Hidden Himalaya of Burma Trek
Burma, Trek & Walk, 16 days - from $3,945 (land only)
- An exploratory trekking holiday to the remote peak, Phonyin Razi
- Meet colourful tribal people at their remote villages
- Sightseeing in Yangon, Putao and in Mandalay
- Optional ascent of snow-capped Phonyin Razi
- `Explore More` - the finest adventure holidays on the planet
At its northern point, adjacent to both China and the Indian states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, Burma has a surprising wealth of properly mountainous terrain. Here, at the eastern end of the Himalayas, there are snow-capped peaks rising close to 6000 metres and unexplored opportunities for exciting trekking holidays. In recent years, few outsiders have visited this magical land, home to colourful tribal people such as the Rawan and Lisu. We access this remote area through the town of Putao and begin our groundbreaking trek after a short transfer to the village of Shangaung. For 5 days, we walk across the grain of the country, visiting remote hill-tribe settlements and following scant trails through luxuriant pine and rhododendron forest, rich in exotic plant, animal and birdlife. Then, from a basecamp above the tree-line at 3658 metres, we include the optional ascent across open snowlopes to the summit of Phonyin Razi (4282m). From this stunning viewpoint, we have a panorama of Himalayan peaks and a glimpse across the Indian border into Assam. After our trek, a free day in the Putao area allows us to visit the former British colonial settlement of Machanbaw, before we fly back to Mandalay for a further day of sightseeing, including the chance to see the amazing gilded Mahamuni Pagoda, the Schwenandaw Monastery and the 1200 metre-long teak bridge of U Bein. This amazing trekking holiday provides a unique glimpse into a part of the world that is well off the ‘beaten track' and our first departure in November 2012 will take the form of a reconnaissance. Anyone joining this first group should be aware of this and should be prepared for a trip into the 'unknown'.
This trip is one of our ‘Explore More' range of outstanding adventure holidays which we are running in conjunction with our friends at Hauser (Germany's leading adventure travel operator). The trips we have chosen for this range are undoubtedly some of the finest adventures on the planet. They are also ‘specialist' and will appeal to those who have ‘been there, done that' in many parts of the world and are now looking for something new. The cosmopolitan nature of the groups will be an important part of the Explore More experience!
Is this holiday for you?
This is an exploratory trekking adventure and something of an unknown quantity. However, on our 5-day trek from Shangaung to our basecamp at 3658 metres below Phonyin Razi, we will be walking for approximately 6 hours each day. For the first couple of days, we are on village paths and thereafter on forest tracks. There will be streams to ford and basic bridges to either negotiate or avoid. The final day, taking the group to the summit of Phonyin Yazi will be mostly on snow and we anticipate that this ascent, whilst requiring the precautionary use of crampons and an ice axe, will be straightforward. This will be a long day and is entirely optional; group members not wishing to make the ascent can explore from basecamp instead. For the first 2 and last 2 nights of the trek we stay in village house accommodation, with basic facilities. There are also 5 night camping and in 1 or 2 places we will pitch our tents on levelled sites in small clearings in the forest. Note also that at 3 of the camping places we use, there are recently constructed and quite basic wooden shelters. We have given this holiday the DEMANDING grade, as we expect to encounter some challenging sections of forest trail and several long days. This is an adventure holiday for experienced trekkers.
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