Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
IRRAWADDY DOLPHINS
Despiteitsname,the
Irrawaddydolphin
canbefoundinestuaries,riversandalongcoasts
from the Bay of Bengal to the Great Barrier Reef. Although not a true river dolphin -
they're closely related to killer whales - subpopulations do live in several Southeast Asian
rivers, with one such group eking out an existence in the turbid waters of the upper Aye-
yarwady River.
While there are many stories of the dolphins co-operating with fishermen, the use of
gill- and drag-nets by those same fishermen has seen Myanmar's dolphin population drop
alarmingly, and CITES lists the Ayeyarwady's dolphins as being critically endangered.
In 2005 the Burmese government established a protected area for the dolphins in a 68km
stretch of the river between Kyaukmyaung and Mingun in which there has been a ban
on certain types of fishing nets and the use of mercury in riverside gold mines. While Ir-
rawaddy dolphin numbers initially showed a slight recovery, the mammals are now facing
a new threat as the Ayeyarwady's fisheries decline due to overfishing, with just an estim-
ated 63 individuals left in 2014.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: KYAUKMYAUNG
By bus
Buses for Shwebo (1hr) and Mandalay (3hr) depart when full from in front of the
market, with the last bus leaving mid-afternoon.
By motorbike taxi
A motorbike taxi to Shwebo will set you back K3000-5000, depending
on how late you arrive in Kyaukmyaung and how much luggage you have.
Bytuk-tuk
Tuk-tukstoShwebo(1hr;K700)leavehourlyuntil3pm,anddriversusuallywait
around to meet each boat.
By boat
Slow boats pull in at the Kyaukmyaung jetty (northbound on Mon, Thurs and
Sat; southbound on Sat, Tues and Thurs), but departure times are unreliable - ask at the
IWT office opposite the jetty for upcoming departures. Southbound fast boats pass through
Kyaukmyaung at around 2-4pm, but don't always pull in - you may need to take a long-tail
out to join the boat midstream. Northbound fast boats pass through at around 7-9am. On all
services it's possible to buy tickets on board.
Shwebo and around
Once known as Moksobo or “Hunters' Village”,
SHWEBO
was given its current name
(“Golden Leader”) whenAlaungpaya, anambitious native ofthe town,foundedBurma'slast
empire in 1752. Today only Shwebo's fine selection of royally bestowed names (of which
therearefive),andaconcretereproductionofAlaungpaya'sthronehallat
ShwebonYadana
,
hint at its glorious past. Nowadays the town is better known for its fragrant
thanaka
sandal-
wood, said to be the best in the country.
