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KENG TUNG (KYAING TONG) & MONG LA IN THE EASTERN SHAN STATE OF MYANMAR, 6 DAYS / 5 NIGHTS
Day 1: ARRIVE IN CHIANG RAI - KYAING TONG (D)
Arrive in Chiang Rai, and transfer to Mae Sai on the Thai-Burmese border for immigration formalities and bridge crossing to the Burmese town of Tachileik. Our guide will meet pax to assist with the immigration formalities and transfer pax to Tachileik airport for flight to Kyaing Tong (Keng Tung). At Kyaing Tong airport, meet and transfer to hotel for check-in. (In case there is no flight available that day, the guide will arrange road transport from Tachileik to Kyaing Tong, a drive of 3 hours through verdant hills and valleys with flowing streams, stopping a while at Phayak half-way to Kyaing Tong. The airfare and the overland transport costs are NOT included in the package price. You can pay directly on the spot. Airfare is USD33 and road transport cost is USD15.)
After checking into hotel take a short rest before driving to town for some
sightseeing of Kyaing Tong. Get a panoramic view of the town from "One Tree Hill" where stands the 250-year-old tree that King Alaungpaya of the Konbaung dynasty planted when he was in Kyaing Tong on an invasion of Lanna Thai. Visit the impressive Wat Jong Kham & Maha Myat Muni Pagoda among the old temples of Kyaing Tong. See the unique collection of wooden Buddha images in the Khun style at Wat In. Visit the monument of the last prince of Keng Tung whose spiritual power deters the Burmese government from demolishing his monument. See pottery making in Yan Gon village and then Naung Tong Lake where the British centred the town during the colonial days. Visit the original town site of Kyaing Tong founded 1000 years ago where now sits the Immaculate Heart Cathedral and the Roman Catholic Mission which cares for about 100 orphaned boys.
Dinner at Lauo Tien Lu Restaurant serving good southern Chinese food.
Overnight at Private Hotel (no star) or Princess Hotel (2-star), Kyaing Tong.
Day 2: KYAING TONG - HOKYIN VILLAGES (B,L,D)
Breakfast at the hotel.
Visit the central market with its impressive variety of local produce free of pesticides, and the buffalo market (where buyers and sellers stand around seemingly doing nothing but sales are transacted quietly). See rice-wine making at Wan Kan village. Lunch at Mountain View Restaurant set in a picturesque surrounding. Afternoon excursion to Hokyin mountain to visit four Akha villages of different religious denominations living peacefully in proximity with one another. Easy trekking is done from one to the other of the four villages perch on the mountain ridge. Or we can drive to these villages along mountain roads. Visit the headmen of the villages out of courtesy and have highland tea with one of them as his guest. This evening have a Shan dinner at Golden Banyan Restaurant.
Overnight at Private Hotel or Princess Hotel, Kyaing Tong.
Day 3: KYAING TONG - MONG LA (B,L,D)
Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning depart Kyaing Tong for the Wa town of Mong La in the Wa Special Region 80km northeast on the Burmese-Chinese border, a drive of 2 hours through fantastic mountain scenery and hilltribe villages. Wonderful views of rolling hills and mountain peaks are seen along much of the route. One hour before Mong La will be an opportunity for a 2-hour trek to some Lwe and Eng villages where in a secluded pass is the ancient temple of Wan Nyut inhabited by a small community of monks. A pack lunch will be served. Continue on to Mong La arriving in the afternoon. Check into the Mong La Hotel (or similar) followed by dinner in a Chinese restaurant. The evening is free to visit the casinos, steam in a sauna, enjoy a massage or just stroll about in the town.
Over night at Mong La Hotel, Mong La.
Day 4: MONG LA - KYAING TONG (B,L,D)
Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning sightseeing of Mong La to include the Dway Nagara Golden Pagoda, the Opium Free Zone Museum, the Chinese Boundary Post on the road to Xishuangpanna, etc. Chinese lunch in a restaurant, followed by a free couple of hours before departure at about 2pm back to Kyaing Tong (arrive at 5.30-6pm). Check into hotel for shower and rest before dinner.
Enjoy a dinner of grilled fish and hot pot in the Seik Tie Kyat Restaurant.
Over night at Private Hotel or Princess Hotel, Kyaing Tong.
Day 5: KYAING TONG - LOI MWE (B,L,D)
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning excursion to Loi-mwe 33 km away at 1,600 metres altitude. This was once a British hill-station featuring a number of old colonial buildings and a century-old Catholic church. The scenery on the ascent gives vistas of forests and rice-fields. Loi-mwe means "Misty Mountain" and has a temperate climate. Visit the three hill tribe villages along the way: Ho Latt Akha village, Pang-Y Lahu village and Naung Cho Wa village. A picnic lunch will be served.
Return to Kyaing Tong to overnight if not possible to overnight in Loi-Mwe.
Dinner in a restaurant.
Overnight at the Loi-mwe or Private Hotel / Princess Hotel, Kyaing Tong.
Day 6: LOI-MWE/KYAING TONG - TACHILEIK/CHIANGRAI (B)
Breakfast at the hotel.
At about 9am leave your hotel for Tachileik by road in a private transport,
crossing the border and transfer to Chiangrai airport for flight to Bangkok.
End of program
Tour cost in Japanese Yen per person in Twin share room
| KENG TUNG (KYAING TONG) & MONG LA IN THE EASTERN SHAN STATE OF MYANMAR, 6 DAYS / 5 NIGHTS | PRIVATE HOTEL | PRINCESS HOTEL |
| 2 pax | 63,000 | 66,000 |
| 3 - 6 pax | 62,000 | 65,000 |
| 7 - 10 pax | 59,000 | 62,000 |
| 11 - 14 pax | 58,000 | 60,000 |
| 15 - 20 pax | 57,000 | 59,000 |
| Single room sup | 7,000 | 9,000 |
| Per CHILD (without bed) | 45,000 | 46,000 |
| Per CHILD (with extra bed) | 58,000 | 60,000 |
Package cost covers 5 nights simple hotel accommodation with daily breakfast, transfers from and to Chiang Rai airport/hotel in air-conditioned vehicles in Northern Thailand and non-air conditioned vehicles in Myanmar, meals as stated, entrance fees, payments at the five police-military posts along the highway in Myanmar, tours with professional guide services, and the one-way overland transport from Kyaing Tong (Keng Tung) to Tachileik on the last day of the program.
NOT included are all airfares and airport taxes, the cost of transfer from Tachileik to Kyaing Tong (USD15), drinks at meals other than what is served at table and expenses of a personal nature; and the Myanmar immigration border pass of USD15.
There is no more need to exchange USD into FECs upon arrival in Myanmar.
Useful currencies for Kyaing Tong are US Dollars and Thai Baht as well as Burmese Kyat. In Mong La it is Yuan, US Dollars and Thai Baht.
Credit cards are not accepted for paying for purchases. Traveler checks are a total disadvantage as these can only be converted in a government bank at a very unfavorable rate. Cash is best. Have small denominations of banknotes.
No hand phones and notebook computers are permitted into Myanmar. You can leave these with the Myanmar Tourist Office in Tachileik at your own risk. Phone charges are very high in Myanmar. There are no Internet Cafes anywhere in Kyaing Tong and no public phone booths.
Electricity supply in Kyaing Tong is erratic and hotels use their own generators, which are not powerful enough to run the room air-conditioners. It can cause some inconvenience for hot water showering during the cool season and air-conditioners during the hot season. Laundry is available at the hotel at a low cost. Hotel staff is very obliging and happy to do services at the bidding of the guests.
Weather in Kyaing Tong and Mong La is 15-22 Celsius during the day during November-February; March-May is 28-32 Celsius; June-October is 25-28 Celsius. Night temperatures are considerably cooler. It's dry weather from November-February. The rains come in June, with August-September being the rainiest months. So bring your wet togs and jackets. A pair of sandals will add much to your comfort.
People travel to Keng Tung for its pristine environment and non-touristy hill tribe villages. The town was a British colonial outpost before Burma gained independence in 1948. It is heavily influenced by Thailand rather than Yangon. And in Mong La it is dominated by the former head-hunting Wa ethnic group and the Chinese more so than the Burmese. The street langauge is Mandarin and the currency in use is the Yuan (Renminbi). It sits on the Burma-China border. The road from this checkpoint goes to Jinghong about 3 hours drive away into Yunnan province. Mong La is a town built by opium. It is more developed than Keng Tung the provincial capital. Tourist infrastructure is basic. The sense of real adventure is pervading.
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