North-Eastern Myanmar

Taunggyi:
It is the capital of the Shan State situated at 4,792 feet above sea level. It is situated on a high plateau surrounded by high mountain. There are pines, cherry and eucalyptus trees growing all over the town and the whole area is green and pleasant. Taunggyi maintains a museum of ethnology, which displays cultural objects, musical instruments, traditional dresses, household and farm implements, paintings, sculptures, art and crafts of the different national races residing in Shan State. The market on every fifth day is crowded with ethnic minorities in their traditional dresses. It is famous for its Tazaungdaing Balloon festival in November.

Inle Lake:
It is the most famous scenic spot in Shan State. Inlay Lake is about 900 meters above sea level, 22 km long and 10 km wide and studded with floating islands. It is famous for its leg-rowers, floating villages, colorful floating market, farms and the magnificent Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda. Visitors may observe cottage industries of weaving, netting and cheroot making. Other tourist attractions around the lake include Ywama and Zakah village and Nga Phe Chaung Monastery. Ywama village is the largest village on the Inle Lake. There are some beautiful teak houses built on large wooden poles. The main attraction is the floating market in the largest canal. The Ywama floating market village bustles with boats and vegetables once a week. Beyond the Inle lake is unspoiled countryside populated by colorful ethnic minorities.

Five-day market:
In Shan State, community markets are held on a traditional rotating basis, in which each town or village within a given area hosts a market every five days. Even around Lake Inle, everyday, there is a market held at one of the five designated villages. On these days, people gather from the lake villages and nearby mountains to buy and sell.

Shwe In Dein Pagoda:
It is one of the small villages of Inle Lake located on the western bank of the lake. A Buddha image has enshrined at a whitewashed stupa, which is on the summit of a hill, Bell of the stupa around the hill are cluster of hundreds of ancient stupas most are ruins overgrown with bushes. The pagoda hill is quiet and calm. One could feel the pleasant cool breeze with the sweet rings of the bells hanging at the umbrella of the stupa. Memorizing view from pagoda hill release the fatigue and refresh everybody who ascend to the peak. This mysterious place is at the end of the marvelous Indein creek, which connected with Inle Lake just after the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda. The creek is narrow with many twist and turns. Since the both sides are paddy fields you can see the farmers ploughing and harrowing by water buffaloes. At the lunch time while groups of farmers having lunch the water buffaloes enjoy themselves dipping in the creek. At many places in the creek the farmers dam up the water by bamboo barriers to irrigate the paddy fields.

Kakku Pagodas:
Recently discovered tourist site beyond Taunggy is Kakku pagodas. This pagoda is very impressive with its beautiful 2548 pagodas, believed that have been built since 307 BC and two old bronze ringing bells. The particular interest is the village life along the road to the Kakku. The small road across, there are dozen of the pretty Pa-O villages and green plantations irrigated by stream water.

Kalaw:
Kalaw, another hill station, is 1400 meters above sea level. It is located 70 km west of Taunggyi. This old hill station on the rim of the Shan Plateau, in the Pineland, remains a favorite place for holidays. The main attractions of Kalaw are the town itself, with its Tudor-style houses and English gardens of colonial days remain, its ethnic mix of people, and it’s setting within trekking distance of many ethnic minority villages. Places of interest are Thein Taung Pagoda, Aung Chan Tha Pagoda, Su Taung Pyae Pagoda and Christ the King Church. Shop around for a trek, walk toward temples & churches, see a bamboo Buddha, meet tribes at the colorful every-5-days market, take the stairs to a temple and a good view of the village, walk up the hill for an even better panorama, a pleasant 1.5 hours trip, taste strawberry lassi, feed birds, breathe fresh air filled with pine trees smell, while on trek, visit coffee, tea or cigar leaves plantations or see elephants at work.

Pindaya:
Pindaya is a small quiet town perched on the bank of the placid Botoloke Lake. About 45 km drive from Kalaw, famous for its mysterious cave of countless centuries old Buddha Images. Pindaya is also known for Shan paper and monks umbrella makers. The road from Kalaw to Pindaya passes through countryside of great scenic beauty. Pindaya Cave is well known for its extensive limestone caves. The caves are set deep in the hillsides and there stands at the entrance, a 15 meter high Shwe U Min Pagoda. There are some 6000 Buddha images and interesting stalagmites. Huge monastery compounds with numerous pagodas and temples in different stages of dilapidation are much respected by such ethnic groups as the Shans, Danus and Paos living in the environs of Pindaya.

Padalin Cave:
Situates in the Panlaung reserved forest area in Ywangan Township in Taunggyi district. It is one of the most important prehistoric sites in Myanmar, estimated that the cave was used by primitive people between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago. The distance to Padahlin from Yebok it is only a mile away. In located 14 miles west of a town of YwarNgan. The cave is also situated 70 miles south east of Mandalay .The caves lie in the jungle-clad mountains and situated at a height of 1000 ft above sea level. The terrain is rough and rugged. Being limestone caves the interior abounds in stalagmites and stalactites, decorated with remain of very old painting of animal and human subjects. The excavation at Padahlin yielded a horde of artifacts and other finds. Innumerable stone implements, hundreds of animal bone fragments, a few human fossils, shells of land mollusks, charcoal pieces, mounds of clay, etc were discovered. The stone implements and the fauna remains testify the age of Padahlin to be Neolithic. Observe the prehistoric drawing pictures of animal and human subjects and weapons of the Stone Age.

Kyaing Tong:
Kyaing Tong is the capital city of the Golden Triangle Region, 2,710 ft above sea level, surrounded by mountain peaks. It is only 170 km away from Tachileik. There are many ethnic tribes (Akha, Palaung, Gon Shan, Loi, Eng, Wa, Akhu, Lahu, Lishaw Hill Tribes) in colorful dresses. The traditional "Lamon Dance” is popular in the Kyaing Tong area. In almost every village and all over the town joyful drum beats of the "Lamon Dance" can be heard all year round in Kyaing Tong. There are regular flights from Yangon to Kyaing Tong. Kyaing Tong Hotels (old and new) offer modern facilities at reasonable prices. Visitors are allowed to cross into this border town with Border Passes.

Lashio:
Lashio is in Eastern Shan state. It is trade center and the terminus of the railroad line from Mandalay. Lashio was famous in World War II as the starting point of the Burma Road. Capital of the northern Shan State, major settlement is Shan and Chinese being bordering with Yunan province of China. The famous Burma Road built by the British before the War, interests with Ledo Road leading into the Yunnan province. The highlight about this trip is to enjoy the most spectaculars scenic views of the Shan plateau traveling one way by winding road with elbow crossing hilly drive and the other way by train with twisting and turning hilly trek. Crossing over historic Gokehtaik Bridge is a fascinating journey to Lashio.