Hkakabo Razi at 5881m takes the honour as not only Myanmar's highest mountain but also the highest in South East Asia, and therefore the highest peak that we will be attempting.
The peak is located in the far north of Myanmar in Kachin State and is considered a part of an outlying subrange of the Greater Himalayan mountain range.
Hkakabo Razi was first summited on 15 September 1996 by Takashi Ozaki (Japan) and Nyima Gyaltsen (aka "Aung Tse"; Burma).
The Climb
Before 1993 the mountain was off limits to foreigners but is now open so at least we know it is politically possible to attempt a climb. Apparently the route to basecamp is long (four weeks) and arduous through dense rain forest with many unbridged stream crossings. This will undoubtedly be the hardest of all the SEA Summits and will require a long and serious preparation.
The Geography
The peak is enclosed within Hkakabo Razi National Park. The park is entirely mountainous and is characterized by broad-leaved evergreen, a sub-tropical temperate zone from 2,438 to 2,743 metres (8,000–9,000 ft), then broad-leaved, semi-deciduous forest and finally needle-leaved evergreen, snow forest. Above 3,353 metres (11,000 ft), the highest forest zone is alpine, different not only in kind from the forest, but different in history and origin. Still higher up, around 4,572 metres (15,000 ft), cold, barren, windswept terrain and permanent snow and glaciers dominate. At around 5,334 metres (17,500 ft), there is a large ice cap with several outlet glaciers.
Hkakabo Razi was established as a natural reserve on January 30, 1996 and as a national park on November 10, 1998. The park is the last stronghold for biodiversity in Burma. Extraordinarily rich flora and fauna, ranging from lowland tropical to alpine species still await proper research and identification. They have barely been studied, and the park remains an excellent center for field study for students of botany, geology, zoology and geography.