Myitkyina

Lay in the scratching plain across the Majestic Ayeyarwady river, the capital of Kachin State and gateway to the world renown Jade mines at Hpakant and Myanmar snow-capped mountains. It is also the place where the world-famous Myanmar's principle river, the Ayeyarwaddy, originates. It is the northern most railway terminal, 919 miles from Yangon and 487 miles from Mandalay. 26 miles south of Myitsone, the confluence of Na Meikha and Malikha streams that forms famous Ayeyarwady. Predominately Kachin indigenous with it's own subordinates such as Jampaw, Thempaw, Lisu and Rawan are the amongst the minorities. Myitkyina today become the center of Jade processing and marketing, which make the capital rather cosmopolitan. The major sites to visit are the river confluence. For mountaineering enthusiasts, expeditions to Mount Gamlan Razi 19,215 ft and Ganlan Razi with 19,142 ft would be an adventure. Manu another animist festival held each year in January.

How to get to Myitkyina 
Myitkyina, 327 km along the railway from Mandalay, can be reached either by air from Yangon and Mandalay or by train from Yangon via Mandalay. There is a regular flight by Myanma Airways between Yangon and Myitkyina which will take only 2 hours 30 minutes. You can also fly to the neighboring destinations of Puta-O and Bamao directly from Yangon. The rail service is mostly used by local travelers although it can take anywhere between 24 and 36 hours. From Myitkyina, there is road and rail access to many parts of the region. 

Myit Sone
Myit sone in Myanmar means the confluence which here implies that of Mekha and Malikha rivers, which join to become the famous Ayeyawaddy river. The place itself is scenic and has long been a favorite site of visit for the Myanmar people. 

Indawgyi Lake
Indawgyi Lake, the largest natural lake in Myanmar, stretching 24 km between its farthest points and 12 km across, is located 178 km southwest of Myitkyina. It is truly picturesque, set in a 1,000-meter high basin carved out of a mountainous area that lies south of the border with India some 500 km away. In the middle of the lake dwells the Shwe Myint Zu Pagoda, believed to have enshrined the holy relics of the Buddha. The lake is dotted with some 20 villages comprising clusters of houses standing on stilts along the shores. There is also an elephant logging camp nearby where you can witness elephants at work. 

Hpakant
Famous jade mines in Myanmar. Essessible from Myitkyina via Moekaung and Kaming towns. Recently there found a messive rock of jade more than 2000 tons. Phakant is renowned for its finest jade resources.

Bahmo
Another major Kachin settlement lies on the bank of Ayeyarwady river. Bahmo is the north most town one can travel by river. Unique idea about this destination is of boat trip from Mandalay stopping at towns and villages along the way. The beautiful defile on the Ayeyarwaddy river make this trip more interesting. The cruising time of the luxury ferry is about 36 hours to Bahmo and 24 hours return. As it has long been a door to China, it has become a trading center in the region with markets selling local products and farm produce, where the different indigenous tribes come together for trading their own. Bahmo also host the Manu festival in each year in January.