Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In the Himalayan foothills are minuscule populations of various Tibetan tribal peoples
including the Taron, Asiatic pygmies who now number less than 10 and are limited to
Naungmun in Myanmar's northernmost tip.
TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS
Large portions of the north are essentially closed to foreign visitors without special
permission. The main exceptions are areas along or close to the Mandalay-Lashio
road and towns along the Ayeyarwady between Mandalay and Bhamo. You can link
Mandalay and Myitkyina by railway but not by road, unless you have a guide and a
private car. With suitable permits (allow several weeks' preparation), and if the
stars are right, additional options include expensive fly-in tours to the Himalayan
foothill area around Putao. You can also drive, accompanied by a guide, from Lash-
io to Mu-se for the Chinese border crossing. Travel between Myitkyina and Bhamo,
whether by boat or road, is impossible for foreigners (and difficult even for the loc-
als thanks to ongoing fighting). Foreigners are seriously discouraged from visiting
the jade-mining sin city of Hpakant (Pakkan).
Dangers & Annoyances
Since Burma's independence, the north has witnessed a smorgasbord of low-level upris-
ings and ethnic separatist movements. Tourists aren't allowed too close to any flashpoints
so for most visitors these are a political curiosity rather than a serious danger, although
the closure of parts of the region is an obvious annoyance. Despite ongoing efforts to
broker ceasefires, fighting continues between the Kachin Independence Army and the
Tatmadaw, the Myanmar military, especially in eastern Kachin State. Shan rebels and the
United Wa State Army are active in northern Shan State, along with the smaller Palaung
State Liberation Front. Who's fighting who and where can change dramatically, so check
with locals to see what the current situation is in remote areas. Foreigners are never tar-
geted, but there is always the chance of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The
Tatmadaw do not take kindly to travellers wandering into conflict zones.
MANDALAY TO LASHIO
For an easy escape from the heat and hussle of Mandalay, do what the colonial Brits did
- nip up to Pyin Oo Lwin. And as you've come this far, why not continue further across
the rolling hills of the Shan Plateau to discover some of Southeast Asia's most satisfying
hill treks from Kyaukme or Hsipaw. But bring a decent fleece: while days are warm, it
Search WWH ::




Custom Search