Duration: 4-5 weeks
Months offered: November thru April
Costs: From $5,000

The Eastern Himalaya remain at the dawn of the 21st century little known and less visited. The least known mountains of the range are located in northern Myanmar . Few people associate glaciated mountain peaks, deep gorges and unexplored rivers with Myanmar . Indeed, this is one of the reasons Myanmar has so long avoided the boots of modern day explorers. In Autumn High Asia is offering expeditions into this tribal land of dense forests and snow capped mountains located in northern Myanmar 's Kachin state. The goal of our expedition is to reach the glaciers of Mt. Hkakaborazi , a peak which joins the Himalaya with the Hengduan or Transect mountains. Our route largely follows the Adung river through tribal villages, some of which have never seen foreigners. These tribes fall loosely under the rubric of Kachin peoples, but in fact are separate ethnic groups consisting largely of 4 tribes: the Drung, Daru, Nung and Tibetan. We will be using these various tribes as porters as well as for guides. Our prior reconnaissance trips into the region have revealed an ecosystem virtually un- impacted by unplanned development. Indeed, many of the vistas that we gazed out upon revealed climax old growth forests identical to photos taken by the legendary plant hunter Frank Kingdon-Ward who made half a dozen expeditions to this region in early decades of the 20th century. This part of Myanmar has been internationally recognized as a hotspot of biodiversity. Among other species roaming through the forests of northern Myanmar are: tiger, takin, elephant and countless bird species. Many of Asia 's rarest flowers thrive in the alpine meadows we will reach near the mountains.

The northern Myanmar ecosystem has been able to survive into the 21st century largely because of its roadless inaccessibility. This means that all treks into this mountain country require between 21 and 35 days depending on the version of trek we choose. It is difficult to convey how miraculous it is that this region remains as intact as it does. This region, along with the mountains of neighboring Arunachal Pradesh to the west, are the last areas of High Asia which allow one a taste of true exploration. For more information on this expedition please contact us.