2 days in Loikaw and Kayah state

Beginning of November, I traveled in Myanmar with 3 French friends Margaux, Pauline and Celine.

Our first stop was in Loikaw, the capital of Kayah state. The city opened up to tourists few years ago and is still not well-known and visited. We really enjoyed discovering this charming, peaceful and pure region. The landscapes are amazing and the local culture very rich. A large number of ethnic groups are living in this small state. The most internationally famous are the Kayan, known for the ‘long-necked’ women. In addition, there is still a strong animist tradition interesting to discover. The region gives a beautiful picture of the variety of ethnic groups and traditions in Myanmar.

The areas outside of Loikaw can only be visited with a guide. A permit is need to visit some village and foreigners can not hire motorbikes. So, I got in touch with Charlie, a local guide living in Loikaw, who organized 3 amazing days for us. He has a super English, so he is really easy to communicate with.

Day 1

We started the day by a traditional breakfast at a local teashop. Luckily, we arrived in Loikaw during a Buddhist festival. At that time, Buddhist people donate to monasteries.  We saw high school students, on their way to the monastery, parading in the city with their donations. They were all dancing and singing. It a real festive time for Loikaw!

Then we visited Loikaw colorful market where Charlie showed us the common products used to cook Myanmar food:  a lot of spices, fish paste, dry fishes…

Near the market, there is Lwan Zedi Mountain Pagoda, one of the Hilltop pagodas of the city. Climb there for a very nice view over the city!

The next stop was the Kayhto Bo “spirit poles” area. It was the occasion to get some explanations about animist traditions. The sacred poles are worshiped once a year, in April. All the tribes from the region come down to Loikaw for the occasion.

After a Burmese lunch with rice and curries, we visited the Lwe Tamu Cave, a very impressive pagoda down the cave. During the visit, a villager came to talk to us and told us about animists believe. For example, local people still believe in dragons. What is really pleasant in Loikaw is that local people are always happy to share with you their rich culture.
We continued to the Htee Se Kha Waterfall, a calm and refreshing place.





We ended the day walking in the mountains and around villages. Charlie explained that most of the villages in the region are empty because people are working in Thailand. That is why we mostly saw old people and children.

Day 2

We started the day visiting Taung Gwe Moutain Pagoda. The pagoda is famous for its original architecture and its panoramic view on the city and Kayah Mountains. The pagoda is perched on different rocks linked with bridges. I really loved this place! I would say it is one of my favorite pagodas in the country.








Like the first day, we stopped at a local market.We were the only foreigners and had the chance to see a lot of tribes people wearing their traditional clothes and selling local products.

One of the famous products is the local alcohol. Villagers are used to drink it starting from the morning… None of us were able to try it!

The next stops of the morning were 7 serial lakes and Umbrella Lake.

We have been very amazed by the 7 serial lakes! The landscapes and colors are truly amazing.

The Umbrella Lake is also a nice place to visit as it is a very important place for animists. We met a lot of Myanmar people visiting the place.

Charlie noticed that we were all a little obsessed by children, so he brought us to a school. We arrived during lunch break, so all the kinds were playing outside. They were scared and amused at the same time to meet us.

 We stop at a traditional restaurant to eat a kind of pudding near the Ngwe Taung Dam. 

We finished our day at the PanPet village, famous village of the long-neck women. We did not know what to expect from this visit. We were scared to feel like “in a zoo”, especially when our guide told us that even if most of women wear the necklace for tradition, some of  the young girls are wearing it again for tourists.

Actually, we had a really good time. Charlie knows the village very well and took time to explain the traditions. The 'long-neck' tradition is gradually dying out. Generally, only older women in some rural areas wear it. A lot of long-neck women are pushed to go to Thailand or in others touristic places in Myanmar. So, local organizations and local-guides like Charlie are trying to make the women stay in their villages and develop a respectful local tourism. 

The necklace is one bloc made of rings that can reach 6 kg for adults. Few stories exists to explain the tradition. One is that Kayan men wanted to give a strange appearance to the women to drive away men from other tribes. Another story says that the women wear the necklace to protect them from tiger when they were working in the field.

Charlie knows well one of the long-neck women. So we went to her home and spent some time with her. It was not easy to communicate but we had a very rich moment.

The village itself also worth it, as it is surrounded by rice fields.

HOW TO REACH LOIKAW?  

From Yangon:

We reached Loikaw by bus after an epic 15 hours journey. The tire burst at 6am in the morning and bus was fare from the comfortable VIP bus…
It is also possible to flight from Yangon.

From Inle Lake:

Is it also possible to take a bus from Taungyi and Kalaw to Loikaw.

WHERE TO STAY IN LOIKAW?

We stayed at Nawaday hotel, a very nice and clean hotel in the center of Loikaw. The breakfast is very good and served on the top-floor terrasse. The staff super friendly.

WHERE TO EAT IN LOIKAW?

We had a Myanmar beer and very good food in nice restaurant along the river: Golden Lion. The river bank is really charming and the best place for dinner.

GUIDE CONTACT

Charlie:

Phone number: +959428002235

e-mail: charlie29193@gmail.com