Pure nature in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai, Thailand is a great, vibrant city – full of festivals, coffee shops, bars, yoga studios, and more. What makes this small city even better is that just outside of it you can find yourself in the great outdoors, with jungle and mountains just a short distance away.

Two easy day-trips you can make from the city are the Bua Thong Waterfalls (otherwise known as the Sticky Waterfalls) and Huay Tung Tao Lake.

The Bua Thong Waterfalls in Chiang Mai are a little over an hour’s drive away from the city and free to enter. The trip can be made with a group by a songthaew (red taxi) or by renting and driving a motorbike. When you come to the opening of the waterfalls, there is a set of stairs leading you down the slope. As you make your way down the stairs, you can stop and enjoy different openings and then keep heading to the bottom.

The falls are called “sticky” because the stone underneath does not have slippery moss, making it easy to walk up. When you make your way to the bottom of the stairs, just climb right back up the waterfall. Don’t worry – for those fearful of heights there is a rope you can use to guide your way up.

Transport in Chiang Mai

Spend as little or as long there as you like. The views are beautiful.
A closer option, Huay Tung Tao lake is only about a 30-minute drive away. Visiting the
lake is a way you can live as the locals do, as many locals hang out there on the
weekends. There is a 50-baht entrance fee. You can take public transportation by a tuktuk.

or songthaew, or if you’re comfortable ride a motorbike. If you opt for a taxi, have it
wait for you while you enjoy our visit.

Feel free to order food at one of the small restaurants along the lake and relax with
friends at a hut-style table for as long as you wish. While you’re there, go swimming,
bike around the lake, order a beer, walk by the shoreline, or just sit back and enjoy the
scenery.

Both the waterfalls and the lake are a fun, relaxing way to get outside the city and enjoy
the scenic comfort of northern Thailand’s mountains in Chiang Mai. When it comes.

/// Written by Kate O’Toole, Thailand