KYAUKME TRAVEL GUIDE
Kyaukme or Kyauk Me is a small town in Northern Shan State about 40 kilometers from Hsipaw. For its small size it is surprisingly full of life mainly because of its status as a main marketplace for surrounding areas. There are also a big population of Chinese immigrants and the Chinese quarters consists almost half of the town. Most of the immigrants are working for the areas big bamboo paper industry.
As a town Kyaukme might not be as interesting as its big sister, but Kyaukme offers great trekking opportunities off the beaten trails. Kyaukme gets much fewer travellers than Hsipaw so it has a certain charm and original feel to it.
There is not so much to see in the town itself expect the colorful marketplace and some local industries like led and bamboo paper making but the surrounding hills are really great destination for trekking with several Palaung and Shan villages sprinkled around the beautiful hillsides. In Kyaukme there are several Palaung/Shan and Bamar guides who offer different trekking and motorbike tours of the surrounding areas, but it is still very small scale. The best option is to hire a Palaung or Shan speaking guide so the interaction with the local villagers is possible.
The Mandalay – Lashio train stops at Kyaukme but the arrival time is quite random. There are also daily buses to and from Mandalay leaving in the early morning. Best way to get around the town is by walking or by motorbike taxi.
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