Bua Thong Waterfall and Rice Fields on the Road to Chiang Dao

I have already told you about Chiang Dao and in particular its superb mountain (Read my article on Chiang Dao Mountain). But when you go to the area, there are also beautiful things to see.

I'm showing you at least 2 of them here, while waiting to find other interesting things in the region (which I'm sure there must be).

Bua Thong Waterfalls, the “sticky” waterfall!

So here is a possible stop to make on your way to Chiang Dao Mountain.

The falls are located less than 60 km north of Chiang Mai (30 and a few km north then 20 km east off the main road)

If you go there on a weekend, you will come across Thai families coming there to cool off and spend time with family while having a picnic. The atmosphere is clearly relaxed, in the shade of the trees surrounding the waterfall.

What makes this place so special? The falls, besides being in a rather pleasant setting, surrounded by forest and bamboo, are the very appearance of the rock face. Its limestone surface grips and makes it easy to climb, making it one of the favorite pastimes here!

It's all written in Thai but if you pass by what looks like a checkpoint, that's where you have to turn right to reach Bua Thong.

The descent into the middle of the forest.

Usually, it is rather common knowledge to think of a waterfall as a place to go "sliding", at least the combination of water + smooth rock (see algae) certainly makes for a perilous climb.

But here, it's the complete opposite. The main game is to wind it up, sometimes using the ropes provided, because it can be a steep climb. The secret of this waterfall, sometimes nicknamed the "sticky" waterfall, is that it has a surface that makes your feet stick particularly well.

The cause is the minerals that make up the water of this waterfall (see below about the "fountain", which is the source). The rocks of the wall are surprisingly non-slip. To the touch, it is even a little rough, you quickly feel like Spiderman going up the 2 main levels making up the waterfall (in reality more, but the rest is not really accessible to ordinary tourists).

Also due to the composition of the water, there is no algae (or very little, so be careful when there is some! It is slippery on these parts!). The whole with its limestone deposits gives off a really unusual look for a waterfall.

Oh Hisse!

Here I am back at the top. Allow at least 15-20 minutes to do this.

The view from the top of the falls is pretty cool too.

Chet Si: The Fountain of 7 Colors

The 7-color fountain (Chet Si in Thai, literally) is less impressive, but it's only a few meters from the entrance so it's still worth the little walk.

This (small) spring contains calcium carbonate, surging discreetly from the ground, it is from here that the stream feeding the falls flows, and the reason for the white rock, the calcium carbonate deposit forming a crust.

Its name is due, you will guess, to the fact that one can distinguish 7 different colors coming from different minerals/elements coloring the source.

Rice fields and sunset

Here is an explosive cocktail to fully appreciate what Thailand has to offer. Taking advantage of a visit to the Bua Thong Waterfall, my next destination was Chiang Dao. So I gently followed the route of my GPS, deviating from the main road 1001 to go towards the 4046 along the mountains and then took the 3038 (see the map below)

Seeing the rice fields on the sides of this long straight line, I decided to stop, the people I was transporting at that time having previously asked me to stop if possible to take a closer look.

Because we had time in the end, we did much more than just take pictures and leave. First observing and taking pictures from the side of the road, I looked for a better spot to take some shots of this moment.

Note that typically, The rice season is between July and November. It was February and I didn't particularly know that they were replanting at that time (at least in the north, because I know that in the central plains they do). Be aware that not all of them do it and that it is not guaranteed to see them everywhere at this time of year.

Our current photo field.

It works, it works.

Approaching from the side, I couldn't get any closer, because there was an irrigation channel (which allows them to replant at this time of year). While I was taking pictures, one of the guys called out to me, and I understood that he was inviting us to go around to get even closer.

I don't let myself be deprived when I'm invited like that! Without further ado, we came to the rice field, following the small mound of earth separating the rice fields filled with water.

Without even talking to them, I can't see how hard the task is, spending hours with your back bent with the sun beating down on your back can quickly become exhausting. So some don't hesitate to fuel up with a little pick-me-up.

A gentleman quickly offered us a toast with his homemade rice alcohol. The least we can say is that it was rather good! The gentleman in question seemed to be the owner of the land, but he participated as much as the others in planting the rice. Each clump was inserted by hand into the mud, meticulously spaced by the same space.

The sun was starting to set and we understood that they had to finish planting this plot by the end of the day. The atmosphere was both serious and relaxed, with the help of alcohol.

There is water.

And gulp and gulp!

We ended up staying there for over an hour. Not really considering the time spent. Obviously if you don't speak Thai, the experience won't be quite the same, but I'm convinced that even without understanding each other, nothing would stop you from stopping near a rice paddy and seeing in a little more detail how it's done. In general, they will be happy to show you.

Many people come to Thailand without having seen rice fields before and therefore not really knowing how rice grows. If you have the chance, take advantage of your stay to look into this, it's a golden opportunity to be with locals.

Thank you sir for welcoming us to your rice field!

Until the end !

That's a good day coming to an end!

Have you ever stopped by a rice paddy? I hope to illustrate as best I can what Northern Thailand has to offer!

Did you like the article? share on Pinterest!