Loikaw Area Village Visits – February 2016 Report

My husband and I visited Loikaw during our seventh trip to Myanmar in February 2016 and feel very fortunate that we were able to visit three different ethnic groups before it becomes overly touristed. It’s important to note that it is quite expensive to hire a guide and driver. Many thanks to all on the LPTT who provided helpful information prior to our trip. Here is an extensive report about our experience.

Transportation to and from Loikaw
We traveled to and from Nyaungshwe taking a local bus to and from Shwenyaung Junction. While in Nyaungshwe, we reserved seats on the Pa Oo Ya Da Nar bus by going to the office of the Golden Island Cottages (where we were sent after asking). The price was K15,000 each which was considerably more than the information we had read here and on tripadvisor. We understood that the bus started in Taungyi at 8 AM and we would catch it at Shwenyaung Junction at around 8:30 AM. Shortly after we arrived at Shwenyang Junction on the day of our trip to Loikaw, an empty mini-van arrived and the driver said it was for us. Except for one woman the driver knew and picked up enroute, we remained the only passengers. A little past Aungban, the driver asked if we wanted to visit a holy cave (somewhat like Pindaya). We thought that it was strange on a public bus to make a stop for touring, but we said yes and he took us through the entire Myin Ma Hti Cave (on the LP Guidebook Eastern Myanmar map but with no written description in the text) which was very interesting and worth a stop. He paid the cave’s foreigner’s’ fee of K1000 each for us. We then rode on until a lunch stop in Pin Laung. After lunch, we waited awhile. Another small bus full of passengers arrived and the driver of our mini-van said we needed to get on that bus for the rest of the trip and we needed to pay him the K30,000, which we did, and we traveled on to Loikaw.
On the return trip, our guide for the visits to the ethnic villages took us to the bus station so we could purchase bus tickets for the return trip. We paid K3,800 each with the GanDraWaDi bus that leaves at 6 AM for the 5-6 hour ride to Shwenyang Junction. This time the bus was full of passengers (not overfull!) and the entire floor was filled with boxes that were being transported to Taungyi (I presume) so we sat with our feet atop the boxes (although not uncomfortable).
We thought it was strange that the price difference between going and returning was so great. We don’t know if we were taken advantage of or not on the trip to Loikaw. Perhaps the first bus was like a private bus just for us. The names of the bus companies were exactly the names I had read about on-line prior to our trip.

Hotel
We stayed at Min Ma Haw Guesthouse and paid $45 (though a Myanmar travel agent in advance of our trip) for a large room that had a double bed and a single bed. As others have recommended, try to get room 201 or 202 if you want the nicer rooms. The shower was very good and the laundry services were cheap. The young gentleman at the desk in the morning and afternoon speaks English and was quite helpful.

Loikaw Sights
We walked from the Min Ma Haw Guesthouse to the center of Loikaw. We visited Taung Kwe Paya (the pagoda atop two mountains joined by a man-made bridge). We also saw the reclining Buddha near it and went to the market, too.

Guides
Based on recommendations, we emailed Clement Tysi (skysnow333@gmail.com) and negotiated prices with him for three days of guide services. He was not available on our third day but he arranged to have a friend who was a guide be our guide – Martino (Htay Aung) (khunaungpey@gmail.com). Both guides were excellent and we highly recommend them. They are both Kayan and speak the language and could communicate in the villages we visited. We negotiated all the fees with Clement by email in advance based on the price list he emailed to us. These fees are listed below.
We emailed copies of our passports and Myanmar visas in advance so that Clement could arrange the necessary permissions for us to visit the various tribes.

Continued in replies

Continuation of Post
Village Visits
We did three separate village visits over the course of three days to visit the Kayaw, Kayah and Kayan tribes. In all the villages, the people were very willing to allow us to take their photos.

There’s a very good description of trips done by a tour director from a Thai agency to the three villages (with photos) at: http://www.remotelands.com/blog/index.php/discovering-the-tribes-of-loikaw/

Kayaw – this was almost a three hour drive in a four-wheel drive pick-up truck on a steep, winding dirt road with hairpin bends. The scenery was beautiful. We first stopped at a small shop and bought several packets of laundry detergent to distribute in the village as well as balloons for the kids (we paid K15,000). We then stopped at the Demawso market where Clement pointed out many different items and introduced us to drinking rice wine which was available for sale there. We also got to try eating raw intestines – a local delicacy.
As we got closer to the village, we saw a couple Kayaw women with overloaded baskets of wood on their backs that they had collected. We helped them get their extremely heavy baskets into the back of our pick-up truck and they also got in there, too.
The village visit was fascinating. We visited the school, the school teachers in their home, women who were weaving, the Catholic Church, and had lunch at one of the houses where we sat on their porch and chatted (through our guide) with many local men and women who came to sit there. They showed us a tattered copy of a bible in their language. Apparently, the Italian missionary priest was able to put their spoken language into a written form in the bible. We also were able to see the wooden caskets made by families well in advance of persons dying, as per the local custom.
We paid K200,000 for guide and driver services and also, tipped Clement, for the day. We also gave a K10,000 donation while in the village for the upcoming anniversary celebration of their church.

Kayah – We started the day with a stop to purchase bottles of cooking oil to bring to the village (K12,000). This was followed by a visit at the Pruso market where again lots of homemade rice wine was being sold. We also saw Kayan women (with rings on their necks) here selling pottery. As we continued our drive, we passed groups of very tall poles that were part of the animist belief. After about a two hour drive, we arrived at the Kayah village. There was to be a chicken bone extraction ceremony that day so we followed many people, carrying their chickens, heading to the site. Here we watched chickens being killed by hand and a leg bone, being extracted and brought to a wooden platform where a shaman could look at the bone and determine if the person, or family, who owned the chicken, would have a good year ahead or not. The people then burned off the feathers of the chickens and would be bringing the chickens home to eat. We were told that this event only takes place once a year. We walked around the village and saw only a few women in their traditional dress, and all with the same type of earrings. We went to a wedding celebration in this village and had a big lunch at the home of the parents of the bride. There was music and a traditional dance performance. After the wedding, we went to the local shop that had gifts already giftwrapped that could be purchased to give to the bride and groom. We purchased one (plates for K6000, I think) and presented that to the very beautifully dressed bride and groom. On our return trip to Loikaw, we passed by the Seven Lakes.
We paid $103 for the guide and driver and also tipped Clement. (We decided to pay with dollars this day based on the amount of dollars and kyats we had with us in Loikaw.)

Kayan – Once again, we stopped to purchase bottles of cooking oil to distribute in the villages we were going to visit (K10,000). Upon reaching the Kayan villages (of which there are five very close together), there was a rather touristy enclave of small huts where the longneck women were sitting and weaving and selling their weavings. They had the brass rings on their necks and legs, many silver bracelets on both arms and colored headscarfs. They also performed a short dance performance. Here, we needed to pay K5000 each as entry fee to visit the villages. Apparently, many of the Kayan women had worked in Thailand and were now returning to Myanmar since the local fighting had stopped in their home area and they were now without work. The intent here is for the women, and their families to derive some income from the visiting tourists. We walked from here for less than an hour to the first village we visited. We first visited a 93 year old Kayan woman, still wearing the traditional jewelry, who seemed to be rather sickly and frankly told us (through our guide) that she had fully lived her life and was wishing that it would end soon. We were able to visit with several Kayan women and their houses and their way of life. One woman played an instrument like a guitar that her husband had made for her. She told us that several years ago, she had been asked by Myanmar television to come to Yangon and play the instrument and this was recorded for television. We saw three elderly women sitting and working together preparing the thatch work that would eventually be used on roofs. They allowed me to sit with them and they tried to teach me how to do it. They also showed us how two women together could stamp in what looked like a giant wooden mortar the hulls from the rice. One of the women we visited prepared lunch for us and, based on our guide’s recommendation, we gave her K2000. We only saw one or two men. We did see a few younger girls wearing the brass neck rings, but were told that when they would reach the upper grades of school, they would take them off to avoid being shunned at school. We walked to a few of the villages and met our driver at the end of the day in a village where there were several empty houses. Our guide explained that many times, when some Kayan return from working in Thailand they have significantly more money and build a new better and bigger house and merely leave their former house empty.
We paid K100,000 for the guide and driver and tipped our guide for this day.

We were very impressed with our visits to the various villages of all three tribes. We thought the price of guide and driver services was quite high but it was the only option we had to be able to visit the villages. We were quite pleased that we were able to make these visits now before it becomes very touristy. As it is, groups are now coming on short visits to see the Kayan. Our guide Clement was not able to go with us on our third day because he had been previously booked to take a group of 40 tourists to see the Kayan people that day.

I hope this is helpful to those who may visit these tribes. I would be happy to answer any questions.

I would also like to mention that I am now re-reading the fascinating story, From the Land of Green Ghosts by Pascal Khoo Thwe, a Kayan. There are many customs mentioned in the book that are now familiar to me having been to the area and visited the Kayan. It is my understanding that he now lives in the area, after having lived many years in England.

The unfortunate catch-22 is of glowing reports of places like Loikaw, the quicker the place will change and become just another destination and over-touristic (is already happening there...that entrance 'village' for the Kayan for example)..
(I also visited the area, for 6 days, in February..)

rivaltribal - yes, that may be the case, but I believe the high cost of guides and drivers will deter many from going there. Of course, the groups, like the one I mentioned, will come. Hopefully, they will only visit where they can easily get to and those who prefer to go where there aren't many tourists will still be able to.

cabs...looking quickly at some of your costs...I paid 130,000 Kyat ($100 US @ the then going 1,300=$1 rate) per day for each day.....including the day we went to distant Kayaw villages...
Seems you did alright with him the other 2 days, but paying 200,000 Kyat for that first day is very expensive...

Sorry, and only my opinion of course, but I don't agree with tipping him either ....of the $100 US per day charge, he is getting $40 US and the car company gets $60....$40 for a day trip, without any overnight stay, is very good money for any Myanmar guide.
Don't get me wrong, I also used Clement, and like him (my only disappointment with him is that he likes the local millet beer WAY too much) but he is onto a good business there and seems to be starting to milk it for what he can...?

Thank you for providing so much detail, @cabs985 ! Now I also want to re-read "From the Land of Green Ghosts", although I only witnessed a small portion of what you did.

When I was there I believe it was 90,000 per day for a Burmese-speaking guide for the distant villages, in fact we were told that English-speaking guides did not exist in the town. This was 2.5 years ago and of course the exchange rate has changed...I think that's actually about the same or only a little less than what @rivaltribal paid, which is too much to not have an English-speaking guide! Anyway, I couldn't go to the villages because I didn't want to pay that by myself and my Shan friend couldn't kick in more than 10,000. So we did a different kind of tour, cave exploring and visiting ceremonial sites (plus traditional wine/food) for 30,000. We loved our guide, though. He bought our lunch, bought tea/snacks, tried to buy breakfast, and gave us a free ride to the bus station the next day (and then succeeded in buying breakfast).

Oh, I just remembered--we were in a tuk-tuk, not a car! So yeah...in terms of value we weren't offered much, although maybe for the 90,000k and much further trip, it would have involved a car.

Glad to know there are English-speaking staff at Min Ma Haw now, there weren't before. Did they get around to making an English map of the town? It would be a helpful thing to hand out to tourists.

As for the bus, I definitely think you were on a private bus on the way there. Not sure why that happened. In my experience, the little minibus, about 3,500-4,000k price, and cargo all over the bus floor is the normal way. (ours was extremely uncomfortable, even with my friend and I being rather short). Maybe you simply can't buy the regular bus tickets from Nyaungshwe? We purchased directly at the Shwenyaung bus station.

Thank you Cabs985 for such a comprehensive report! My partner and i are traveling to loikaw mid march and hope to use clement as our guide, unfortunately we cannot afford to visit all 3 villages, we will only visit 2, i was hoping for your opinion on which 2 villages to choose..? We prefer a more low key genuine experience then the bigger tourist trap style. Thanks in advance :)

Zac

rivaltribal-according to Clement's list of possible itineraries and fees, his guide fee is $35. When we were negotiating prices (by email), at one point, he said he could lower his fee by $10. Ultimately, I negotiated based on the full price (guide and driver) and with the information I had from thrive (another LP poster) regarding what he was able to negotiate. That said, I really don't know what part of the total amount the guide takes and what part goes for the driver. I do know that in Kengtung over several years that I went trekking there, the driver costs were always a lot higher than the guide fees. I have never been able to figure out why driver fees are so high. We negotiated as best that we could. We had no intention of tipping because we found the costs to be so high. But, after spending absolutely great days with our guides (Clement and Martino), we felt differently and decided to tip them. We don't usually tip in countries that don't already rely on that custom (as is the case in the US). Interesting comment about Clement and the millet wine! We commented to him directly how much he would eat when we were having meals at the local houses!
naugastyle - yes, Min Ma Haw guesthouse provided us with a simple map. The nice guy working there told us how we could walk to the mountain temple and the market, recommended a couple restaurants close by and even made a small breakfast for us to take with us on the day we departed since it was so early (5:30 AM). In the evening, a group of young guys would sit in the very small reception area and watch TV and acted annoyed if we asked them anything. Hopefully, you will soon have a chance to go back and visit the ethnic groups and be able to share the high costs with other travelers.
Zac5 - If I had to choose two of villages, I would choose the Kayaw and the Kayan. There were very, very few women traditionally dressed in the Kayah village. We had much more chance to visit people in their houses in the Kayaw and Kayan villages. Make sure and tell your guide that you want to try to avoid being with other tourists, if that's possible. By the way, if Clement isn't available, definitely contact Martino. Each of these two guides had strong points. Martino has less of a strong accent in English than Clement and was easier to understand. Clement is more light-hearted and fun. Martino was so sincere when talking with the people we visited. It's a great experience and opportunity to go now and visit these ethnic villages.

Neither Clement or Martino have access to a car? (also...wow, what names). That's too bad. The only times I've ever been in a car in Myanmar are taxis in Mandalay and Yangon....my trip in Kengtung was entirely by tuk-tuk as well. So it seems like the guide's fee is similar to what rivaltribal paid, it's the car & driver fee that doubled. Although, are you guys saying you were there during the same month??

The young guys watching TV in the reception area were...not staff? Just guys from town hanging out? It's weird either way...rude staff, or nice staff that let some random dudes take over at night.

naugastyle -
Based on my experiences in Myanmar, it seems to be quite common that a guide does not have access to a car.
As for the guides' names, the names I've noted are their Catholic-given names. Missionaries converted a great deal of this area to Catholicism. Their Myanmar names are Ka Lei Min Tel (Clement) and Htay Aung (Martino).
We were there in mid- February.
I got the impression that some of the young guys in the Min Ma Haw reception area were night staff. When we asked something, one replied rather loudly, "We don't speak English." The day staff person was exactly the opposite - very helpful, kind and always a nice smile. Sometimes we would see him in the evening, too.

Hi,

This is a great trip report!

I think I'm going to buy a guidebook, since it's my first time there. have you seen the most recent LP and RG and any other guidebooks, and could recommend 1 over another? On Amazon, someone reviewed the RG as barely updated since the 2011 version, despite a 2015 publishing date. LP has a 2014 version, but it also has some poor reviews.

I'm going to Myanmar for my first time in April. I've traveled a lot before, and my style is slow (stay 3-4 days in a place) and off the beaten track (1 hotel towns). I think a book would help for the maps and for finding hotels.

I look forward to your thoughts. Thanks!

LongestBusRide - I have only used the LP guide for all my trips to Myanmar as well as info posted here on the TT. Tripadvisor.com and booking.com are good sources for hotel reviews. Yes, the LP guide is outdated by the time they print it, but it is helpful for maps and descriptions of sights. I bought the e-book for this last trip. LP has sales every so often and that's when I made my purchase. The information on the sights remains relatively constant. It's the hotels, restaurants, and the prices that change. We, also, like to travel slowly staying 3-4 days in a place. I do recommend seeing the main highlights of Myanmar - there's a reason that they are the main highlights and they are quite worthwhile and in many cases, spectacular, to see. Yes, there may be many tourists at some of those places, but it sure isn't as touristy as, for example, the Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia (which are also worth seeing, knowing full well that you will be there with hoards of tourists).

Thank you! Also, it seems I will most likely be in Myanmar during the water festival this year. If it makes a difference as to where I spend that time, please let me know. I'd rather be in a town where it's celebrated. Because it's the hot season, I was thinking of Pyin Oo Lwin, since it's in the cooler highlands.

I enjoy photography, so if there are any smaller places you highly recommend, please also let me know. Of course, I'll visit Bagan and the other highlights, as they do look amazing!

Thanks so much again for all this information! I'm more than happy to give you information on places I've been recently, too. Mongolia, Hawaii (USA), Peru (Machu Picchu area). Just let me know if I can help.

Pyin Oo Lwin is only cool in a relative sense. I've been there in late March and it was still very warm. You will be hard-pressed to find places that don't celebrate Thingyan. Even the colder areas are not really cold enough in April that you wouldn't appreciate a good splashing.

LongestBusRide - I don't have any experience with the water festival. I suggest doing a search on the TT or posting a question if you want more information.
I'm not a "real" photographer but I'd say, it's the mid-day sun that you need to try to avoid. The people all over Myanmar are great to photograph. And, there are so many different ethnic groups.
In addition to the ethnic villages near Loikaw, I would say that trekking to the hilltribes outside of Kengtung are less touristy than the main highlights of Myanmar.
Thanks for the offer of information.
I have sent you a PM.

Great report cabs985. My partner and I were in Loikaw last January and used Clement's guide service for 3 days as well. Clement is a very nice man and he tried very hard to explain what we were seeing and to translate what the villagers said so we could understand the experience. His first price quotes for day trips were very high. When we negotiated for lower prices he readily agreed, but the final costs were still a bit high. All of this happened via email well before we arrived and Clement was very quick to respond.

We did very much enjoy being someplace that for the moment at least is still a bit off the tourist trail. On the other hand, we had 1 American and 3 Canadians ask to join our trips while we were there. To his credit, Clement always asked if it was OK if they join us and assured us that we did not have to agree to let them come. While on our visits we saw no other tourists while hiking or at the villages. We did see other tourists in the Loikaw market, at the hilltop temple and at Min Ma Haw Guesthouse. Given all this, I think Loikaw is already well on the path to being "discovered". If untouristed is your thing, visit Loikaw as soon as possible!

As cabs985 already knows, I have mixed feelings about Loikaw. Our visit to the Kayan villages was very interesting and I was pleased to find the villagers so welcoming and as interested in our lives as we were with theirs. Most everyone we met was dressed in traditional clothing and we also met the old woman who told us she was ready to die which might be a standard part of Clement's visits.

Our 2nd day was to visit Pa-O and Khi tribal villages where we saw pretty much no one in traditional dress and we were a bit disappointed. We had visited Pa-O villages on an earlier trip to Myanmar near Kakku and had a completely different experience. The 1 hour, 15 minute walk between the villages was through already harvested fields and very dry, brown vegetation and therefore not very scenic. I realize that this was due to the time of year, but it did add to our general disappointment with the day. As I mentioned, the Khi villagers were all in western dress as well and did not seem very interested in talking with us. However, they did provide us with one of the best Burmese meals we had on the entire trip.

We were not fortunate enough to see a full scale chicken-bone extraction, but we did see the aftermath of one that had happened a few days before. It was only a small ceremony to decide which tree to select for a new village pole. Clement was very good at explaining what had happened and why. His command of English is quite good, yet his pronunciation was at times difficult for us to understand, so one must be patient.

Sunset at the temple in Loikaw town is highly recommended. The temple is dramatically perched on some tall, slender karst formations like many we saw in southern Myanmar near Hpa-An and Mawlamyine. It is dramatically lit at night and can be seen all over town. If you are adventurous with food, ask Clement to take you to the Kayan restaurant. The traditional food was similar, but also quite different than standard Burmese fare and the owners were thrilled we were eating there.

We then took the bat trip from Phekon to Nyangshwe stopping in Sankar which we enjoyed quite a lot. It is, however expensive as well. Clement can arrange everything if you want to do this.

I enjoyed our visit to Loikaw and I am quite glad I saw it before it becomes part of the tourist trail. Was it awesome? I wanted it to be, but the disappointing bits were enough to sway me away. Was it worth it... Yes, definitely.

cabs - sorry, it was $35 for guide and $65 for car and driver...but still pretty good money for a Myanmar guide for a day trip.
Also...I actually saw more women in traditional dress in the couple Kayah villages we went to than in the Kayan villages (and quite a lot more in the Kayaw village).

Thrive - the 'Khi' village (not sure where Clemment gets that name) is actually a Lisu village. I went there one afternoon early on in my Loikaw visit, and we gave a lift to a few women walking home along the track....I recognised their costume - 1 or 2 had some traditional costume on then). Stayed a couple extra days at the end and went back for their new year celebration and nearly all of the women and girls were in trad costume then, only 1 or 2 of the men. I found them very friendly, both visits.

PS - I also saw a 'chicken bone extraction' ceremony....not sure if it is something they arrange before hand for tourists, or just that at this time of year they have quite a few celebrations that warrant such a ceremony (eg. lots of marriages now before planting season kicks in...)

Thank you Cabs985 for such a comprehensive report! My partner and i are traveling to loikaw mid march and hope to use clement as our guide, unfortunately we cannot afford to visit all 3 villages, we will only visit 2, i was hoping for your opinion on which 2 villages to choose..? We prefer a more low key genuine experience then the bigger tourist trap style. Thanks in advance :)

Zac

Hi,

I'm planning to go to loikaw around 20-25 March for 2-3 days, if that's when you're going maybe we can share a guide to keep the costs down a bit? Let me know if that sounds at all interesting to you :)

Sofie

re #18 -
just a note: combining with other people will not necessarily keep the cost down much, not for the original couple anyway.......more than 2 people and the guide will probably tell you that you need to hire a larger car (Clemment did that with me when another couple were keen to join with me for one day) and will ask for another $50+ US on top of original price...

Thanks for your input!

I might go just for one day then, that'd be all I can afford.. Sounds like the Kayan villages are the ones to go for for the most memorable and "unique/authentic" experience?

To those of you who have been? What is the city itself like? Any interesting markets, temples (except the main one), etc? I.e. does it make for a nice one or two days to just walk around, watch people, try local food etc?

I really want to go, but considering going elsewhere if it gets way out of my budget...

at this stage they all offer a relatively 'authentic' and memorable experience...the Kayan villages get the most attention simply because they have the 'long-neck' women...if Clemment is starting to charge more for visiting the more distant Kayaw villages, then the Kayan or Kayah village might be your options.
Loikaw town itself - an average Myanmar town with a river thru it......the market is okay but nothing special....ie. not like markets in places like Kengtung, Taunggyi, or Lashio where you will usually see women from various tribes...
The main sight of interest is the stupas and temple on the large rocky outcrop....

rivaltribal - were you traveling alone? If so, perhaps that's why you were able to get a lower fee. Indeed, as you said, there is an extra charge with more people. A couple guides said that to me when I was emailing guides to request prices.
Zac5 and sofieks - two suggestions:
Do a separate posting on the LPTT with the specific topic of looking for people to share guided trips to Loikaw area villages.
Request the fees from Martino, the guide we used on our third day, who we also thought was excellent. He took us to the Kayan villages (there are several villages close together that you can walk to). I don't know if he has experience taking people to the Kayah or Kayaw villages. The email address above did not come out correctly in my original posting. His correct email address is:
(removed). If you want to use my name as a recommendation for him, send me a PM and I'll respond.
If you need to pick one village to see, I would choose either the Kayan or Kayaw. As rivaltribal says, most people want to see the longneck women and that would be in the Kayan villages. I very much liked visiting those villages but the village I liked the most was the Kayaw. Take a look at the website I listed from the Thai travel agency and you will see photos of the various ethnic groups and that may help you decide which group you would like to see.
I agree with rivaltribal as to the description of the town of Loikaw.

Me too. Town not that interesting, market very small, but the temple is very photogenic with good views.

I too want to know if rivaltribal was traveling alone or with one other person. It seems like with just five people--driver, guide, rivaltribal + another tourist couple--it's a little pushy to make you upgrade to a bigger car. And does that mean if you're traveling alone there's no motorbike option?

Very intersting thread!

I am happy to hear that more people than just me were happy going with Clement.

There was a quite recent thread on TT where somebody was compaining about C. and accusing him of overcharging tourists.I posted my experiences in that thread and tried to explain that is normal market economy.

If there is high demand , prices go up. Clement is fully booked every day during the tourist season , so what do you expect? Did you ever try to get hold of a ticket for a fully booked Bruce Springsteen concert??? You have to pay at least ten times the nominal ticket value......

I was travelling on my own for three days and payed 80$ a day ; but I did not go to the more distant Kayaw village because he asked for 200000 Kyat if I remember right.
If rivaltribal payed 100$ per day ( for 5 days ? )including the Kayaw village that might be some sort of a mixed calculation.
I have not heard of anybody going by motorbike but that would definitely be a very uncomfortable ride to any of the destinations where I have been .

Interresting news as well regarding the Kayan villages .
When I visited in January did they just havr built the "tourist village" which is virtually a row of souvenirshops near the main road. They had not started to collect an entrancefee at that time but my guide said that we have to stop and go around thosr shops even when I told him that Iam not interested to buy anything.
So the entrancefee is just the next step in becoming a real popular touristattraction.
I am unfortunately very sure that even the more remote villages will soon see much more tourists as information about these amazing places is spreading quick due to the internet.$

cabs....I was travelling solo...BUT...that really should not make any difference to the price asked for 2 people (which I think you were).
The price rise I was referring to was when having customers above 2, so if there is 3 customers...that is when Clemments claims you need a larger car - which supposedly costs $50US more..

Nauga - yes, I agree that trying to make you 'upgrade 'to a larger car just because there are 3 customers (5 can fit in one of the smaller cars okay - especially if only going to the Kayan villages which aren't all that far from town) is 'pushy'...but what I, or you, think about that means little....if that is what they ask then that is what you will have to pay, IF you want to go ahead.

Motorbike option....?? - if you mean you travelling on the back of a motorbike with the guide...theoretically that should be an option...but again, similar to the situation in Kengtung now, when a guide makes a name for himself and gets plenty of business coming there way, why would they want to spend an uncomfortable day on a motorbike, when they can have customers fork out the $$ for a nice comfy air-con car...(similar even if you wanted to ride your own motorbike along with the guide on his..).

With the situation in Loikaw, and the rapidly increasing number of tourists going there, 'you' as a tourists have very little leverage when trying to reduce your costs...

WC - 'If rivaltribal payed 100$ per day ( for 5 days ? )including the Kayaw village that might be some sort of a mixed calculation. ' - it had nothing to do with any 'mixed calculation'. That was the daily price.
When I pre-arranged my visit with him the price he gave me was for $100 US per day...at that stage I was only staying 2 or 3 days. Was only after the arvo visit to the Lisu village and I found out about their upcoming festival that I decided to stay longer...day 4 was a 'rest' day in town, then the last day went to the Lisu village.
I overheard him talking to other prospective customers on his phone while we were out and about, and the price was $100 US.
The only reason I can see for his large price increase in Kyat (2 very recent posts state he is asking 160,000 Kyat per day - approx $125 US) is either a big change in exchange rate between US and Kyat (which I doubt) or, he wants to make more money out of his popular business.

@rivaltribal

Did you travel by a 4 WD car/truck when visiting the far away Kayaw village?

That's what the OP described and that's what I was told was causing the much higher price for that excursion.

Notice that the OP paid 200000 Kyat (~ 150$ ) .You must have been very lucky to get that trip for 100$.

fyi - I travelled to Kayaw by 4wd..
'You must have been very lucky to get that trip for 100$.' - and you must be kidding....!!!!
If you think 200,000 Kyat is a fair price for a day trip (anywhere in Myanmar)....ie. not even staying overnight.....try and understand this - I wasn't 'lucky'....the OP was ripped off (sorry cabs, but I think you were foolish to agree to pay that much)
(I have travelled in many tribal areas of Myanmar over the last 10+ years, not to mention neighbouring countries, so have quite a few trips to compare..)

Not sure why foreigners are trying to justify locals clearly charging excessive amounts for trips...that just makes it even worse for future visitors...(as bad as an earlier post on this thread who tried to compare this issue to buying a ticket to a booked-out concert...)

Clemment IS NOT the only option for Loikaw...I suggest if he starts charging higher prices then people should start contacting other guides there..

Perhaps we got ripped off. Indeed, we thought the price was very high, but we did want to go to the Kayaw village. And, we made the decision based on a comparison of rates. Here's the entire explanation:
Our K200,000 fee for the trip to the Kayaw village was decided when the exchange rate was K1400 for $1.00. The rate did go down to K1350 while we were in Myanmar and before we got to Loikaw. That would mean the K200,000 fee was in the $143 - 148 range.
When we were contacting Clement by email, there was a chance that he was not going to be available when we would be in Loikaw. At that point, I contacted three other guides and got various prices:
One guide said he charges $40 for 2 people and transportation would be $50 and this was only to the Kayan and Kayah villages.
When I explicitly asked the fee for the Kayaw village, one guide said the total cost would be $250 for 2 people and $300 for 4 people.
And, another guide provided the fee schedule below (total of $205) for a trip to the Kayaw village:
The first you need to take my guide fees for that day =35USD
The second (for the car)= 120USD
The third you need the permission to go there for (MOHT;IMM;State government and also Ethnic agreement tax)=40USD
Finally we must pay for the community of the village=10USD
I did not realize that there is a fee for the necessary permission. Of course, it's possible that the guide is merely stating that and that there is no cost. I do like to think the Myanmar people are really trustworthy and honest.
Knowing all these fees in advance, we accepted the fact that Clement's fee to the Kayaw village would be K200,000.
Perhaps if there are more guides and thus, more competition, the fees might go down somewhat.

'permission to go there for (MOHT;IMM;State government and also Ethnic agreement tax)=40USD' - I did not pay any permission fee....am aware the guide has to 'check in' with the authorities, but no fee applicable..

'Finally we must pay for the community of the village=10USD' - Also not aware of any community village' fee for Kayaw village.....I paid the 'entrance fee' for the Kayan villages only.

'I do like to think the Myanmar people are really trustworthy and honest.' - many are, but that doesn't mean everyone is...(you've probably noticed some of the LP / TA posts re: various scams in the country - and the more tourists the more scams will arise...)

PS - exchange rate was 1300=$1 when I was there, so it must have risen suddenly, as it sounds like you were there soon after me...

I don't know if there was a fee for our permission to visit the villages. Our guide, Martino, showed us the permission document with our names, passport numbers and visa numbers on it. The rest was written in the Myanmar language.

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