Help with a choise please

do you recommend to book the guide from here? or is it easier and cheaper to find it there?

better to pre-book...there are only a few good guides in Loikaw...,,and that area is getting increasing number of toruists...so best to have you guide booked before you arrive.

Definitely prebook your guide. Every day while we were there last January we had requests from other tourists to join our outings because they had just shown up without prearranging only to find that all the guides were booked. Confirm the price and exactly what you want to see and do. Do not be afraid to bargain with the guide either. While I consider what I paid still expensive, it was considerably less that the first offers I received.

Luckily, we never saw any other tourists on our actual village visits or hikes. However, we were surprised at how many tourists there were in Loikaw already.

Thank you. Did you do it with Clement? Can you tell me what did you see in each day trip? And the prices of every day? Thank you

As for me, I prefer Chin State, because it's the last developed area and you still can see their unique tradition and lifestyle that could be passed away when it's developed. Mrauk U just some pagoda, Loikaw is also like chin state so you like hill tribes, you should also visit, but for me, if compare Loikaw and Chin, I will choose Chin State.
Wish you to have a great vacation in Myanmar.

Except Chin state is not going to change much in the next couple years, just as it hasn't changed much the last couple years (only the MTT permit requirement no longer needed)...but Loikaw IS changing fast, so best to visit NOW.

Yes, we used Clement and we very much enjoyed his guiding services. We contacted two other guides of which only one replied with higher prices than Clement.

We visited Kayah, Pa-O, Kayan and Lisu (Clement called them Khi - not sure why) villages over a 3-day period.

Clement asked for $100 US Dollars per day ($35 for his guide fee and $65 for car and driver) for these trips. We negotiated him down to about $70 per day (we switched to Kyat in negotiation, hence "about"). We also visited a weekly market, some in-town craft/food makers, a couple of ceremonial sites (ask about "chicken bone astrology"), an uninspiring waterfall (too far into the dry season) and a couple temples. At sunset be sure to visit the temple on top of the huge rock formations that towers above town. You can get there walking on your own from just about anywhere in Loikaw or ask Clement to include it.

He also offered a trip to a Kayaw village which he quoted us at $160 US Dollars. But we declined that trip since it was expensive and required a car journey of 2 hours each way in a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Others took this trip for varying amounts and some said it was the best of all the trips. Check back through posts about Loikaw to see the wildly varying prices people paid. You will have to bargain hard on this one.

Since Loikaw is becoming so popular now, Clement and the other guides may be less willing to bargain. You will have to see how it goes. When we arrived in early January 2016 he told us he was fully booked through most of February, was turning down requests every day and it was the first season that had happened.

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