Myitsone: Scenic confluence of rivers in the mountains of north Myanmar

It is here that the fast moving Maikha and the bigger Malikha rivers meet. This meeting point is tucked amidst mountains and lush greenery making it one of the hot spots near Myitkyina. The locals come with their families here on holidays to enjoy a scenic river side day trip.


There is nothing much to do here besides swimming in the river, taking a boat cruise on the river, visiting the pagoda by the river and simply relaxing. In fact, that is one of the area’s plus points as it is perfect for relaxing with its great weather, dense greenery and great views. While you relax here, you will notice a lot of people sifting through the mud and water in search of something. Well, the search is for jade and precious stones here as the rivers flow through mountains of precious stones. There is a lot of scope for mining here, but thankfully the destruction has not started.


Myitsone is about 45 kms or a 90 minute drive away from Myitkyina. One can either hire a motorcycle taxi for 15,000 kyat or a taxi for 50,000 kyat. The journey is fairly comfortable except for the last 10-15 kms where the road is in tatters. There are no places to stay at  Myitsone and hence one will have to do only day trips from Myitkyina.


This place is one of the two places that one should visit as a tourist to Myitkyina. The other place being Indogyi lake, which is about 5 hours away from Myitkyina needing a combination of train, taxi and boat to reach the lake. The highlight of Indogyi is that it the largest lake in Myanmar and there is a huge temple right in the middle of the lake.