Bhamo Travel Guide

Bhamo is a small city in northeastern Myanmar in Kachin State on the banks of the large Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River. Previously known as Sampanago, as capital of the then Manmaw, Bhamo’s biggest appeal is its ancient city walls.

Bhamo lies pretty close to the Chinese border, Yunnan Province, and mainly features a Chinese/Shan populace, with a scattering of Kachin folk in the hills. It lies at the highest navigable point on the Ayeyarwady River and featured on the India and Burma caravan routes to China.

It is not really worth the hassle of getting to Bhamo unless you have bags of time in Myanmar or are really into coins. The trade with copper coins with China in the 19th century was a big deal in this part of Myanmar.

Getting There & Away

The most common way to get to Bhamo is to take a bus from Mandalay via

Highway 31. The more comfortable and scenic option, however, is to take a river ferry. They leave Mandalay three times a week for Bhamo. Bhamo also has an airport although there is only one flight per week from Yangon, the main international gateway, with Myanmar Airways.

Things to Do

Bhamo Attractions

Bhamo city walls

The main attraction of bhamo is now largely in ruins yet still standing in parts. the walls stem from the 5th century and are a few miles outside the new town.