Swimwear under quick-dry clothes you don’t mind getting wet, and ordinary flip-flops or sandals.

You’ll be on the river for about an hour, so swimwear goes on before pickup. Swimwear isn’t compulsory — any comfortable clothes work — but quick-dry fabric is far nicer than cotton, which soaks through and stays cold. Darker colours are a good idea in the rainy season (June–October): the river can run brown and white or very pale clothes may stain.

No. Ordinary flip-flops or sandals are all you need — there is nothing to buy.

Guests ask us this every week, so to be clear: you do not need to buy special water shoes for this tour. There’s no trek on this half day, just a five-minute walk to the waterfall slide. When you get on the tube the team checks whether anyone’s flip-flops look likely to float off; if so, they tie them together and keep them with the guide until the end.

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

• A full dry set of clothes for after the river (we give you a towel)
• Sunscreen and insect repellent · sunglasses and a hat
• A light rain jacket in rainy season (June–October); a warm layer in the cooler months
• Cash for drinks on the water — water and snacks are free; soft drinks and beer are sold from the cooler and paid for at the end
• A small padlock for the free locker, or rent one at base camp for a small fee

Leave jewellery and watches at the hotel — anything you’d hate to lose in a river. Small bags and valuables go in the free lockers at base camp, and if you have a large suitcase that doesn’t fit in a locker we keep it in the office during the tour. Your phone in the free pouch is the one electronic thing worth bringing; if you take a GoPro or camera on the water, it’s at your own risk, so clip it to your tube with a strap.

We provide a life jacket, a waterproof phone pouch, a glasses strap, a hat and a towel, free to borrow; drinking water and snacks are included.

At base camp you’ll find a waterproof pouch for your phone, a strap for your glasses, a hat if you forgot yours, and a life jacket (put on at camp). After the river there’s a towel for everyone and four hot-water showers with shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Free water, tea, coffee and Milo are at camp; anything extra is paid in cash.

Pickup in Chiang Mai between 07:30 and 08:00 in the morning, or at 11:30 for the afternoon, about 4 hours at camp including the float and the slide, then back to the city — roughly 7 hours door to door with transfer.

• Morning: pickup between 07:30 and 08:00 — earlier on busy days, closer to 08:00 when the day is quiet — then about 1 h 15 – 1 h 30 to base camp. Driving yourself? Arrive at base camp by 10:15.
• Afternoon: pickup 11:30. Driving yourself? Arrive by 13:15.
• 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
• Truck back to camp (10–15 minutes) → the SaGee waterfall slide, a 5-minute walk behind camp — included for everyone on this tour, with or without transfer
• Morning departures: Thai lunch at base camp — usually pad thai and fried chicken; the pad thai has no meat but does contain egg, so it suits vegetarians who eat egg. Afternoon departures do not include lunch — eat before pickup.
• Hot shower, a snack (fried banana and cold watermelon), then the drive back. Self-drive guests are done in about 4 hours; with transfer allow about 7. Times are a guide, not a guarantee — traffic and group size change them.

Lunch is made non-spicy; if you have an allergy, tell us in advance and we can usually prepare a separate meal.

No — nobody is made to slide. The guide demonstrates first, then you choose a section or just watch.

There are two sections: a children’s one with no minimum age, and an adults’ one. You cool off and wade in the shallows — it’s too shallow to swim.

It isn’t rafting. We float the calm stretch — under grade 1 in low water, grade 1–2 at most in the rainy season.

The grade 3–4 rapids you may have read about are on another section of the same Mae Taeng river, run by rafting companies. Our stretch is a drift, not a paddle, which is why there’s no strict weight limit and no experience needed; we have larger tubes for bigger guests. The water is refreshing rather than cold — warmest in the hot season, coolest in the cool season.

Non-swimmers are welcome — 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. You don’t steer; the team guides the group, avoids rocks and manages the route. You’ll be reclined in the tube, a bit like lying in a hammock, for about an hour.

From age 1 with an adult — whether the youngest can float depends on the river that day.

In the calm cool and hot seasons even toddlers join; in the rainy season the guide checks the level and may set a higher minimum. If your child can’t go in but the adults can, they can wait at the base camp office. The children’s section of the slide has no minimum age. Travelling with younger kids? Message us before you book and we’ll tell you honestly what works.

Pregnant guests can join up to six months.

If you have a heart condition, asthma, a serious medical condition or mobility concerns, check with your doctor or ask us before booking — the slide is optional and the float is a reclined position for around an hour.

Yes — every guest is covered by our accident insurance, up to ฿500,000 medical per incident and ฿1,000,000 cover.

Our insurance doesn’t replace travel insurance, so please have your own as well.

Normal rain doesn’t stop us. Only a serious storm or a river that’s too high cancels, and we decide that on safety alone.

We check the community water-level marker near the bridge before the tour. If the river is too high we tell you in advance and move you to another day free of charge; if it stays unsafe, we cancel and refund in full. If the river itself can’t be floated on the day, the rest of the visit 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.