Chin Hill
Myint kyina Town
Chin State is located at the western part of Myanmar bordering with India. Mountainous region, which hills are higher and slop more the Shan hills. Chin is one of the National races of Myanmar. Chin has several minorities and differs as Northern Chin and Southern Chin. Not only because of these ethnic minorities Chin hill is an interesting tourist site because of its adventurous journey and Mount Victoria, 3053 meter high at the southern part. Besides mountaineering this is the best place for hiking to nearby villages to see the village life and bird watching. There still can be seen Chin ladies with tattooed face. Chin New Year festival is held annually in Chin State on the waxing moon of the month Kason, May. And its festival is performed a dance making farewell to the old year and welcoming New Year. And wishing everyone new life with new vitality and happiness. These are a dance called Sa Lan which is performed by beautiful maidens. It is the dance to memorize the conquest over the enemies, the killing of wild enemies and to celebrate the victory over the enemies Sa ice festival dances victory over the wild games.
Kanpetlet Trekking to villages
The town is very poor. There is not much business to do. People are also generally poorer than other towns of Chin Hills. Population is also very small compared to other towns. However, this is a very good place to observe the Chin traditional way of life. Kanpetlet is still unspoiled by the modern world. People are still living in the same way hundreds of years ago, even in nearby villages which are not difficult to go. This is also a very nice place to do trekking. Moreover, there is one major tourist attraction in near Kanpetlet. This is Mount Victoria and the Wild Life Reserved. Situated in the area of Kanpetlet Township, Mount Victoria is the highest mountain in Chin Hills. With the height of over 10,000 feet, it is also among the highest in this part of Myanmar. In addition to being the highest mountain in Chin Hills, it is also where hundreds of species of flowers, plants insects and animals live. There are two resorts or guest houses near Kanpetlet, just a few miles away from the town. One is the Mountain Oasis Resort. The other is Pine Tree Resort. Both of them are nice little resorts but price is quite expensive. They charge around 20 US dollar per person, irrespective of whether you live alone or sharing the room with another person. (I don’t know why they don’t charge per room. I asked the owners but they cannot give a satisfactory explanation). The places where the resorts are built are higher than the town, and thus colder, especially during the winter when it is extremely cold down to freezing point. Unfortunately, none of them provide hot water. Breakfast is included with the room fee, but if you want lunch or dinner, you have to order in advanced, so that the chefs could find necessary ingredients in time. The restaurant at Mountain Oasis is better in my opinion. To come to Kanpetlet, you need a special permission. The area is restricted to foreigners and permission to come here can be arranged through tour companies. It might take weeks or even months to get the permission, so you will need to arrange with the tour agent months in advanced before you come to Myanmar.The road to Kanpetlet is very rough compared to the road to Mindat. In many places, the road is muddy and if not, it is dusty. Only after Saw the road becomes better, but this is only 12 miles. The road trip starts from Chauk, on the bank of Irrawaddy River, and from Chauk, it is an 80 miles trip. However, it may take half the day, or even more depending on the condition of the road. The trip is very tiring.However, once you reach Kanpetlet, all your tiredness fly away as you are greeted by the most beautiful town in the whole Chin State.
Mount Victoria
Mount Victoria known as Khaw-nu-soum or Khonaumthung in Chin language is the highest mountain in the Chin State. Located in Kanpetlet Township, Mindat District, the mountain is part of the Chin Hills range. With a height of 3,053 meters (10,016 ft) above sea level and a prominence of 2,231 metres (7,320 ft), Nat Ma Taung is one of the ultra prominent peaks of Southeast Asia. Nat Ma Taung lies in the Chin Hills-Arakan Yoma montane ecoregion. Surrounded at lower elevations by tropical and subtropical moist forest, Nat Ma Taung’s higher elevations form a sky island, home to many temperate and alpine species typical of the Himalaya further north, as well as many endemic species. The mountain is now protected within Nat Ma Taung National Park established in 1994.
Rih Lake
The Rih Lake is famous in Chin State as the prettiest spot. It is located between Chin mountain range and Indian mountain range. It is situated in Falam Township of Chin State. It is very important for the local people as guard faiths and traditions. Even, the people from India usually come to pray at the lake as it is believed to answer all the prayers. Reh Khaw Da town is not only well-known for Myanmar-India border trade but also popular for being its heart shaped lake. The lake is full of water all year round, and it never dries up. It has been known to have turned into red during the second week of December every year. The duration is about a month (or) two months up to the end of the cold season
