Hsipaw also known as Thibaw is a town in Shan State located on the riverbank of Dokhtawady River. It is about 200km(124mi)northeast of Mandalay and 73km(45mi) from Lashio. It’s about a 5-hous scenic drive via PyinOoLwin ( Maymyo),Naungcho-Naungpain (railway stations for Goktheik Viaduct ) and Kyauk Me. It takes only 1.5hours drive from the airport in Lashio with a possibility of stopping at a Hindu temple, fruit plantations, Palaung ( hill-tribe villages), Hydroelectric powered ice-mill, and a small lake.
The majority of foreigners who make it to Hsipaw, mostly arrive for hill-tribe treks that are easy to organize and handily short yet “ unspoilt” in a way you’ll rarely find around Kalaw or anywhere in northern Thailand. Hsipaw itself is smaller yet more historic than Lashio or Kyaukme. It has just enough tourist infrastructure to be convenient yet it still feels thoroughly genuine. Though architectural remnants are fairly limited, this was once a Shan royal city. Local historians claim that 19th-century Sao So Chae was knighted by Queen Victoria while the last sawbwa.