Being stuck in Chiang Rai during the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, we were constantly in search of opportunities to escape the monotony of the locked-down city. As the destination of one of those day trips, we chose the Huay Mae Sai Waterfall. As a means to get there, we chose to rent bicycles.
We rented two very decent mountain bikes from Fat Free Bicycle shop on Rattanaket Road. The initial price was THB 200 per day per bicycle, but we bargained this down to 100. The owner and her staff were really polite and helpful. Totally recommending the place.
Huay Mae Sai Waterfall is situated in Mae Kok National Park, 20 km away from Chiang Rai, near Ban Cha Lae Village. The coordinates of the waterfall are 20.0029, 99.7186.
In order to get there, we cycled along the road 1207 leading west from Chiang Rai, past Ban Rai Mu Village, and heading to Ban Huai Khom Nai Village. The route was flat and really beautiful, with lovely views of rice fields and distant mountain ridges stretching out in every direction. Also, probably due to the lockdown, it was especially quiet; for the most part, we had the road all to ourselves.
About a kilometer before Ban Huai Khom Nai, we left the main road at 19.9747, 99.7652, and took the smaller road leading to Huai Mae Sai, Ban A-Cha, and Ban Cha Lae villages. The road was now meandering up and down over consecutive hill slopes, reaching steadily higher in overall altitude, so that we had to make use of our stamina. The views became also more impressive the higher we ascended.
At 20.0017, 99.7215, by the north end of Ban Cha Lae, there leaves another small road to the left. We took that, and about 100 meters later, we reached the waterfall’s entrance. There were a few signs and a couple of shacks, but not a human soul. I suspect that during normal times, we’d have to pay an entry fee to proceed to the falls. Under the current circumstances, however, we were free to move on. Two young girls arrived on the spot on a scooter shortly after our own arrival. I reckon they saw us in the village and were sent by their parents to prevent us from going to the falls, or better, by the chance of us being there, cash in a fee from us. But they couldn’t speak any English, and I couldn’t conjure what they wanted, so we just said “bye, thanks” and took the trail to the falls.
The Huay Mae Sai Waterfall is made of two levels, about 100 meters away from each other. Both are about 15 meters high and have a pool where one can swim in. There are two trails leaving from the entrance point. Each one leads directly to one of the falls. They are connected by another trail further up.
We shouldered the bikes and took the stepped trail up. It led us to the lower pool after a few minutes. That was the better one: the pool being larger and deeper, and the waterfall more powerful. The surrounding forest was also denser and more charming. We spent there an hour or two and then headed to the higher pool where we chilled further. Afternoon, we mounted our bikes and rolled straight down the other trail to the village before we pedaled the 20 km back to Chiang Rai.
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