Page 138 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

136 The DelTa anD wesTern MyanMar Chin State
the area. If you’re looking for a real Myanmar adventure, then you could try the
gruelling (and rarely completed) trek of Chin State from Mount Victoria right through
to Mrauk U (see box opposite).
arrIVal anD GeTTInG arOUnD ChIn sTaTe
Be aware that travelling in Chin State is not for the faint-hearted. Conditions are still basic, there are few roads, electricity
and hot water are very hit and miss, and locals are utterly uncertain when it comes to interacting with foreign visitors. For
2 these reasons, almost every traveller uses the services of a tour company with contacts in the region. Due to the lack of
a road, you cannot cross directly between Mount Victoria and Hakha and Falam. Instead, you’ll have to go all the way back
down to the Ayeyarwady Valley, and then up into the hills on another road. You should allow at least a week to visit all of
the places listed here, though ten days is better.
By bus The bus service is limited. If you’re heading to By tour An increasing number of tour companies are
Mount Victoria, there are a couple of buses and minibuses a adding Chin State to their itineraries. Perhaps the most
day from Pakokku (near Bagan) to Kanpetlet. However, this experienced operator in Chin is the Yangon-based Pegu
isn’t the best idea, as once you get to Kanpetlet you would Travels (T01 371937, Wpegutravels.com). Other good
need a car to get to the mountain trailhead, and there Yangon-based operators include Ayarwaddy Legend (T01
aren’t any available here to rent. For Hakha and Falam, 252007, Wayarwaddylegend.com) and Khiri Travel (T01
there are daily buses from Kalaymyo (west of Shwebo in 375577, Wkhiri.com). Numerous travel agencies in Bagan
northern Myanmar) that go to Hakha (9hr) via Falam (5hr). also offer two- to three-night trips to Mount Victoria.

Mount Victoria and around
• $10 park fee
Practically the only place even slightly on the Chin tourist radar is Mount Victoria
(Nat Ma Taung), most easily accessible from Bagan. Rising from dense forests, the
upper reaches of the mountain form a so-called “sky island”, with alpine plant and
bird species characteristic of the Himalayas living alongside other endemic flora and
fauna. The mountain and its surrounding are so biologically important that it has been
made an ASEAN Heritage Park and been declared of Outstanding Universal Value
by UNESCO.
Although the mountain is reasonably high at 3053m, it’s a fairly easy five-hour return
hike to the summit from the trailhead, which is a 45-minute drive from Kanpetlet
village, around 20km to the east. The prime time of year to climb is from November
to late February, when the views are at their best, the temperatures are pleasant and the
rhododendron bushes are ablaze with colour. Most people visit the mountain as part of
a pre-arranged tour booked in Yangon or Bagan, but if you come independently then
guides can be arranged through one of the eco-lodges in Kanpetlet.
aCCOMMODaTIOn
There is no accommodation on the mountain itself. Most people use Kanpetlet as a base, though the best available
accommodation is all a short way out of town in the direction of the mountain trailhead.
Mountain Oasis Eco-Lodge 10 min out of Kanpetlet and cold-water bathrooms (which really aren’t fun at this
on the road to the trailhead. This friendly lodge offers ten altitude). Guides and picnic lunches can be organized here.
basic wooden cottages with thatched roofs, small terraces $69

Hakha

HAKHA, the diminutive capital of Chin State, lies at an altitude of 1867m and has a
cool – and at night even cold – climate. The town is notably less developed than most
other regional capitals in Myanmar, and – as its population is mostly Christian – the
town has a very different atmosphere to much of lowland Myanmar. You’re far more

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