Overview of Loikaw City

The remote and sleepy capital of Kayah, Myanmar’s smallest – and one of its least visited – states, Loikaw is a long way from anywhere. It is over half a day's travel by bus from Yangon or Mandalay, although there are now regular flights from Yangon and it is possible to travel over land from the closer-by Inle Lake

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Travel to this part of Myanmar and you will discover beautiful Kayah hill scenery and a large number of distinctive tribal cultures, the most internationally famous of which are the Kayan, whose ‘long-necked’ womenfolk have a tradition of sporting coils around their necks. Sometimes called Padaung (although this is a Shan word and considered pejorative by the Kayan people), their 'long-neck' tradition is in fact gradually dying out; generally, only older women in some rural areas wear the rings (more info further down the page under 'Tribal villages and Kyet cave'). There are ten native ethnic groups in Kayah State (also sometimes known as Karenni State), in addition to those from surrounding parts of Myanmar who also live here. The majority of the state's population is Christian, with animist beliefs entwined in their traditions, whilst the majority of the population in the town of Loikaw is Buddhist.

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reference:go-myanmar.com

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