Kyaing Tong Hiking and Trekking Tours

Kyaing Tong also known as Keng Tung in the eastern Shan state north of Thailand is one of the best places in Myanmar for hiking and trekking tours and visiting various hill tribe villages.

Overnight stays in villages are not yet permitted but there are lots of options for day walks and hikes from short to long. For the night you will need to return to Keng Tung town where all the hotels and accommodations are located.

Within 30min drive from Kyaing Tong town you can reach the first ethnic minority villages and trail heads. The villages are still very authentic and get only a handful of visitors.

The tribes around Kyaing Tong 

Some of the most impressive people are the Akha ladies, who wear beautiful head dresses with silver balls and silver coins attached. The Akha are skilled garment makers and will surely invite you for a tea to their house when hiking and spread out their produce. Some of the Akha villages have converted Christianity while others still follow animistic traditions passed on from ancestors.

The Akhe are another minority whose language is very similar to Akha. The Akhe ladies also dress in black and can be often seen smoking pipes. Some Akhe villages can be visited by car.

 

Ann or Eng people dress in black and are one of the smallest ethnic minority group in Myanmar. The Ann ladies are known for colouring their teeth black. The communities are governed by village chiefs and shamans.

The Palaung silver and gold belt ladies are skilled garment makers and are often seen working with their looms in the villages. Their produce is then brought to Kyaing Tong market.

Our treks duration and challenge are adjusted to fitness level of the participants.  Depending on your budget we can provide transfers with 4WD vehicles, hiace or tuk tuks.

Treks from Kyaing Tong

There are many options. The best trek for you might not be best trek for someone else. These are some of the most popular treks around Kyiang Tong region.

Hokyin Villages

30min drive out of Kyaing Tong town will bring you to foot of a mountain range and where the hills start to rise. Hokyin Akha villages are located on top of the mountain range. They are in fact a cluster of villages within short walk away from one another. Once reaching the top of the mountain you can walk in 15-20min to the next village. It is well worth to do the full circuit. The scenery is lovely here and you will trek through some tea and seasonal crops plantations, paddy fields, and bamboo forest. The local ladies are skilled handicrafts makers here and often put out their works on display and for sale.

We recommend always going with local guide who speaks local tribal languages and will advise how you can visit in sustainable and respectful manner.

We are still adding more here… in the meanwhile do not hesitate to contact us for more information and tour requests.