An adventure in Shan State in Myanmar
Probably one of the most scenic ways to discover the Shan state, which is northeast of Mandalay, is to catch a train. You board the train early in the morning in Mandalay and can experience the sunrise right from the train when arriving at a bit hilly part after the city. I had enough time to spend time in two places in Shan state -Lashio (including surrounding villages) and Pyin Oo Lwin.
The train ride to Lashio
Trainride in Myanmar is quite time-consuming. It takes about double the amount of time than travelling for example on a bus. At the same time, I usually prefer to take the trains because it is possible to see and experience so much more about the country. It was the case with the Lashio-bound train as well. The train departed in Mandalay at 4 am and reached Lashio about 8 pm, which makes it a 16 h journey with the overall distance of 300 km. There are ordinary and upper-class tickets available. The ordinary class has wooden/plastic chairs which are not numbered but upper-class seats are soft reclining comfortable ones. The ticket price for an upper-class seat from Mandalay to Lashio was 5600 MMK (about 3 euros).
This specific route is famous among tourists because the train crosses an old railway viaduct. It is called the Goteik bridge and it was constructed in 1900. It is the highest bridge in Myanmar and when completed it was the largest railway trestle in the world. The rail line was constructed to help expand British influence in the region. The viaduct measures 689m in length and 102m in height at its highest point, which makes it an impressive construction for that time.
Besides watching the rice fields, jungle and local villages from the window of the train, the local life in the train itself is worth to be followed. People playing cards on money (also the ticket conductor was involved), vendors selling different kinds of snacks, people sitting on top of their boxes of cargo etc.
Lashio
Lashio is the largest town in the Shan State with a population of 130.000 people. There are not many sightseeing options in Lashio but walking around in the central market was also a nice way to spend half a day in the town. The main reason I headed to Lashio was for the trekking though. I teamed up with the same group of friends who I had met before in Hpa-An and we decided to book a trek with Myanmar Adventure Outfitters . One of the only few companies in Lashio and their range of activities offered had great reviews.
Two days filled with adventure
The company offers a range of activities to choose from and it is possible to customize your own trip with them. So in the end, we did not actually chose to do trekking but opted for more unique activities.
Motorbiking
In the morning of the first day, we walked to the office and they gave us some semi-automatic scooters. It was quite a rough way to our destinations through the country roads. It had been raining previously and so the roads were muddy and slippery. Since my companions had less experience with a bike they were struggling and falling multiple times. To be fair, even our guide managed to fall over with his off-road motorbike. We made it to the village, where we were going to spend a night at about 50 km and 4 hours later. After a delicious lunch, our guide showed us around the village and we paid a visit to the local school. The school building is just a small house with simple wooden walls and a dirt floor. They do not even have seats or tables for the students. The teacher gives three different classes at the same time in the same room. The company makes some contributions to the village and the school through donations from guests and from themselves.
Waterfall canyoning
After getting acquainted with the village we head out towards some waterfalls. It was a quick walk through the forest before arriving at the first spot. There was a small lagoon where it was possible to take a swim in the refreshing water with a low cliff jumping option. After the quick swim, we followed the stream up to the next levels. Then the challenging part started. Our guide led us through and up some waterfalls. We were climbing the rocks with the water racing down on us. I had never done anything like before, so it was a thrilling experience. We headed back to the village, had some dinner prepared by the local family, played some card games with a couple of beers and headed to sleep early in our house made of bamboo.
Mountain biking
In the next morning, we woke up early with the roosters singing all around us. We got back on our motorbikes and had about 1 h drive to our next location. We had proper mountain bikes waiting for us to ride on some mountain ridges. The first part of the ride was uphill and turned out to be incredibly difficult. But after reaching the higher parts of the hill, the real fun started. The narrow dirt road headed through a scenic forest while going up and down on the ridgeline and on the edge of the hill. After a couple of hours of adrenaline, we reached a lake.
SUP boarding on a lake
It was time for the 4th and the last activity we had scheduled for these 2 days. The guys from the company had delivered us some stand-up paddleboards (SUP boards) to the lake. We took the boards out to a quieter part of the lake and chilled around for 2-3 hours. It was an amazing way to relax and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere on a quiet lake with a dense jungle around it. Especially after two days filled with intense activities.
We were taken back to Lashio with a truck and after a quick refreshment in our accommodation, we were invited back to the tour company’s office for some dinner. We were surprised by some tasty homemade pizzas. Based on my experience I can really recommend Myanmar Adventure Outfitters to organise this kind of trip for you. Even if it is a bit pricey for a budget traveller, then it is all totally worth it. Besides having some adventures, it is a perfect way to get to know the local village culture as well.
Pyin Oo Lwin
After leaving Lashio I had just a day before I needed to head back to Yangon to catch my flight and I decided to spend it in Pyin Oo Lwin. This scenic hill town is only 70 km away from Mandalay. Pyin Oo Lwin is a colonial town with quite a lot to offer. Combine a walk in the town surrounded by colonial architecture with the best coffee in Myanmar and it is a day or half well spent. It is really worth to head out of the city though to see the Anisakan (Dattawgyaik) Waterfall. We rented some motorbikes for a day and head out in the morning. It is just a half an hour drive out of the city to the parking spot. From there it is still a 45 min walk to one of the biggest (with the height of 120m) waterfalls in Myanmar. Due to the low season, we were pretty much the only ones there and it was great to have a refreshing swim after a long walk.
Conclusion
Besides Lashio and Pyin Oo Lwin, a popular destination among tourists is also the town of Hsipaw. It is mainly known for its many trekking opportunities. Visiting the Shan State was one of the highlights of the visit to Myanmar for me. Riding the train for 2 days and staying in a homestay and learning about the village life gives an authentic experience to the lives of locals. Fewer people are on that route as well, since tourists on less time are mainly visiting Bagan and Inle Lake.
