The Shan state, where our Trekking in Myanmar will take place, is the largest and most mountainous in the Pese. Hidden in a corner of the eastern part we discover Kengtung, the historical center of the state’s Khun culture. This itinerary will allow you to discover small villages and ancient Buddhist temples. A unique experience to savor a destination outside the main tourist routes and know the reality of the local tribes.
Kyaing Tong (Kengtung) is a small city located in the heart of the Shan state, north of the country, which has become famous in the past for being part of the Golden Triangle and for being one of the most important opium-producing regions in the world. The area has been closed for decades due to opium trafficking and conflicts between some ethnic minorities.
Today the region has found its stability and has recently been opened to foreign tourists by competing with other tourist areas of the country, thanks to the breathtaking landscapes and the incredible view of the Shan mountains. The surroundings of Kyaing Tong offer numerous opportunities for day-long trekking (overnight stays in local homes or monsters are not yet authorized).
After you arrive at Kyaing Tong airport in the mid-afternoon, you will be transferred to your hotel. Start your dive into the particular atmosphere of this small town in the Shan mountains by visiting the Maha Myat Muni Pagoda, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful times of Kyaing Tong. Then you will go to the feet of the immense Buddha lying sheer above the valley. End your day with a walk around the lake at sunset. For dinner, let yourself be tempted by one of the many local restaurants.
Lunch and dinner free. Overnight stay in Kyaing Tong.
Get ready for an adventurous day in a Loi tribe village. You will stop at the local market to buy the products that will make up your picnic lunch and you will be transferred to the starting point of your trekking day. During the two-hour journey in the direction of Loi village, you will be lucky enough to admire unique mountain landscapes and expanses dotted with tribal villages.
It will take an hour uphill to get to the village of Wan Nyat, one of the villages of the Loi tribe. Lois prefers to live in very longhouses in which at least 5 families can live together.
About halfway along your route you will arrive at a magnificent wooden monastery that will leave you speechless and whose structure dates back to 300 years ago. Fine sculptures adorn the doors and beautiful paintings cover the walls. Inside the main structure, there are frescoes illustrating the previous lives of Buddha, ancient representations of Buddha, and other elements of a religious nature.
Continue with your day of trekking through superfine landscapes until you get to another Loi village, Wan Seng, rarely visited by tourists (1-hour walk).
After the picnic lunch, you will begin the two-hour return journey that will take you to the arrival point where a car will wait for you to take you back to Kyaing Tong.
Transfer time: 4h
Trekking time: 4h
Notes
Transfers to the starting point of the trek are made with local pick-up.
Picnic lunch and free dinner. Overnight stay in Kyaing Tong.
Today's journey will take you to meet the Akha tribe, one of Burma's many ethnic minorities. After breakfast, you will make a stop at the local market to buy the products that will make up your picnic lunch and you will be transferred to the starting point of your trek (45-minute journey). During the three-hour walk, you will pass through 4 Hokyin villages where you will have the opportunity to observe the daily life of the inhabitants and discover the lifestyle of the Akha ethnic group.
The Akhas are one of the most numerous ethnic groups in this part east of the Shan state. The members of this tribe live mainly on agriculture and live in the villages on the border with Thailand. They are Buddhists or Christians, although most are animists. Although the Akha villages have modernized, the older women in the village still wear traditional clothes adorned with silver accessories.
At the end of the walk you will be transferred to your hotel in Kengtung for an evening of well-deserved rest (45 minutes ride).
Transfer time: 1h 30 min
Trekking time: 3h
Notes
Transfers to the starting point of the trek are made with local pick-up.
Picnic lunch and free dinner. Overnight stay in Kyaing Tong.
After a short ride to the Kengtung market to buy everything you need for your packed lunch, you will leave for the place where your trekking day begins (approximately 45 minutes).
Today's journey will be physically the most physically demanding with a total of 6 hours of walking through the mountains to meet the Lahu ethnic group. The route will take you to one of the least touristy and most authentic villages in the Kyaing Tong region. After 3 hours of climbing, you will reach Lahu Shi village where you can admire the traditional houses on stilts and the ancestral lifestyle of this ethnic minority of South East Asia, also present in Thailand, Laos, and Chine.
The Lahus are one of the ethnic groups in this part east of the Shan state, bordering Thailand. The members of this tribe essentially live on agriculture. Despite originally Buddhists, many have been converted to Christianity. There are several Lahu tribes that your guide will help you distinguish.
You will enjoy your packed lunch in one of the houses in the village where you can find out more about the daily life of the local inhabitants by drinking tea with your family. After lunch you will take the return path (3h walk) that will lead you to your car, ready to take you back to the hotel. (45-minute ride).
Transfer time: 2h
Trekking time: 5h
Notes
Transfers to the starting point of the trek are made with local pick-up.
Picnic lunch and free dinner. Overnight stay in Kyaing Tong.
Alternative during the rainy season (June to September)
(ALTERNATIVE) KENGTUNG - LOI MWE (B / L / -)
Like the previous day, you will make a stop at the local market to display the products for your lunch (at your expense) and then leave for an hour's drive by car which will take you to Loi Mwe, an ancient colonial city. This road is dotted with small villages where numerous tribes live, highlighting the differences that coexist within the Shan state. As you approach Loi mwe, the road, all uphill, will gradually read you a magnificent view of the rice fields, a small lake, and the forests. During the journey, numerous stages will be taken to take beautiful photos, visit the villages and take short walks through their streets. These villages are inhabited by ethnic Akhas, Lahus, Khun, and Was. The walking time can vary from 20 to about an hour, and in the afternoon you will return to Kengtung along the same path. (Note: sometimes the area is closed to tourists, without notice. In the event of this occurring, another program will be proposed).
Transfer time: 5h
Trekking time: 2h
Notes
Transfers to the starting point of the trek are made with local pick-up.
Picnic lunch and free dinner. Overnight stay in Kyaing Tong.
Start of the morning with a walk on the "One Tree Hill" where there is a Kanyin-Byu (Diptero carpus Spp) over 200 years old. From this point, you will have an excellent view of the city and the surrounding mountains.
Appointment at a small Shan lacquer shop, very different from those used in Bagan. Mr San Maw is the only one in Kyaing Tong to have continued the tradition and to use it to decorate the bowls of the monks' offerings.
End your visit to the city with the Wat zom Khum pagoda, with an uncommon architecture (a fusion between Thai and Burmese) and adored by the locals who go there numerous during religious holidays, to pray and to meditate.
After lunch, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Yangon or another destination.
Tariff per person, starting from:
Departure | 2 Persone | 3/4 Persone | 5/6 Persone | 7/8 Persone |
---|---|---|---|---|
Double | Double | Double | Double | |
From 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020 | € 930 | € 860 | € 780 | € 770 |
Notes
Difficulty: medium (on average 4/5 hours of trekking per day)
(B / L / D): B = breakfast; L = lunch; D = Dinner
Hotel: Kengtung, Amazing Kaing Tong Hotel – deluxe room
Intercontinental flight on request
Exchange rate 1 EUR = 1.08 USD
Changes in exchange rates with fluctuations greater than 3% will lead to an adjustment in costs and will be communicated within 20 days of departure.
Currency block: € 50 per case. The customer has the possibility of definitively blocking the cost of ground services which will no longer be subject to currency fluctuations. The request must take place simultaneously with the confirmation.
The tariff includes
The tariff does not include
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