One of the longest free-flowing rivers in Asia, plunging through deep gorges from Tibet to the sea.
Length
2,815 km
Source
Tibetan Plateau
Mouth
Andaman Sea
Continent
Asia
Countries
China, Myanmar & Thailand
Did you know?
The Salween runs through the 'Three Parallel Rivers' region, where it races alongside the Mekong and Yangtze in separate deep gorges.
Little-known fact
It remains one of the last great undammed rivers in the region, a refuge for rare fish and wildlife.
Highlights
- A great free-flowing river
- Part of the Three Parallel Rivers
- Among Asia's last wild rivers
Life in the Salween
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Animals & fish
Eurasian otter
A sleek, playful hunter whose return to a river is a sign the water has run clean again.
Waterbirds
Common kingfisher
A dazzling blue-and-orange dart that plunges from a perch to spear fish in an instant.
Water plants & reeds
Sacred lotus
A revered Asian water plant whose leaves are so water-repellent that dirt rolls straight off them.
Interactive · 3D journey
Journey of a river · source → sea
Every river runs the same great journey — from an icy mountain spring, down through gorges and looping meanders, to a wide delta where it meets the sea. Tap a stage to follow the water downstream.
Tip: hover to tilt the valley · tap a stage to float downstream
The Source
Every river begins high up — in a mountain spring, a melting glacier or a boggy upland. The water is cold, clear and fast, tumbling down the steepest ground of its whole journey.
Landforms here