White Water Rafting in Burma

When you think of adventure tourism, it’s unlikely that Burma holidays would be the top of your list. In fact, until bans on tourism were lifted relatively recently, the number of travellers to the country remained remarkably low. This isolation from the rest of the world means that the diverse ecosystems and colourful Buddhist culture that Burma boasts have hardly been touched by the modern world, making it a truly unique destination.

Passionate mountaineers and trekkers who haven’t been fortunate enough to visit will no doubt have heard tales of the country’s numerous unconquered peaks. The majority of these can be found in Kachin State in the very north, where the southern part of the Himalayas begins. Perhaps the most famous in the region is the Hponkanrazi Mountain which stands at 5881m high and has only been conquered once, back in 1996.

The Kachin State is internationally recognised as a hotspot of biodiversity and is home to a huge amount of animal and bird life. Trekking through the region allows you to experience the vibrant flora and fauna first hand and the isolation of the practically untouched landscape will make you feel like you are encroaching on new terrain with every step.

There is very little by way of development in the area so the trekking route will take you along ancient hunting and trading paths and into the villages of local tribes. The interaction and hospitality that you will experience in these villages along with the companionship of the local guides will give trekkers an unparalleled insight into life in the Burmese wilderness.

In addition to the trekking opportunities that the country offers, there is the chance to try your hand at a spot of white water rafting. The Malihka and Mayhka Rivers are two main tributaries that feed in to the Irrawaddy River which flows through Burma and out into the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. The Irrawaddy or ‘Road to Mandalay’ as it was dubbed in the Rudyard Kipling poem, is the country’s largest river and most important commercial waterway.

The Mayhka is born way up in the snow fields and rushes over boulders and through narrow gorges to meet the Malihka and form the mighty Irrawaddy. This small stretch of river before the two combine, has become a Mecca for thrill-seeking white water rafters. The Mayhka has been affectionately dubbed; “The Everest of Rivers” or “The Impossible River” and offers rapids which come in at a heart-stopping rating of 4 - 5 on a scale of 6. Clearly not for the faint-hearted!

If Mayhka sounds too tricky, tamer rapids which still offer their fare share of thrills and spills can be found in the Nam Lang River which also needs to be reached on foot.

Team the rapids with the three or four day trek to get there and you may have just found the ultimate adventure holiday experience in the wilderness of Burma. What are you waiting for?