Hkakabo Razi
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| Hkakabo Razi | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 5,881 metres (19,294 feet) |
| Location | Kachin, Myanmar |
| Range | Himalaya |
| Coordinates | |
| First ascent | September 15, 1996 |
| Easiest route | snow/ice climb |
Hkakabo Razi (Burmese: 
) is Southeast Asia's highest mountain, located in the northern Myanmar state of Kachin. The peak is enclosed within Hkakabo Razi National Park. It is entirely mountainous and is characterized by broad-leaved evergreen rain forest, a sub-tropical temperate zone from 8,000 ft. —9,000 ft. (2,438 m to 2,743 m), then broad-leaved, semi-deciduous forest and finally needle-leaved evergreen, snow forest. Above 11,000 ft. (3,353 m) the highest forest zone is alpine, different not only in kind from the forest, but different in history and origin. Still higher up, around 15,000 ft. (4,572 m), cold, barren, windswept terrain and permanent snow and glaciers dominate. At around 17,500 ft. (5,334 m), 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 Myanmar. 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. The latest study was done by the Forest Department with the assistance of Wildlife Conservation Society of New York during 1997 and 1998. The results have been presented in ICIMOD sponsored Workshop “Sub-regional Consultation on Conservation of Hkakabo Razi Mountain Ecosystems in Eastern Himalayas”, held in Putao, Myanmar during October 25—29, 1999.
The region will shortly be opened to the general public through eco-tourism by the Myanmar authorities. The government is collecting information for development in that regard and a number of scientific expeditions have been already accepted in the region.
[edit] Climbing information
Takashi Ozaki (Japan) and Nyama Gyaltsen (Myanmar) made the first ascent in 1996. Ozaki had attempted the mountain in 1995 but was turned back due to bad weather. The route to basecamp is long (four weeks) and arduous through dense rain forest with many unbridged stream crossings. The recent first ascent can also be attributed to the policy that foreigners were not allowed into the area until 1993.
