CHINDWIN & NAGALAND 14 NIGHTS

Lunch on board. Afternoon excursion to see Thandboodi Temple, Bawdhi Tahaung statue and the night market in the evening.

PLEASE NOTE: The itinerary for this expedition is indicative only. As we travel to remote areas, changes to the itinerary will inevitably occur. A flexible approach is required if you book this cruise.

Morning Excursion by coach to Phowin Taung Hill where we visit the Phowin Taung Caves with beautiful mural paintings and Buddha statues dating back to the 14th and 18th centuries. In the afternoon, cruise upstream.

The river narrows and the forested hills fall away to farmland. Enjoy a morning culinary demonstration by our head chef on how to prepare a traditional Burmese Ginger Salad. Arrive in Kanee and take an afternoon walking tour of the village.

Morning cruise up river. After lunch, we explore Mingkin, rediscovered by Paul Strachan in 1987 and described in some detail in his book Mandalay: Travels from the Golden City. It remains for Paul the most art historically interesting site in Myanmar (more so than the now spoilt Pagan) with its Konbaung court style teak monasteries sumptuously decorated. Mingkin may be described as the Luang Prabang of the Chindwin. In the evening, we visit to Khone Gyi village near Mingkin.

Morning visit to Masein Village and then sail to Mawlaik , the former seat of the Bombay Burma Corporation's timber extraction operations for the Chindwin Area. The old Headquarters building still stands here.

The town that replaced Kindat as the administrative capital but ironically the Myanma refused to move there from upstream Kindat. It was mainly settled with the company houses of the by the Scottish owned and run Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation in the 1920s and 1930s. There are many splendid ‘Dak Bungalows’ set around a verdant golf course. Mawlaik and the other towns of the Upper Chindwin can only be reached by boat so cars are few. There is a dreamy otherworldly quality to such places and truly one feels that one has travelled there in the Pandaw time machine!. In the afternoon, Continue to the Pyar Swe Elephant Camp, a working camp where the elephants are protected in natural surroundings.

Morning excursion by Tuk Tuk or coach to view the teak forests outside Mawlaik. In the evening, visit to Shwe Taung village. We then sail to Kalewa where we overnight.

Explore ashore visiting the local market and enjoying panoramic views over the Chindwin from top of a hill.

Morning visit to Masein Village and then sail to Mawlaik , the former seat of the Bombay Burma Corporation's timber extraction operations for the Chindwin Area. The old Headquarters building still stands here.

Also visit the tiny village of Yuwa,where previous Pandaw travellers report a delightful atmosphere from friendly locals.

Continuing upstream we sail to Sitthaung, the final resting place of a number of Irrawaddy Flotilla Company steamers scuppered there in 1942 in an ‘act of denial’ from the advancing Japanese who were a matter of hours behind. Remains of these ships can be found here. It was from here that the survivors of the Japanese invasion marched out to Tamu on the India border. Pantha was an important oil refinery belonging to the Indo-Burma Petroleum Co (Steel Brothers). We also explore Paungpyin village and take a walking tour including a visit to the market and the attractive wooden houses.

Morning visit to Toungdoot or Hsawng-hsup in Tai, is an ancient Shan enclave who in British times still had a ruling Sawbwa complete with palace and court. It will be interesting to see what has become of the royal family and their home and to see these Shan people so far from their Tai-Shan homelands. Alistair McCrae wrote of his visit there 1935 'I loved the atmosphere of quiet and peaceful living there. At night I could hear greylag geese as they came in to the flooded land around us from far away north'.

Scenic explorations upstream into the remote Nagaland.

Afternoon arrive at Khamti, known as 'the land full of gold' due to the prevalence of gold panning in the nearby tributary of the Chindwin. We visit the town, the monastery meet local Tai speaking peoples.

Evening visit Homalin, an interesting town close to the Indian border with attractive forested mountains on either side – some rising to over 9,000 feet. Irrawaddy Flotilla Company used to visit here and during World War II, Homalin was occupied by the Japanese.

Disembark and transfer to the air field for onward flights.