Mount Victoria

Mount Victoria, called Nat Ma Taung locally, rises to just over three thousand metres in the Chin hills and carries forest that has almost no equivalent in the country: oak, rhododendron and pine, with epiphytes and moss, and a bird list that includes the white-browed nuthatch, found only on this massif. It is the best birding destination in Myanmar by some distance. The park is reached from Kanpetlet on a road that takes most of a day from Bagan, and the summit is a short walk from where the track ends.

What you actually see

• The summit forest - oak and rhododendron with moss and epiphytes, unlike the lowland forest below.
• The white-browed nuthatch - a bird found on this massif and effectively nowhere else.
• The rhododendrons - flowering across the upper slopes in the early part of the year.
• The view - the Chin ranges running north and the plain towards Bagan to the east.

When to go

November to April is dry. Rhododendrons flower from roughly February to April. Birding is best early in the morning. December and January are cold at altitude, and frost at the summit is normal.

Honest expectations

The road from Bagan is long, rough and takes a full day each way, which is the main cost of the trip. Accommodation at Kanpetlet is basic and cold, with limited heating. Chin villages in the area include older women with facial tattoos, and visits should be arranged through people who know the community rather than turned into a photo stop.

Nearby

Kanpetlet is the base town, and Bagan is a full day east by road.