Return to the Irrawaddy

The legendary botanist and explorer records the details of his last expedition, in 1953, to his beloved northern Burma, prior to his death five years later. Frank Kingdon-Ward combined an insatiable taste for adventure, and the persistence to overcome any danger in his path-not to mention recalcitrant officials who attempted to block it-with the raconteur's gift to recount his adventures in a vivid and often thrilling manner.
Rich in description of the unique flora, fauna and tribal customs of this still little-known region, Kingdon-Ward's account covers not only the magnificent rhododendrons and other tropical floral rarities that were the object of his travels, but also the customs of the various tribal groups encountered, the use of plants in local medical practice, the natural occurrence of tea varieties in the region and much more. A last look at a spectacular, then unspoiled, corner of Burma which since has been inaccessible and largely devastated by protracted civil war.