My journey into the hills begins with a two-day ferry ride up the Chindwin, the narrow wooden boat sputtering past thick jungle and stilted Shan villages. Their villages, and the mountains they perch on, have remained a rare blank space on the map – ungoogleable, uncharted and far, far away from the pages of any guide book. While much has been written about the Naga tribes in India, Myanmar’s Naga are barely known. Home to 120,000 Naga – a Tibeto-Burman people made up of more than 40 tribes – this forbidding land forms the jagged spine of the Indo-Myanmar border, its densely packed peaks piercing the skies between the Brahmaputra and Chindwin rivers. I am speaking to the commander in a village high in the jungle-soaked mountains of Myanmar’s Naga Self-Administered Zone. If they do, you’ll have to hide.’ In the background, the other men talk and smoke opium, the gurgle of their pipes mixing with the twilight clatter of insects. ‘We’ve heard they’re coming here tomorrow. Above him, a rack of rifles glints in the firelight and an old headhunting basket gathers dust. ‘There are 200 Burmese soldiers patrolling the border at the moment, checking the boundary markers and looking for insurgents,’ he says, fiddling with his walkie talkie. The rebel commander sits on a low stool beside the fire, his face framed by a khaki baseball cap. I went to sleep that night wondering if I was going to be held up at gunpoint… for my sleeping mat! Surprising moment: The Naga rebel commander taking such an interest in my sleeping gear. Team size: Four: Antonia, a Burmese guide and two local 'bike boys'Įssential item: My Therm-A-Rest Hyperion 32 UL sleeping bag and NeoAir UberLite mat, an ultra-light sleeping system ideal for the chilly nighttime temperatures of the hills. Transportation: Foot and 125 cc local motorcycle
Distance travelled: About 500 miles to and from Hkamti