Bhamo is a city of Kachin State in northernmost part of Myanmar, located 186 km south from the capital city of Myitkyina. It is on the Ayeyarwady River. It lies within 65 km of the border with Yunnan Province, China. The population consists of Chinese and Shan, with Kachin peoples in the hills around the town.
Bhamo was an important trading post with the Chinese Empire up to the nineteenth century, when copper coins from China flowed into Burma via Bhamo. VOC (United Dutch East India Company) records identified these copper coins as an important source of profit, and also mention the presence of a Customs Office in Bhamo to regulate the border trade. As of 1935 the town was situated at the highest navigable point of the river, and was the terminus of caravan routes from India and Burma, by which jade, in particular, was brought into China.
Bhamo was once called Sampanago, the capital of the now-extinct Shan kingdom of Manmaw. The ruins of the old city walls, dating from the fifth Century, are found some 5 km from the modern town.
Cruise Season – Jan - Dec
Currency - Kyat (MMK)
Language – Burmese
Electricity – 2 vertical Square pins and one perpendicular below British style
Time - GMT plus six and a half hours
International Country Telephone Code +95