AS the mountaineering season starts in PutaO in the northernmost part of Myanmar, the service companies recommend that travellers with no prior climbing experience should try Phonkanrazi, a snow-capped mountain first, and then others, according to PutaO Travel Agency.
For those without experience, the travel companies designate Phonkanrazi mountain as a Level-1 to climb and only after successfully climbing it are the climbers encouraged to attempt more difficult mountains.
The Phonkanrazi mountain is 11,928 feet high, and a package tour for six nights and seven days from PutaO is arranged.
For the first day of the trip, there will be a motorcycle ride for over three hours from PutaO passing Upper Sangong Village, Kyauksein Hill, Sheinlainhlat to the Kyakhon Bridge near the Mula Creek, Wanglaingdan, Lonnadan, Khalan and Ziyadang villages (at the foot of the mountain), and there the travellers will have to stay a night.
On the second day, the travellers begin a seven-mile hike from Ziyadang village to the Thitpingyi Camp, crossing creeks and suspension bridges, resting at the Phonkan Chaungzon, and arriving at the Thitpingyi campsite by evening.
On the third day, they trek another seven miles to the Khamtauk River Camp. After about four miles, the mountain becomes visible. After a short rest stop, they continue about one more mile to reach the camp and stay overnight.
On the fourth day, after about six hours of hiking from the Khamtauk River Camp, trekkers reach the snowline camp at the base of Phonkanrazi, where snowfields begin to appear. From there, the summit, just over two miles away, can be seen. They stay overnight at this camp.
On the fifth day, climbers ascend the steep snow-covered slopes to the summit of Phonkanrazi, where they can fully enjoy the beauty of northern Myanmar’s ice-capped mountains. They return to the snowline camp the same day and stay overnight.
On the sixth day, trekkers descend for about eight hours back to Ziyadang village and stay overnight. On the seventh day, they return to PutaO by motorcycle.
“We offer mountaineering services in March. We accepted the tours in advance last year and made preparations. By the end of the second week of March, some trips will have been temporarily suspended due to weather conditions, but we will resume when conditions improve. As we are responsible for the safety and overall experience of travellers, we take special care to ensure smooth and secure journeys. With our experience in ice mountain tours, we strive to provide safe and satisfying trips so that travellers can personally experience the beauty of our country’s mountains, not just see them in movies or online. As snowfall increases toward the end of this month, we are taking extra precautions,” said U Dam Rein from ELSS Snow Mountain Travels and Tours.
A seven-day trip to Mount Phonkanrazi and a 17-day trip to Mount Khakaborazi cost between K3-K4 million per person.
Travellers planning to join such mountain climbing tours must be in good health and are advised to undergo physical training and prepare with basic mountaineering knowledge in advance.
Tour packages are available until around the second week of July, as there is no rainfall in the ice mountain regions even during the rainy season. — Thitsa (MNA)/KTZH
