Hkakaborazi National Park - Myanmar's largest park and highest mountain

Year of Declaration:  2003
Area (hectares): 381,246
Area and Location:

Pulao District in Kachin State, Myanmar

 

Description:

The largest national park in Myanmar and features Mt. Hkakaborazi, the highest mountain in the country and the highest snow-capped mountain in Southeast Asia; formed with mountain ranges, waterfalls, rapid streams and ravines; home of the black orchid; perfect haven for nature lover and those interested in wildlife; an excellent center for field study for students of botany, geology, zoology and geography.

 

Habitat Types:

Evergreen forests; hill pine forests; moist upper mixed deciduous forests; contains the headwaters of Ayeyarwady, the most important river of Myanmar.

 

Unique Flora:

Orchids including Cymbidium sp., Pleione maculata, Dendrobium nobile and the black orchid (Paphiopedilum wardii), an endemic ground orchid; coniferous species such as hemlock and spruce and fig trees; Schima wallichii, Litsea chinensis, Catanopsis argentea; Chinese coffin tree (Taiwania cryptomerioides).

 

Unique Fauna:

Red panda (Ailurus fulgens); takin (Budorcas taxicolor); musk deer, blue sheep; black barking deer of Phet-gyi (Muntiacusputaoensis); white-cheeked partridge, black-backed shrike babbler; greater rufous-headed parrotbill  and many other birds; colorful and rare butterflies such as the  beautiful yellow and black Papilionidae butterflies,  bright orange yellow Pieridae,  yellowish brown Nymphalid, golden bird wing, Kaiser, and Apollo; leaf deer (Muntianus putaoensis). 

 

Ecotourism Destination and Activities:

Kachin Hill Tribes- Rawang, Lisu and Tibet- Myanmar – showcasing their traditional culture  and customs; the extraordinarily rich flora and fauna like the black orchid and rare butterflies;  the challenging wilderness area and snow-capped mountain of  Mt. Hkakaborazi and other nearby mountain ranges; Ayeyarwady River and its headwaters; the Hkakaborazi National Park Exhibition Centre, which features a botanical garden and the significant natural environs of Kachin State.    

 

Biological Richness: • 42 species of mammals
• 370 species of birds
• 80 species of reptiles and amphibians
• 360 species of butterflies
• 297 species of trees