Photo by Jed Weingarten

The Dulong is a headwaters tributary to the Irawaddy, a major river which drains the southeastern flank of the Himalayas and flows into the Bay of Bengal at Yangon, Myanmar.

This 2003 kayak expedition was run by Jed Weingarten and his father Peter. The river flows through an area inhabited by the Drung, a colorful, unique minority culture that is more similar to Burmese hill tribes than to Han Chinese or northern minority nationalities.

They put-in at the bridge west of Gongshan near 27 46 36N, 98 19 58E, elev. 4600', in October 2003 and took out about 20 miles downstream near the Myanmar border (27 41 26N, 98 16 53E). Average gradient for this Class 4 trail and roadside stretch is about 15' per mile, flow about 2500 cfs. Other than its remote location, this could be a good repeat run.