Myanmar Mix

Myanmar is full of hidden attractions, but one mountaintop overlooking layers of marshmallow clouds is arguably the most remarkable.

What locals describe as “the cloudy sea” can be seen from a handful of campsites and viewpoints on Sapphagon Mountain in the northern Shan township of Nawnghkio.

While the clouds gather around mid-November, travellers suggest visiting from 6am to 10am in December and January when the clouds are densest, resting at about 2,400-feet-high but hundreds of feet below the peak.

That means in the evenings you are sandwiched between the glittering Shan sky and the fluffy pall, the perfect spot to enjoy stargazing unlike anywhere else in the region.

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When the clouds disperse, visitors can catch views of the surrounding countryside and Dotehtawaddy River, also known as the Myitnge. Local Shan fare is on the menu for breakfast, and though reports of guests littering the site make us slightly apprehensive, photos from campsites 7th Heaven and Cloudy Villa show a different story.

Wooden bungalows cost about 65,000 kyats each and house three to five people, while two-person tents cost roughly 25,000 kyats a night.

Before the pandemic, bus companies would run to Nawnghkio, or visitors would arrive from Pyin Oo Lwin, about two hours away by car.

Passing sugarcane crops and sunflower fields, the correct turning to the mountain is at the Nawng-kio-Yasauk junction leading to Nawcho village on the Mandalay-Lashio highway.

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The surrounding area is also worth exploring as it’s home to a diverse collection of communities, among them Danu, Shan, Palaung, Bamar, and Lisu, as well as several other notable attractions.

These include the waterfalls of Inn Wine, Namngo, Inn Hpo, Chaunggyi Yay Pyan Taung and Thabyedoe, along with the famous Gokteik Viaduct.

Sometimes Kyaukme District, where the township is located, can experience conflict between ethnic armed groups and the Myanmar military. Travel restrictions may apply, even in the post-pandemic world, so it’s worth checking first with a tour operator and with your government’s advice before you start your journey to the cloudy sea.