Kalaw lies between the important towns of Meiktila and Taunggyi in central Myanmar. The town lies on the western edge of the Shan Plateau at altitude and is thus cool of a night year-round.
Kalaw was a former colonial British hill station and also the setting for the book Das Herzenhören by author Jan Philipp Sendker. Kalaw is good for chilling out and hiking in the nearby mountains amid groves of bamboo. You can see tea, coffee, and even cigar leaf plantations around Kalaw when trekking with a Nepalese guide.
Another trekking option without the need of a guide in Kalaw is the one-hour walk up the nearby mountain, and there are also many temples and churches to walk up to. Be sure to check out King Church, Aung Chan Tha Pagoda, Thein Taung Pagoda, and Su Taung Pyae Pagoda, along with the town market. The nearby Palaung Village is also worth a look.
Getting There & Away
Kalaw is a few hours east of Meiktila along Highway 4 by rickety bus or hire car. Nearby Heho has a small airport and receives limited flights from Mandalay and Yangon. Mandalay International Airport is the main facility in the region, with the town 45kms from the airport. The airport has regular connections with Yangon, the main international gateway.
Things to Do
Kalaw Attractions
- Trekking
-
Most people come to kalaw for the trekking in the nearby hills for the scenery and to visit hill tribes.
- Nee Paya
-
This is a bamboo buddha image hailing from the first inn-wa period in the 1400s.