Bilauktaung Range

The northern Bilauktaung forms a long wall within the Tenasserim Hills on the Myanmar-Thailand border. It begins from the Dawna Range and continues for roughly four hundred kilometres toward the Kra Isthmus. The ridge is part of the skeleton of the peninsula: its high ground separates river systems and makes east-west travel through this forested frontier difficult.

The northern section rises above the surrounding country at Myinmoletkat Taung, whose summit reaches 2,072 metres. Its prominence of 1,857 metres makes it one of Southeast Asia's ultra-prominent peaks. A series of lesser summits follows the line, including Ngayanni Kyauk Taung, Palan Taung and Baulu Taung, each forming a step in a range that is continuous but uneven.

This is country of heavy tropical rain forest rather than dense settlement. Monsoon winds release more rain on the western mountain sides, so their cover is usually thicker than that of the eastern slopes. Sparse habitation follows the margins of this difficult upland. The northern Bilauktaung is best understood through its altitude, long north-south alignment and rain-bearing western face.