch |
| Guide | A driver | English-speaking guide | A driver, no guide | English-speaking guide |
| Best For | First-timers who want two parks | Temples and gardens with the falls | The falls on a budget | A faster day out |
| Check dates | See the small-group day | See the half day | See the adventure day |
Other Ways to Go
More Sticky Waterfall Trips from Chiang Mai
Cheap half days, a songthaew ride, Wat Ban Den, elephant sanctuaries, rafting and a private car.
WAT BAN DEN TOODantewada, Wat Ban Den and the Sticky Waterfall
Wonderful Eco Tours' eight-to-nine-hour small-group day: about an hour at Dantewada, the man-made Land of Angels waterfall park, then Wat Ban Den, the blue-roofed temple in Mae Taeng, then time to climb the Sticky Waterfall and walk to the spring. Hotel pickup, an English-speaking guide, lunch, water, fees and insurance are included.
HOTEL PICKUP, HALF A DAYSticky Waterfall Half Day with a Hotel Transfer
First Smile's five-hour half day: an air-conditioned van collects you from central Chiang Mai, about an hour each way, and you get two hours at the waterfall, with insurance included. Morning, mid-morning and afternoon pickups. No guide and no food.
BY RED TRUCKSticky Waterfall by Red Truck with a Market Stop
Discova Thailand's four hours in a shared red songthaew from its shop near Chang Phueak Gate: a stop at a local market on the way, then 90 minutes to two hours of free time at the falls and the Chet Si spring, with simple local snacks on the way back. No guide and no hotel pickup.
WITH ELEPHANTSElephant Sanctuary, Kayan Village and Sticky Waterfall Day
Pon Elephant's nine-hour day: half a day at an elephant sanctuary, where you change into a caretaker's outfit, make herbal treats, feed the elephants, walk with them in the forest and bathe them in the river, then a Kayan village visit, a Thai lunch and the climb at the Sticky Waterfall. Hotel pickup, an English-speaking guide, entry fees, lunch, snacks and insurance are included. Bring shorts or swimwear.
ATV AND RAFTINGSticky Waterfall with an ATV Ride and Whitewater Rafting
Thailand Elephant Tour's full day from Chiang Mai hotels: time at the Sticky Waterfall and its pools, an ATV ride through the countryside, whitewater rafting and a Thai lunch, with an English-speaking guide, an air-conditioned vehicle, water, fees and local accident insurance. ATV drivers must be at least 14; younger children ride as passengers.
A GUIDE ON THE ROCKSmall-Group Sticky Waterfall and Dantewada with a Guide
KiKi CM Tour's five-hour small-group trip with an English-speaking guide and driver: an early start at the Sticky Waterfall, where the guide climbs with you, then Dantewada, the man-made Land of Angels park. Hotel pickup, all tickets, water and insurance are included; food is not. Covered shoulders and knees are asked for at the spring.
The Guide
The Waterfall You Walk Up, and How to Get There
Which trip fits you, what it costs, why the rock grips, how to go on your own, and when the falls are at their best.
The Sticky Waterfall is Bua Tong, a limestone waterfall about 53 km north of Chiang Mai, in Mae Taeng district, that you can walk up barefoot: the water leaves a rough mineral crust on the rock, so it grips instead of slipping. A tour is the easy way there. Half days with a van or a songthaew give you about two hours at the falls; day trips add Dantewada, the landscaped Land of Angels park, Wat Ban Den temple, an elephant sanctuary or rafting. The park is open every day from 8 am to 5 pm, and its own posts describe entry as free (checked November 2026).
The short answer
For most visitors the trip is Thai Joyful Travel’s Sticky Waterfall and Angel Waterfall Park day, sold on GetYourGuide. A van collects you in Chiang Mai, drives about an hour north to Dantewada, the man-made waterfall park sold as Land of Angels or Angel Waterfall Park, and gives you an hour and a half there; then it is half an hour on to Bua Tong for two hours of free time on the rock. The driver, bottled water and the entry fees are included; lunch is not, so eat at Dantewada’s cafés. It takes about six hours and costs from $39 per person, with 2,954 reviews (checked November 2026).
Pick your trip
Sticky Waterfall and Angel Waterfall Park Day Trip
Thai Joyful Travel's six hours: Dantewada's gardens and man-made falls, then two hours on the Sticky Waterfall, entry fees included.
Check dates →Sticky Waterfall with an ATV Ride and Whitewater Rafting
Thailand Elephant Tour's full day: the falls, an ATV ride and whitewater rafting, with lunch and a guide.
See the adventure day →Sticky Waterfall Half Day with a Hotel Transfer
First Smile's half day: hotel pickup in an air-conditioned van and two hours at the waterfall. No guide.
See the half day →Elephant Sanctuary, Kayan Village and Sticky Waterfall Day
Pon Elephant's nine hours: half a day at an elephant sanctuary, a Kayan village, lunch, then the falls.
See the elephant day →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026; Viator checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
Where the falls are
| Place | What it is | Trip for it |
|---|---|---|
| Bua Tong Sticky Waterfall | A limestone waterfall in four tiers you can walk up, in a national park in preparation in Mae Ho Phra, Mae Taeng | Half day with a hotel transfer; by songthaew from Tha Phae Gate |
| Nam Phu Chet Si | The cold spring that feeds the falls, about 440 metres from the park office | Red truck with a market stop |
| Dantewada | A landscaped park with man-made waterfalls, gardens, caves and cafés near Mae Taeng | The day trip with Dantewada |
| Wat Ban Den | A hilltop temple in Mae Taeng with blue roofs and twelve zodiac chedis | Dantewada, Wat Ban Den and lunch; small-group day with a guide |
The Bua Tong page covers the falls and the spring themselves, and getting there compares a tour with a Grab, a songthaew and a scooter.
Why the rock is sticky
The water at Bua Tong comes from a spring, Nam Phu Chet Si, and carries dissolved calcium carbonate. As it runs down, the mineral settles out as a pale, porous crust that geologists call tufa, and travertine where it builds up thick. Thailand’s mines department puts it plainly: the falls are not slippery because the deposit keeps forming all the time. The national parks department describes the surface as rough and coarse, and the falls as four tiers over about 280 metres. In practice it feels like walking on coarse sandpaper under running water. The climbing guide covers what to wear and where the rock gets steep.
What it costs
| Trip | Listing price | Not included |
|---|---|---|
| Half day with a hotel transfer (First Smile) | From $14 in current promotion (usually $15) | Guide, food and drinks |
| Half day by van from the Three Kings Monument (Journey D Travel) | From $15 in current promotion (usually $29) | Guide, food and drinks |
| Red truck with a market stop (Discova Thailand) | From $19 | Hotel pickup, guide |
| Day trip with Dantewada (Thai Joyful Travel) | From $39 | Lunch, tips |
| Dantewada, Wat Ban Den and the falls (Wonderful Eco Tours) | From $37 | Soft drinks |
| Elephant sanctuary, Kayan village and the falls (Pon Elephant) | From $59 | Personal expenses |
| The falls, an ATV and whitewater rafting (Thailand Elephant Tour) | From $103 | Towel |
Listing prices: GetYourGuide checked November 2026; Viator checked November 2026. Per person, adult fare. What is not included is what each listing states.
A private car with a driver for up to three people, Freedom Tour and Taxi's half day, costs from $98 for the car (checked November 2026): the simplest way for a small group that wants to set its own times.
Going on your own
You can. The park is a national park in preparation run by Thailand’s Department of National Parks, open every day from 8 am to 5 pm, public holidays included, and closed for one day every year on 30 September for maintenance. The route is Highway 1001, the road from Chiang Mai to Phrao: at about km 49 you turn right and drive about 3 km to the park office, some 53 km in all. The park’s own posts describe entry as free (checked November 2026); a fee may come once the park is formally declared. The hard part on your own is the ride back, so agree the return before you go; see how to get to the Sticky Waterfall.
When to go
Any month: the spring feeds the falls all year, so even in the dry season there is water on the rock. The cool, dry months from mid-October to mid-February are the most comfortable, with Chiang Mai’s city weather station averaging a 30 °C high in January. February to May is the smoke season, when haze covers Chiang Mai, in the province’s own words, every year; from mid-May to mid-October the rains come, heaviest in August. Morning trips get the cooler part of the day. See the best time to visit.
Who should pick something else
- You want the falls with a temple and a garden park: Dantewada and Wat Ban Den fit into the same day.
- You want to see elephants too: compare the elephant sanctuary days.
- You are nervous about the climb, or travelling with children: read climbing the Sticky Waterfall first, and pick a trip with a guide on the rock.
- You want to save money and go at your own pace: the getting there guide compares Grab, a songthaew and a scooter.
Climb the Sticky Waterfall
Thai Joyful Travel's six hours from Chiang Mai: Dantewada, then two hours on the limestone at Bua Tong, with the entry fees included. Starting from $39 per person.
See datesMore Trips with Open Dates
More Chiang Mai Day Trips with Open Dates
Waterfall trips, temples and day tours from Chiang Mai with live availability. Times and cancellation terms are on each listing.
Sticky Waterfall Tour: Questions
Price, entry, opening hours, getting there, what to wear, safety, combos and the season.
A half-day transfer costs from $14 a person; Thai Joyful Travel's day trip with Dantewada costs from $39 (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Chiang Mai Butler Services' day with Wat Ban Den and lunch costs from $38. The elephant and adventure days cost more, from $59 for Pon Elephant's sanctuary day and $103 for an ATV and rafting day (GetYourGuide checked November 2026; Viator checked November 2026).
The park's own posts describe entry as free (checked November 2026). Bua Tong is run by Thailand's Department of National Parks as a national park in preparation, not yet formally declared; the department's rule puts a newly declared park in its lowest fee group, so a fee may come later. See the Bua Tong page.
Every day from 8 am to 5 pm, public holidays included. The park closes for one day every year on 30 September for maintenance, and at short notice after storms. Call 093 193 3556 if the weather has been bad.
About 53 km, by Highway 1001 towards Phrao. Turn right at about km 49 and drive about 3 km to the park office. The half-day transfers put the drive at about an hour each way. See how to get to the Sticky Waterfall.
The spring water carries dissolved calcium carbonate, which keeps settling on the rock as a rough limestone crust. Thailand's mines department calls it tufa, or travertine where it is thick, and explains that the falls stay non-slip because the deposit keeps forming. The surface feels like coarse sandpaper under running water.
Swimwear or quick-dry clothes, bare feet or water shoes, and a change of clothes for the ride back. Bring a towel, a dry bag for your phone, and a sarong or scarf to cover shoulders and knees at the Chet Si spring, which is revered as a sacred water source. See climbing the Sticky Waterfall.
Children can climb with an adult close by, on the gentler tiers. The rock grips, but it is running water on a slope, steep in places. Several trips set their own age limits: TakeMeTour's private trip takes children from 7, and the rafting and zipline days have their own minimum ages.
Dantewada, sold as Land of Angels or Angel Waterfall Park: a landscaped park near Mae Taeng with man-made waterfalls, gardens, caves and cafés. It is a photo stop, not a waterfall to climb. Thai Joyful Travel's day spends about an hour and a half there before two hours at the Sticky Waterfall. See Sticky Waterfall and Angel Waterfall Park.
The cool, dry season, from about mid-October to mid-February. The falls run all year because a spring feeds them. February to May is Chiang Mai's smoke season, and the rains run from about mid-May to mid-October, heaviest in August and September. See the best time to visit.
Yes: several day trips put half a day with elephants and the waterfall into one day, Elephant Welfare Sanctuary's day from $55 among them (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). None of them offers riding; you prepare food, feed and walk with the elephants, and on some you bathe them. See the elephant days.
Still have questions? Email us at info@sticky-waterfall-tour.com