Sticky Waterfall, Tubing & Elephants
Highlights
Climb the famous Bua Tong “Sticky” Waterfall in the morning, float the Mae Taeng in the afternoon, and finish by watching elephants in their natural riverside setting — all ethical, observe-only.
Bua Tong is a national-park waterfall where the mineral rock lets you walk straight up the falls; because the water is spring-fed it stays clear and climbable even in the rain. You explore it at your own pace.
Back at camp you have a Thai lunch at base camp, then tube down a calm stretch of the Mae Taeng and step out at a small elephant camp to watch the elephants from a respectful distance. No riding, no feeding, no shows.
One way to do this tour
- Round-trip hotel pickup in Chiang Mai
- Bua Tong (Sticky) Waterfall
- Thai lunch at base camp
- River tubing on the Mae Taeng
- Elephant observation
- SaGee Waterfall slide — not included on this tour
This tour runs with transfer only — Sticky Waterfall is well off our route, so we drive you there and back ourselves. Because there is no self-drive rate, the waterfall slide is not part of this tour.
Check dates & availability ↓What’s included
- Round-trip hotel transfer from Chiang Mai (this tour is offered With Transfer only)
- English-speaking local guide (on the river)
- Full safety briefing & supervision
- Life jacket & tubing equipment
- Local accident insurance
- Visit to Bua Tong (Sticky) Waterfall
- River tubing on the Mae Taeng River
- Elephant observation at the riverside camp (observe only)
- Thai lunch at base camp
- Drinking water & light snacks
- Hot showers & changing rooms at base camp
- Waterproof phone pouch (free to borrow)
- Personal expenses & extra drinks
- Tips & gratuities
- Comprehensive travel insurance
What to bring
- Swimwear (worn under your clothes)
- A change of clothes
- Flip-flops or sandals are fine — you do not need water shoes
- Light rain jacket in rainy season · warm layer in cooler months
- Your own towel for after Sticky Waterfall — we give you a fresh one at base camp later
- Sunscreen & insect repellent
- Reusable water bottle
- Waterproof phone case or small dry bag
- Any required medication · small cash for extras
- A towel for the hot showers
- Waterproof phone pouch, goggle strap & hat
- Lockers (free with your own lock, or rent a padlock for ฿100)
- Valuables, large amounts of cash or jewelry
- Non-waterproof cameras · drones (without prior approval)
Good to know
Activity level. Easy to moderate. You climb Bua Tong at your own pace — grippy rock, handrails, national-park facilities. Your guide joins for the river.
Footwear. You do not need water shoes for this tour — ordinary flip-flops or sandals are all you need, and there is nothing to buy or rent. Guests ask us this all the time: no special shoes are required.
Elephants. You walk into the riverside forest with the elephants and your guide — but it is observe-only: the keepers do all the feeding and care, and there is no riding, no bathing with the elephants and no shows. They are living animals in a natural setting, so where they roam and how they behave varies from day to day. Follow your guide and keep the group calm and quiet around them.
Health & safety. Non-swimmers welcome with a life jacket and briefing. Pregnant guests up to 6 months only. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Minimum age 1 with an adult.
Water & weather. Tubing time and route vary with river level and weather; the trip may be adjusted for safety, especially in rainy season.
Transfers. This tour runs with transfer only — transport is included both ways from selected Chiang Mai service areas. There is no self-drive rate, because Sticky Waterfall is well off our valley route.
Towels. Bring your own towel for Sticky Waterfall — you will want to dry off before the drive to camp. At base camp we give you a fresh towel for the hot showers after the river.
Rain. Bua Tong is fed by an underground spring, so it stays clear and climbable even in heavy rain — this tour runs in any weather.
Timing. Pickup is usually 07:30 — sometimes 08:00 if yours is the only group that day. You leave the waterfall at 11:15 for lunch at base camp, and you are normally back in the city around 6:30 pm: earlier with a small group and clear roads, later if traffic is heavy. Times on this page are a guide, not a guarantee.
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before your start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours (1 day or less) are charged 100%.
The elephant camp
The elephants you watch live at Care for Elephants, a small riverside sanctuary in our valley. It was founded in 2015 by Ben, who grew up in a village beside Elephant Nature Park and worked there before opening his own camp for retired elephants.
Its elephants are retired from riding and logging work. They spend their days foraging in the jungle and swimming in the river. No riding, no chains, no performances.
You don’t stand and look from across the water. You walk into the riverside forest where the elephants live and move with them as they browse, dust themselves and wade in the shallows — seeing how elephants actually spend their day.
On our tour you observe only. The camp’s keepers handle all feeding and care, and there is no riding, no bathing with the elephants and no shows. Your guide walks with you and tells their story.
The extra you pay on this tour covers the camp’s care costs and the elephants’ food — which we buy from farmers in our own village. Our guide, kitchen team and river crew live here too; our drivers are from Chiang Mai.
Don’t take our word for it — look into the camp yourself:
More info
Your day, step by step
Bua Tong in the morning (self-guided, national park — back at the vehicle at 11:15; bring your own towel, we give you a fresh one at base camp), lunch at camp, then the river finishing with observe-only elephants — no riding, no feeding, no shows.
Sticky Waterfall stays clear even in heavy rain. Float time on the river varies with the water level, typically 50 minutes to just over an hour.
We collect you from your Chiang Mai hotel and drive out towards Mae Taeng — this tour runs with transfer included.
Climb the mineral falls where the rock grips your feet, among national-park rangers and facilities. You explore at your own pace — your driver waits, and you head back to the vehicle at 11:15.
Head to our Mae Taeng base camp for a Thai lunch at base camp and your river briefing.
Meet the team at our riverside camp and change. Safety briefing, life jacket and tube fitted — and a free waterproof phone pouch to borrow.
Drift downstream with your guide alongside, tubes roped together as one group, through quiet jungle towards the elephant camp and Elephant Nature Park.
About 200 m before the end of the float, step ashore at the elephant camp and walk into the riverside forest with your guide, moving with the elephants as they browse and wade. Observe only — no riding, no feeding by guests, no shows.
Slip back into your tube for the final stretch of river, floating down to the pick-up point at the edge of Mueang Kued village.
Climb out at the end of the float and hop in the pickup truck for the short ride back to base camp.
Warm up under a hot shower and change into fresh clothes before the ride back to Chiang Mai.
Getting there & pickup
This tour runs with transfer only. We pick you up from your hotel in selected Chiang Mai service areas in the morning and bring you back at the end of the day. Your exact pickup time and point are confirmed by email after you book.
The morning is at Bua Tong (Sticky) Waterfall, well off our valley route, so we drive you there and back ourselves — there is no self-drive rate for this tour. You leave the waterfall at 11:15; from there it is about a 50-minute drive to our base camp for lunch and the river.
Not sure whether your hotel is inside our pickup area? Message us on WhatsApp and we’ll check it for you.
