Meet the Padaung ladies

If you travel to Kayah State you will have an opportunity to meet ladies from the Padaung tribe, famous for their long necks, and get an insight into their vastly different way of life. One of the best ways to reach Kayah State is to take a boat from Inle Lake, or drive through the mountains, until you reach Phekon and ultimately Loikaw. Either way you will be rewarded with stunning scenery on your journey. As with Chin State, where you will find tattooed ladies, it is the colourful tribal women (Kayah & Padaung tribes) that are of particular interest in Kayah State. In Myanmar’s dark days Padaung ladies sought refuge in Thailand where they were treated as a commodity. Many have now returned home to Kayah State, and meeting with a ‘long necked’ lady in their home village is a much happier experience as many of these villages are now involved in community based tourism meaning that visitors are welcome as they bring income to the village.