Myanmar's Coolest: Shan State

Forgive my bias, but I think Shan State is one of the coolest places to travel to in Myanmar. And it's not just because of the temperature, which is always at least a few degrees lower than in other parts of the country due to the mountainous nature of the region.

Southern Shan State is home to one of the must see places in Myanmar - the Inle Lake. It's the second largest lake in Myanmar surrounded by ever-green hills. It's mostly famous for leg-rowing fishermen (you read that right!) and a number of traditional workshops such as goldsmith, silversmith and textile ones.

There is of course more to Shan State than just the lake. My favourite places include, but are not limited to an old British colonial hill station - Kalaw with nearby Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp, caves in Pindaya and of course the state's capital - Taunggyi, which has the best food you can find in Myanmar!

In Northern Shan State, which can be accessed by flying to Lashio or driving through the mountains via botanical gardens of Pyin Oo Lwin, I particularly like Hsipaw. It's a small peaceful town surrounded by traditional villages in the mountains. If it doesn't sound like the new rising trekking capital of Myanmar, then I don't know what does!

Tachileik & Keng Tung in the eastern part of the state (Golden Triangle) are also worth visiting and complete the picture of what the most exciting part of the country has to offer. You can skip the last part if you are into trying opium. It's all about tea now. At least that's what your guide will tell you ;-).