Waterfalls are notoriously slippery, so trying to climb them without specialized gear is usually a bad idea, but at the Bua Thong Waterfalls in Thailand’s Chiang Mai province visitors can climb almost vertical falls using only their hands and feet.

The so-called Sticky Waterfalls get their name from the incredibly grippy limestone rocks that the water runs over. They feel like a very hard sponge to the touch and even though they can be described as prickly, you can easily climb them barefoot without hurting yourself. Because no algae or slimes adheres to this callous rock surface, the limestone creates enough friction to prevent slipping, allowing anyone in decent physical shape to climb even the steepest parts of the waterfalls.

Photo: Brian Jeffery Beggerly/Flickr

The milky-white water tumbling down over the cream-colored, bubble-like rocks is fed by a calcium-rich spring at the top, and it’s this calcium that actually makes the waterfalls sticky. The rounded shape of the limestone wall gives the impression that the Bua Thong Waterfalls make a great natural waterslide, but in this place, you can’t really slide down, you have to climb up.

Most visitors walk down to the bottom of Bua Thong, take off their footwear, and climb the limestone walls. There are 5 different levels to experience and the steps on the side of the waterfall help people overcome the hardest parts. There are also ropes to help visitors mitigate the steepest walls, but daredevils sometimes attempt the climb using only their hands and feet.

It’s not every day that you get to feel like Spiderman, especially while climbing a waterfall, so if you’re ever in Chaing Mai, maybe drop by the Bua Thong Sticky Waterfalls. They aren’t the most popular tourist attraction in the region, so apart from some locals, you’re probably not going to find it too crowded.