Wear swimwear under quick-dry clothes from pickup — you’re in and out of the water all day, starting at the waterfall about an hour after we collect you.

Quick-dry clothing over your swimwear is best, ideally darker colours: in the rainy season the river can run brown and white or very light clothes may stain. Cotton and jeans soak through and stay cold — leave them at the hotel.

Ordinary flip-flops or sandals are fine for the whole day. You do not need to buy water shoes.

At Bua Tong the mineral rock grips your feet so you can walk straight up the falls. On the river you’re sitting in a tube. There is nothing to buy — guests ask us this every week, and the answer is always the same: no special shoes.

Your own towel, a dry change of clothes, sunscreen, insect repellent, a little cash for drinks, and a padlock if you have one.

• A towel of your own for the Sticky Waterfall stop — you’ll want to dry off before the drive to camp (the towels at base camp cover the tubing part)
• A full dry set of clothes for after the river
• Sunscreen and insect repellent · sunglasses and a hat
• A light rain jacket in the rainy season; a warm layer in the cooler months
• Cash for drinks on the water — water and snacks are free; soft drinks and beer are sold on the tube and paid for at the end
• A small padlock for the free locker, or rent one at base camp for a small fee

Yes — bring one towel for the morning at Sticky Waterfall. Everything else is ours: life jacket, waterproof pouch, glasses strap, a hat for the float, and a fresh towel after the river.

Sticky Waterfall days are the only ones where you need your own towel. Bua Tong is a separate site about 50 minutes from camp, so there’s nowhere to collect ours before you climb — you dry off with yours, then get a clean one from us at base camp for the hot showers after the river. There are four hot-water showers with shampoo, conditioner and body wash.

Lunch is a Thai meal at base camp between the waterfall and the tubing, with water and snacks included. Every guest is covered by our accident insurance — up to THB 500,000 medical per incident and THB 1,000,000 cover, included in every booking.

Jewellery, watches and big bags — anything you’d hate to lose in a river.

Rings and watches come off easily in the water. Base camp has free lockers, and Bua Tong has lockers of its own, but valuables are safest back in your room. You won’t carry anything on the water; your phone in the free pouch is the one electronic thing worth bringing.

Bua Tong is a national park waterfall you explore at your own pace. Your driver takes you there and waits; there is no guide for this part.

The water comes from an underground spring and runs over mineral rock that grips your feet, which is why you can walk up the falls. Go as far as you feel like — you don’t have to do the whole thing. The park has rangers, a first-aid post, lockers, shops and phone signal, with signs explaining how to climb. You leave the waterfall at 11:15 for lunch at base camp.

Pickup in Chiang Mai at 07:30, Sticky Waterfall in the morning, lunch at camp, tubing and the waterfall slide in the afternoon, back in the city around 18:30.

• 07:30 pickup in Chiang Mai city, roughly a 5 km radius from the Old City (some days 08:00 if there’s a single group) — this tour is transfer only; there is no self-drive option
• About an hour’s drive to Bua Tong (Sticky) Waterfall — explore on your own until 11:15
• About 50 minutes to base camp → Thai lunch
• Briefing, change, lock your bag → 2-minute truck ride to the put-in (the stretch of river beside camp is white-water, so we drive past it) → 50 minutes to 1 hour 15 on the tube depending on the water level, with the guide floating beside you, a waterproof speaker and a cooler of cold drinks
• If the elephants are in the river, we stop and wait for them — sightings are never guaranteed
• Ride back to camp, then the SaGee waterfall slide, a 5-minute walk behind camp
• Hot shower, a snack (fried banana and cold watermelon), then the drive back — about 18:30 in the city, earlier with a small group and clear roads, later in heavy traffic. Times are a guide, not a guarantee.

Yes — the SaGee waterfall slide is included, after the float. It’s a natural waterfall slide where you cool off in the shallows; it’s too shallow to swim.

There are two sections: a children’s one with no minimum age and an adults’ one. Nobody is made to slide — the guide demonstrates first, then it’s up to you (and for kids, up to the parents) which section to try, or whether to just watch.

Yes — everyone wears a life jacket fitted at base camp, the tubes are tied together, and the guide is in the water with you the whole time.

We float the calm stretch of the Mae Taeng: under grade 1 in low water, grade 1–2 at most in the rainy season. This is not rafting — the grade 3–4 rapids are elsewhere on the same river, run by rafting companies.

The river takes children from age 1 with an adult; pregnant guests can join up to six months.

Whether the youngest can float depends on the river that day — in the calm low-water months even toddlers join; when the water is high the guide may set a higher minimum. Sticky Waterfall is self-guided, so you choose how much to climb. If you’re pregnant, it comes down to how you feel on the day; past six months we don’t recommend it. Unsure? Message us before you book and we’ll tell you honestly what works.

Rain doesn’t spoil Sticky Waterfall — it’s spring-fed, so it stays clear and climbable even in heavy rain. Normal rain doesn’t stop the river either; only a serious storm cancels, and the guide decides that on the day, on safety alone.

We check the river level before the tour. If it’s too high to float safely we tell you in advance and move you to another day free of charge, or refund you in full if it stays unsafe. If only the float is off, the rest of the day still runs and we drive that stretch instead.

The guide films the tubing on an Insta360. If you booked on our website, the highlight video and your tour photos are included and sent to you after the tour.

With a small group you’ll usually have them before you leave camp (AirDrop for iPhone); on busy days we send a Google Drive link afterwards. We don’t normally film the waterfall slide, and there is no guide with you at Sticky Waterfall, so the morning isn’t filmed by us.