Huai Tueng Thao Waterfall

Well worth it! It’s actually not as hard as I anticipated to navigate the path after reading the reviews. They must have updated the route since other reviews here. The path to the waterfall is marked with blue ribbons along the way. Though some are hard to see so keep your eyes out. Just look for the signage every time you get to a fork in the road and you can’t go wrong. It’s about 2km to the waterfalls. We spent 2 hours overall including time to go in the water and walk there and back. We had a grab drive us through the reservoir and then park at the waterfall checkpoint/ start of the hike and wait for us as others mentioned it was hard to get a ride back. We only saw a few others on the trail and had the waterfalls to ourselves when we got there. Take a walking stick from the starting point as it can be helpful during some of the terrain. Overall well worth it! Seems like a hidden gem with hardly any tourists!

Very nice, varied hike to the waterfall.
You can choose one of three routes so you don't have to go back the same way. However, you must have a GPS or a topo map, because the routes are not visible on Google Maps.
The waterfall is beautiful, just amazing!

I visited this place in late March 2023.

It was not yet the rainy season, but the waterfall was quite full (watch the video). In general, the view is breathtaking and despite the fact that the air temperature was about 34-35 degrees Celsius, it was very cool and pleasant near the waterfall.

We should also mention the approach to the waterfall. This route took us 1.5 hours, it was quite an interesting trip, although the next day our legs were tired.

I recommend it as a form of active recreation

Amazing waterfall close to Chiang Mai, nice not too difficult hike, great views.

A spectacular waterfall well worth the medium effort it takes to hike there.

1, Yes, wear hiking shoes or sneakers or active sandals. I guess you could get by with less if it's the middle of a dry spell. The ground for my June 27 hike was damp and muddy in places.

2, Start at the Huai Tueng Thao Checkpoint. Begin by going left and crossing the little dam. (You can enter "Huai Tueng Thao Checkpoint" into Grab and maybe like me you'll get lucky. Somehow I landed a motorbike ride quickly, from next door to the Shangri-La, even though it's a 40-minute ride from there to the hinterlands. When I did the Monk's Trail a week earlier, I could NOT get a Grab and took a songthaew/aka Rod Daeng/aka red truck). Very important Grab note regarded your return trip: See paragraph No. 8.

3, The trail is very uphill in most parts. Many reviews call it an "easy" hike, but I wouldn't say that. You will see ribbons and a few signs to guide you.

4, The uphillness was even more uphill for stupid me because somehow I missed the right-side turnoff to the waterfall even though at least one review pointed out specifically, "BE CAREFUL that you don't miss the turn right." Be aware of it. It's a small trail, and though there are no signs or ribbons right there, if you take a few steps onto that trail, then you'll see the ribbon. Me? I must have had my dumb hat on .. because I kept hiking up and up and straight up for about another 45-60 minutes (with many rests). It was straight up!

5, My additional hiking did allow me to see two things I wouldn't have otherwise: a small, coiled snake by the side of the trail and a wasp's nest, which I was just far enough away from to take a picture -- and then I thought, "Hey a video would be great" (dumb hat, part 2). The extra one or two seconds cost me, as some of the wasps attacked, and I was stung in four places. The stings are nothing to worry about, apparently.

6, Back to the right turn off the main trail. From there, it is about 5-10 more minutes and a couple of creek crossings to the waterfall - one of those amazing, in-the-middle of the jungle experiences (with almost no people around, at least on a weekday) that every hiker dreams of. There's nowhere to swim at the base, or even lie around on nearby rocks, but you can go right into the water at the base and put yourself next to the main water or an offshoot for a really nice shower (maybe not if the falls are at full strength). You can also sort of lounge on a log if you find the right spot.

7, It should be noted that there are many insects in the area of the waterfall's base, including yellowjackets, although they seem nice and not intent on stinging. But I took a few things off before I headed into the falls (cap, shoes, socks, sweat rag, my satchel), put them on rocks, and the insects and yellowjackets were swarming all over them. When I collected them, however, they all departed without much of a fuss. (There are insects throughout the hike; some might want to use repellant; I had some, but got by without it.)

8, End of the trail. I didn't know what to expect - in terms of getting back to the center of town. My thoughts going in were maybe I'd get lucky with Grab coming out so far (I did not get lucky, despite four tries for various vehicles). I thought maybe Huai Tueng Thao Checkpoint would be staffed and could help me out (it was shut tight with no one around). My backup plan was to walk 9-12 minutes to a cafe near that crazy sculpture park, or a bit longer to the zipline, and maybe get a Grab to come out there. Fortunately, it did not come to that. Two nice hikers I met on the trail returned and gave me a ride to the Nimman area, and I easily got back from there.

All in all, a spectacular hike sort that is close (sort of) to Central Chiang Mai, and one that you can do solo or with your own group - without a tour company or guide. Go for it!

Very secluded waterfall!
Getting there is a bit tricky as there are 2 ways to get to it and if you chose the wrong path you going to get lost. So use maps.me and stay on the right path and avoid going to the left one.
No pool to swim here just take showers!
IG: ozzzuser

Very easy to hike and the waterfall is extremely beautiful.

Moderate trail which had become slightly overgrown due to covid inactivity, but you'll be nicely rewarded with a nice cool breeze and chance to dip/refresh yourselves under the cascades when you arrive

This is very tall and beautiful. Not crowded. It's shallow, so can't swim, but you can just shower standing below the watwtfall.

Nice hike, easy to find with signs along the way.

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Rugged foot path with elevation to the waterfall, which is lovely. 40 minutes from trail head.

Dangerous during rainy season (slippery, possible flash flooding). Must cross small small rivers (less than knee deep) that bisect the path.

Many poisonous snakes including vipers and Siamese cobras. Tap ground with walking stick before stepping. Beware of leaves (snakes often refuge under).

Bring mosquito spray. Biting black ants loiter on the overhanging foliage and vines.

Always remove all trash to protect nature.

Really beautiful waterfall, one of the best I've seen so far in Chiang Mai, or maybe Thailand in general. A lot taller than I was expecting, and a very nice trail to get there. But, be careful that you don't miss the turn right (assuming you're coming from the lake) to go there. We ended up passing the turn because it was closed off from a race that was happening the day before, so it looked like it was blocked.

If you keep going up the mountain, it will be very steep, so, be sure to ask anybody you see on the way for directions to be sure, you don't pass it or make a wrong turn

A good waterfall near downtown of Chiang Mai to hike a peaceful natural rail and to enjoy showering water.

Location on map is correct.

Start from Huai Tueng Thao Checkpoint, to the left.

Follow the signs.

For us it was 50 minutes hike.

Bring good shoes, no flip flops!

Trail is a bit tricky but watch for signs and ribbons and you can find it fine. Well worth the hike

Must visit place if you're a nature lover, they charge more from foreigners at the entrance though.

Short trail for good exercise- quite easy.

Beautiful small waterfall in Chiang mai with adventure trail.

Beautiful waterfall and easy to reach!

Great walk tough in places . But we'll worth the effort.