Climbing Into A Cave and Climbing Waterfalls: A Day In Northern Thailand

For Field Trip Friday yesterday we went on a day tour in the mountains about one hour north of Chiang Mai. We got to explore a huge cave, climb what they call the “sticky waterfalls”, gaze at a natural spring, and enjoyed spending a full day in the mountains of Thailand. The waterfalls are something that has been on our list of things to do since we arrived, so we were all excited to check it out!

Bua Tong Cave

The legend behind this cave is that two princesses, Bua Tong and Bua Kaew, took refuge and died there after the king and queen were killed during the great war. We climbed a huge Naga staircase to get to the entrance.

It was a surprisingly long climb and our thighs were burning! Once you reach the top there is a spirit house prior to entering the cave.

The cave was extremely tall and Braxton immediately noticed all the bats hanging around. There is a massive golden Buddha, along with other various statues within the cave. We learned that the gold symbolizes the 32 characteristics of a Buddha, specifically the sun-like, radiant, and pure nature of his teachings.

Bua Tong Waterfalls aka Sticky Waterfalls

After descending the long Naga we drove a few minutes into the national forest to the Bua Tong Waterfalls. These are known as the “Sticky Waterfalls”, because you can literally climb up the waterfall. It was so cool! The porous limestone rocks that are under the waterfall are astonishingly sticky. A mineral deposit (calcium carbonate) covers the rocks, creating a sponge-like grip. Fed by calcium-rich springs, the mineral deposits have layered over many years to form what is now a cascading formation that is not slippery to walk on.

We had to go down a long staircase to the base of the waterfall and then stand in line to actually enter the water. The waterfalls are entirely free, so it is a popular spot for locals and tourists. It was extremely crowded!

Climbing the waterfalls was so unique. Our feet literally stuck to the rocks as the water gushed past us. There were ropes to help climb in spots that were especially steep. Braxton said he felt like Spiderman! I would have loved to see how fast he could go up the entire thing if we weren’t surrounded by people.

In total we climbed about 160 meters (525 feet) up the entire waterfall. Our tour guide was amazing and kept magically appearing ahead of us as we climbed. He took pictures and had water waiting for us at the end. Braxton loved climbing this so much! Alexis spent most of her time worrying about what would happen if the people around her started to fall. She has no fear of swinging from a Tarzan rope and cliff jumping into a natural pool of water, but the idea of people tumbling down a waterfall is her idea of scary!

Natural Spring, Beautiful Views, and a Thai Buffet

When we finished, we took a short hike to a natural water spring. The sacred spring is called Namphu Chet Si and is the water source for the Sticky Waterfalls. The minerals in the water give it a blue/green color.

We finished our day taking in the views and eating a Thai buffet that was delicious! There was a solo traveler from Germany in our tour group. She was in her early 20’s and very enjoyable to talk to. We talked about our travels so far and she was interested to hear that our kids are being homeschooled, because apparently that is illegal in Germany. We were also talking about public transportation around the world and when we asked if she ever drove anywhere in Germany she said she doesn’t own a car or even have a license. According to her, the cost to obtain a license is very expensive, at around $4,000.

We all enjoyed this adventure, but agreed it would have been better if there were less people. The family we met from China went here during their time in Thailand and said it wasn’t as busy. We are getting very close to the Lunar New Year, so I’m not sure if that’s why it was so crowded, or we just picked a bad day. Regardless, it was a fun experience! We have just shy of a week left in Thailand. Planning to soak up as much of this serene place as we can!