Yangon - Putao by flight

Early morning transfer to Yangon International airport and fly to Putao via Mandaay and Myinkyina. Just as you arrive at the Putao airport, your guide will greet and transfer you to Putao guest house. After refreshment, your guide will take you to explore the scenic beauty of Putao, formally known as Fort Hertz and its ethnic groups’ living style by walking in and around the town. The town itself lies on small plane hill and is the most peaceful in northern Myanmar. Being isolated area, the region is rich in biodiversity-flora and fauna and it’s the least visited area by the tourist.

Putao - Upper Shangaung – Mt. Shangaung 1,375 m - Wasandum 995 m

As soon as your breakfast is taken, you will start driving a country road of 17 km to upper Shangaung, and all the way through you will see people traveling on bull locked carts or on motor bikes, local houses and paddy fields. After being dropped off at Shangaung village, you will start climbing up the winding trail of Mt.Shangaung of 1,375 m will be a great challenging for you. But as you get to the hours peak you will have the panoramic view of Putao and your lunch will be served there. From the summit while the descending trail will lead you to Wasandum a beautiful Rawang village at 995 m, you may encounter with hornbills and gibbons. You may go down to Namro creek (5 minute walk from the village) to get washed up right after you have checked in the local house.(approx.-walking hour 6-7 plus one and half driving)

Wasandum - Awadum - Ziyadum 1,068 m

You will be awoken at first light by the village cocks crowing repeatedly, which is the vital alarm for the villagers. Most of your route today will be cool, shady and relatively flat, except some up and down spots. As you proceed to Awadum which is well-known for walnut and persimmon and home to both Lisus and Rawangs, you will encounter the local greeting you with broad smile on the way through. After walking for half hour from Awadum, you will reach Kharlang suspension bridge and have your lunch there, but you will not cross the bridge, rather pass along the Namlang creek for about 2 hours to get to Ziyadum at the altitude of 1068 m above sea level, the last frontier village for this route. You will notice that all the houses of the village, being built of wood, bamboo, rattan and bark, have spacious plot with wood or bamboo fence. The villagers mainly live on cultivation, hunting and foraging for medicinal insect called “Cordycept” in botanical term, which plays main role in Chinese alternative medicine. (approxi- walking hour 5- 6)

Ziyadum- Confluence of Phonyin and Phangran creeks- Camp I

You should not miss to enjoy the marvelous view of the snow-capped mountains surrounding, from the bank of Namlang creek early in the morning before the fog goes up. You will set off your trip, leaving the village straightly to the north. The first half hour of your route will be open flat terrain of reeds, and after walking through the forest for another one and half hours you reach the confluence of Phangran and Phoyin creeks. You will cross the Phonyin creek with the help of rope or sticks. And the rest track of today trip will become narrower and a bit difficult to walk through marsh forest along Phangran creek. Today’s destination is first camp which located by Phangran creek at 1518 meters. You will spend one night in a dormitory style building of 20 ft × 40 ft in measurement with zinc roofing. If you arrive at the camp by late afternoon you can go down to the Phangran creek for finishing or washing up. (Approx. walking hours 7)

Camp I 1518 m - Camp II 2,443 m - Camp III 3,026 m

As you wake up and wash your face by a small tributary of Phangran creek, you will hear melodious sound of the nature birds, gibbons and squirrels. After breakfast, you have to start climbing up a gradual ascending track through the deep forest and some tiny bamboo groves, and you will get to camp II built up at the foot of a small ridge after two hour trekking. You may have your lunch there then resume your trekking to Camp III climbing up more steep trail in deeper forest for about 3 hours. In the evening you may see some porters being busy with weaving personal use baskets from rattan yarn cause the area is rich in flora and fauna. You will sleep in dormitory style building, which is the same as the first and second camps in both size and building materials. (approx. walking hours 6)

Camp III- Base Camp 3,658 m

Today route is the toughest and most challenging of the trip. Right after you have taken your breakfast you have to set off for today’s destination and the track will be full of rapidly up and down terrain. After a lot of hard and long tiring trekking has been done, finally you will reach the base camp which doesn’t have enough space to pitch many tents, rather it’s impossible to make a fire so your cook and porters will prepare food down the camp where it’s possible to build fire. And you will have to spend a freezing night there. (approx. walking hours 7)

Base camp - Phon Yin Razi Summit 4,282 m - Base camp

Have early breakfast, and climb up along heavy snow passage to the summit for about 3 hours. If the weather is clear you can enjoy the spectacular view of a beautiful lake down and of snow-capped mountains ranges of the Himalayas, from the peak. You may feel like to spend a few minutes in photographing, and enjoy some refreshment. Then return back to the base camp with the same track and spend one more night under canvas. The region abounding in Takin, musk deer and wild goat, you may encounter those endemic wild animals if you are in luck. (approx. walking hours 6)

Base camp to camp II 2,443 m via camp III 3,026 m

Saying , “ goodbye to the peak”, you will walk down along the challenging route of up and down terrain to Camp III at the altitude of 3026 meters and you may have your lunch there. Departing that camp, you will head to camp II which is your overnight stop for today. You will be more comfortable to sleep in a cozy building of camp II in comparison to last night camp. At night before you go to sleep, you may like to try basking in the camp fire, which is a habit to the local. (Approx. walking hours 8)

Camp II to Ziyadum 1,068 m via Camp I (1,518 m)

In the morning, you will be awoken by mellifluous sounds made by band of monkeys and birds. Just as you have taken your breakfast, you walk down along the gradual descending trail to first camp for about one and half hours. From the first camp you continue trekking through vegetation of low terrain as far as to glacial Phonyin creek. After crossing Phonyin creek, there is still two hours remained to pass through the forest in order to reach Ziyadum village. And you will be overnight in a village house. If you are lucky, you can enjoy fresh ice-fish caught by the local from glacial Namlang creek.( Approx walking hours 8)

Ziyadum Village - Kalang Village - Awadum - Wasandum village 860 m

Early in the morning, you are not supposed to miss having the spectacular view of the Snow Mountains from the village and may feel like to explore the village before breakfast. When your group is ready you will take different route to Kalang village. That route is relatively flat, shady and pleasant to walk and moreover there are some beautiful suspension bridges to be crossed. It will take you about 2 hours to reach Kalang, a beautiful Rawang village in rural setting. You will leave the village by the side for Awadum crossing a long suspension bridge of Kalang. You may take your lunch at a local house in Awadum which owns the only shop of the village and proceed to Wasandum to stay overnight.(approx. walking hours 6)

Wasandum - Mt Shangaung 1,460 m - upper Shangaung - Putao 451 m

After breakfast, you will start climbing up dramatically ascending path of Mt. Shaungaung for an half hour, and then the route becomes winding up with alternative low and high terrain up to the vicinity of the peak where the trail rises dramatically. As you may not feel like to rest on the summit, you keep on trekking down along the twisting trail to your lunch stop that’s plane and located by the stream. After saying farewell to some of your porters and cook, you will depart the village by jeep for Putao. On the way there will be some small bridges in bad condition where your driver will request you to get off the jeep for your safety. You could enjoy hot shower at the Putao lodge. (approx. walking hours 8 plus one and half driving hours)

Putao - Mandalay by flight

As you get up, you should not forget to visit local market to explore the local products and to buy some souvenirs for your dear ones. I strongly recommend that you should buy lovely tea cups crafted from bamboo and try the taste of local organic fruits. Depending on the flight arrival, your guide will transfer you to the airport by jeep for onward departure. And our service will end up seeing you off at the terminal. (15 minutes driving)