10 Days Exotic Chin Hills

starting from $2867

Also known as Natma-taung National Park was established in 1994. The 279 square mile wide National Park is situated in Chin State and it is spread out to Mindat Township, Kanpetlet Township, and Matupi Township.
For 8 days you will trek through the Chin Hill. You will come across broad-leaved and pine forests; useful and medicinal plants; wild orchids; lianas-woody climbers that hang from trees; cycads-which are ancient palm-like plants bearing large male and female cones; rhododendrons-shrubs or small trees with large evergreen leaves. The attractions are not only the unaltered forests, but also the farmed hillsides and villages. You can directly observe the breath of Chin culture and lifestyle. 7 overnight stays in traditional Chin huts and lodges along the trail

BAGAN - KYUN CHAUNG - MINDAT - KHONE EI - AMLONG - KYAR EI NUU - MADAT - KARDO - AYE - RANCHI CAMP - MT. VICTORIA SUMMIT - BASE CAMP - KANPELET - SEIK PHYU - BAGAN

Type of trip:
Individual tour
Price:
starting from $2867 (based on 2 travellers)
Availability: October till April
Start of the trip: Daily
Difficulty: demanding
  • 1 night including breakfast at Hotel Mindat (standard)
  • 1 night including breakfast at Floral Breeze Hotel (deluxe)
  • 7 nights in local houses or camps (tents)
  • Full board as mentioned in our itinerary
  • English speaking guide throughout the tour
  • Pajero, Surf, Landcruiser from/to Bagan
  • Entrance fees for the national park
  • Porter fees for the 2 days from Mindet to Kanpelet
  • International flights to/from Myanmar
  • Visa fees
  • Domestic flights to/from Bagan
  • Supplements and compulsory dinners for Christmas & New Year
  • Lunches and dinners not included in the itinerary
  • Drinks
  • Early check-in/late check-out
  • Personal expenses such as camera fees, tips, laundry, etc.
  • Hotel baggage handling fees
golden-team

You have questions? Then please contact us! We will be happy to help you customize your own dream trip.

Day 01 BAGAN – KYUN CHAUNG – MINDAT (L, D)

After breakfast drive via Pakokku to Mindat (approx. 8 hrs drive). The country side is dry and flat and there are many sand streams to cross. At Pauk Township stop for lunch at Shwe Aye Ka Yee Restaurant. After Pauk the country side is getting more and more green and hilly and before you reach the Chin Hills you can also see rice fields vegetable cultivation's. The Amay Ye Yin Nat shrine marks the beginning of the Chin State. Take a coffee break at Kyauk Htu village before the road goes steep up the Chin Hills to Mindat, a former British hill station of the southern Chine State. Dinner at a local restaurant and overnight at Mindat Hotel.

Day 02 MINDAT – KHONE EI (approx. 5 hours) (B, L, D)

After breakfast you depart Mindat for Khone Eai. You travel the first 14 miles by truck (approx. two hours), then leave the truck and start trekking through a pine forest to Hilaung (approx. one hour), which nestles in a valley amid the pine forest. Following a stop for lunch, you continue the trek to Helong and from there continue on (approx. 2 hours) to Khone Ei. You have dinner and stay overnight at a local home.

Day 03 KHONE EI – AMLONG (approx. 5 hours) (B, L, D)

You’ll love the exquisite morning beauty of the Chin Hills. After breakfast you trek to Htwe (approx. one hour), enjoying birding, nature and the lovely scenery on the way. Trekking onwards (approx. one hour), you reach Htal Pan where you stop for lunch. Another hour or so of uphill trekking through pine forests brings you to today’s destination at Amlong. Here, you have dinner and stay overnight at a local home, near the site of a small Buddhist monastery and a newly-built pagoda on the hill.

Day 04 AMLONG – KYAR AI NUU (approx. 5 hours) (B, L, D)

Chin BergeBreakfast over, you’re back on the trail – a good, steady descent to a suspension bridge crossing the River Chi. From the valley bottom, it’s uphill all the way to the village of Kyar Ai Nuu – but the path is never too steep, and you reach your home for the day by lunchtime. Your accommodation is another schoolhouse right next to the local football pitch. This is a particularly lively village and plenty of locals will come out to introduce themselves, including the local pastor and the head of the village. As you all have plenty of time today, people like to catch up on a shower. It’s the weekend, so most of the kids are at home, but some come down from the village to say hello – and the warm greeting you receive at every village really is one of the special features of this route, with the locals feeling just as curious about you as most of you are about the locals!

Day 05 KYAR EI NUU – MADAT (approx. 5 hours) (B, L, D)

Chin BergeBreakfast first, then you set off for Madat. For the first hour, you follow a very steep descent to the valley bottom and the bridge. The route takes you past several small simple tombs next to the path. These are animist graves, where the ashes of the deceased have been placed in roughly built small stone structures. Crossing the river by the bridge, you now follow the rocky streambed for half an hour before making a steep ascent for 20 minutes to the village of Amlong, built on the crest of a ridge. From here, you descend to the next valley bottom – only this time on a more gradually sloping path. There has been a landslide at this point, and the bridge consists simply of several well-placed logs and there is a tricky but very short climb up the other side of the valley where the landslide has taken the path away. From this valley bottom, it’s an hour’s tough ascent to Madat.

Day 06 MADAT – KARDO – AYE (approx. 6 hours) (B, L, D)

After breakfast you set off to Kyardo, which is approximately 2 hours away on a steadily undulating path with plenty of village life along the way, together with an interesting example of the wooden sacrificial poles typical of animism. Kyardo, though situated in a steep-sided valley that receives little light, is very near a rich source of precious metals – including gold, mostly sourced from the nearby river. The river also offers a superb spot for grabbing a brain-freezing shower, in which most people indulge. You retrace your steps for 10 minutes, back to the creek bed where you bathed the evening before. From here it’s a steep and sometimes muddy and difficult path, which eases up after an hour of climbing. For the next 3 hours it’s a much better path, with the valley now opening up on the left to far broader views of the plains to the north and east. After that, it’s an hour’s steep hike through dense forest, followed by an hour on a much better jeep track, which leads to a hotel in progress owned by one of the local bigwigs. You stay in a couple of the finished rooms of the hotel, and there is an opportunity for people to recharge their camera batteries.

Day 07 AYE – RANCHI CAMP (approx. 5 hours) (B, L, D)

Breakfast first, then a trek to Ranchi camp (8 miles, approx. 5 hours), located at the bottom of Mt. Victoria. The trek takes you through the terrain of a park, amongst great oaks and laurels which later turn into rhododendron bushes. This beautiful park covers a large area, including dense jungle, pine trees at the higher levels and oak trees. The national park is an area of great biodiversity, with many rare species of flora and fauna. The trek goes along the most famous birding area in Myanmar, with a scenic valley running through pine trees. Lunch on the trail, with dinner and an overnight stay at the camp.

Day 08 RANCHI CAMP – MT. VICTORIA SUMMIT (approx. 3 hours) (B, L, D)

Breakfast, then a trek to the summit of Mt. Victoria (5 miles, approx. 3 hours). You have a challenging trail for about the first hour, as the trail is quite steep – but once you get onto a mule trail, it becomes easier all the way up to the peak. You can relax for a while and enjoy lunch. There is also a golden pagoda only a few minutes beyond the summit, and you set up camp between the summit and the pagoda, on a small wooded col, which is a little windy but not at all a bad spot to spend the night. It’s also ideally placed, being only 30 seconds from the summit – which is great for being at the right spot for sunset and sunrise. As this is the highest point in the Chin Hills, it’s much colder and much windier than any night up to now.

Mt. Victoria offers superb views of the surrounding area from the top. Birders can observe the rare species of birds, just as botanists can explore fascinating species of trees and plants – some of which may be native only to this region. If you’re neither a birder nor a botanist, then simply enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the entire park from a hilltop.

Day 09 VICTORIA SUMMIT – BASE CAMP - KANPELET (approx. 3 hours) (B, L, D)

The early birds can catch a dramatic sunrise over the sea of clouds (cloud inversion). Later you have breakfast and then head back down to base camp, where the jeeps are waiting for you. You bid farewell to the crew here, as most of them will be leaving, as the trek ends here. After a one-hour drive along a bumpy road, you arrive at your lodge. The hotel is situated in very pleasant grounds but is quite a distance from the town itself – certainly not within walking distance; so after a quick cold shower, you head down to a local café for lunch. You explore Kanpelet for an hour, before returning to Floral Breeze Hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 10 KANPELET – SEIK PHYU - BAGAN (B, L)

It is a long 7 hours drive to Bagan. The steep road goes first down to Saw an interesting town in a green valley. From here the rood goes up and down through deep forest and later on it’s getting more and more dry. On the way stop for lunch at Kan Zun Ma village. From here it takes another 2 hours drive to Seik Phyu from where you can cross the Ayeyarwady River over a bridge. Overnight in Bagan.

PRICES IN US$ PER PERSON VALID FROM 01.10.2020 BIS 30.04.2021

  01.10.20-31.10.20 01.11.20 -28.02.21 01.03.21-30.04.21
2 people
2.867
2.986
2.867
3 people
2.362
2.460
2.362
4 people
2.250
2.344
2.250
5 people
2.011
2.095
2.011
6 people
1.871
1.949
1.871
Single supplement
231
263
231

CHECKLIST – 10 DAYS EXOTIC CHIN HILLS

Baggage: We provide a duffel bag for your personal gear, which will be carried by your porter. You should pack what you may need for the trek depending on the length of the trek. Personal belongings not required for the trek may be left in the car. You may wish to pack items in an inner plastic bag, since the duffel bags are not waterproof.

Daypack: Your daypack should be medium-volume and able to hold your personal belongings such as medications, camera, extra clothes and drinking water, etc.

Water bottle: We initially provide two water bottles for each guest. We suggest you carry one in your daypack. Your porter will carry the other.

Clothing & footwear: We recommend bringing one pair of lightweight hiking boots, a couple of t-shirts, one pair of trousers for evenings, shorts or skirts, two pairs of thick socks, one long-sleeve shirt, one sweatshirt or fleece jacket and one good quality raincoat.

Personal items: We recommend bringing items such as a flashlight or headlamp with spare batteries, water purifying tablets, a pocketknife and reading and writing materials; these things are essential. A personal first-aid kit is also essential for your convenience.

Insects: For the most part, the jungle is free of biting insects, but we do encounter some insects in the lowlands such as sand flies around the river banks and leeches in the lowland bushes. It's important to use insect repellent to keep them away.

ACCOMMODATION:
(Mindat)
Room comes with attached bathroom. Hot shower available from 6:30 am to 8:00 am and 5:30 pm to 7 pm.
With 24-hour electricity from a solar unit and Wi-Fi on request.
(Kanpelet)
Room comes with attached bathroom. Hot shower & electricity are available while the generator is running.
(Aye village)
A designated village house offers dormitory-style accommodation, but provides a Western toilet facility and hot water.
(During trek)
Nights will be spent at local homes or in tents. Bedding such as a mattress, pillow and blanket will be
provided. The toilet will be clean but of the local squat type. A limited amount of hot water will be supplied for face washing in the morning on request.

Meals: Breakfast is usually served around 7 or 8 am; lunch is usually simple, light and served at mid-day whereas dinners are more extensive and usually at local restaurants, guesthouses or local homes. Clients with special dietary requirements must inform us of these at the time of booking.

Guide: Unless an alternative arrangement has been made in advance, we provide an English-speaking guide.

Trekking hours: All our treks are designed to include 4 to 6 walking hours per day. Your day normally starts at 8 or 9 in the morning, followed by breakfast. We try to reach our destination well before nightfall in time to freshen up and relax before dinner.

Flora and fauna: This region generally isolated and is home to many species of birds and plants. Some rare flowers can be found on Mt. Victoria’s summit that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Mt. Victoria offers a great opportunity for bird-watching. One can come across several species of birds in lowland tanbark forests through the high elevation up to the summit. Due to its isolation, the southern region of Chin State has retained its unique Chin tribal culture. The Chin are of Tibeto-Burmese descent and live in the hills of Chin State bordering Bangladesh and India. As hill people, they have been isolated and to this day little is known of their animistic culture. The women of the Chin tribes have various patterns tattooed on their faces and wear beautiful amber necklaces.

Fitness: This trek is classified as "Demanding" and is not suitable for all trekkers, as it involves relatively short days on paths and trails. A reasonable level of fitness is required, as these trips involve a certain amount of ascending and descending and the occasional challenging day. During your expedition, you will be under the direction of your trip leader; he or she has total authority to determine your suitability to participate. You may also be asked to sign a waiver form.

Temperature: Our season is between October and April, when there are mostly clear skies, warm days and cool evenings. Temperatures steadily decrease between late December and early February. The average temperature is between a low of 4-10 degrees and high of 20-30 degrees Celsius.

Medical & travel insurance: As a precondition of booking, it is compulsory for all clients to have prior medical insurance which must cover emergency evacuation. In addition to this, you need comprehensive personal insurance which should cover flight cancellations and other events due to unforeseen circumstances.

Emergency evacuation: In the event of an emergency, you will be taken to Bagan and given further medical care. Please ensure that your insurance policy covers such unlikely eventualities.

Do you have any questions?

Feel free to contactus. Our team will be happy to help you.

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