Northern Myanmar

• – The capital of the Kachin State.
• – The capital of the Sagaing Region.

• – A lake and nature reserve.
• – Township near Tamu (for India).
• – Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) headquarters, bordering China
• – A rebel-run casino-laden border boom town. Although it seems that the casino has been converted to a university now.
• – A town famous for its two huge statues of Buddha and a golden pagoda.
• – The border town and gateway to India's Manipur state.

• Indawgyi LakeSeasonal lake and weekend area known for bird watching.

Kachin State has been de facto independent from central government's control since 1962, when the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) unilaterally seceded from the Union of Myanmar. A peace deal struck in 1994 after a government army offensive made the arrangement more or less permanent, with the KIO-controlled area formalized as Kachin State Special Region #1, although KIO itself promptly split up into squabbling factions and the internal situation remains precarious at best.

In Special Region #1, Mandarin will get you a lot further than Burmese (or English).

Getting in depends on where you're going. For access to government-controlled areas like the capital Myitkyina, there are direct flights from Yangon, although the adventurous may also opt to travel by train from Mandalay (24-30 hours). For the rebel-controlled north, you'll either have to battle your way through massive bureaucracy to secure permits, or take the easier way out and enter via China.

Myitsone (Mali Zup), a confluence of the Mali and Nmai Rivers, a naturally splendid hangout.

• Pyu Ancient CitiesA world heritage site made up of several ruins around Northern Myanmar, some of them older than 2,000 years.