Overview
This is the all-encompassing bicycle tour of Myanmar's most famous sights, seen by way of the best back roads and secret trails around. Cycle from the enchanting Shan Hills into the Irrawaddy basin, Mandalay and onto the Bagan Plain, home to thousands of ancient pagodas. Finish with a visit to Yangon, the fascinating commercial center of the country.
This is an irresistible trip for anyone who has wondered what mysteries lie between the well-known cultures of India, China and Thailand. The answer for most is something completely unexpected.
After the recent news of Myanmar opening up to travelers, it is quickly becoming the new 'must see' destination in Southeast Asia. Underneath all the news and history is a country full of friendly people who have a strong tradition of hospitality as well as landscapes of amazing diversity.
494 Km riding. The terrain is a mix of sealed and unsealed roads on secondary roads and quiet country lanes. We aim, wherever possible to be off roads with traffic and have adjusted the itinerary over time to achieve this. There are four sustained climbs over the trip, the longest of which is 7km. These are generally not steep and once you are into a riding rhythm, you will find them quite achievable. It is important to understand that you must be comfortable with riding on rough surfaces.
Deposit amount: $1500 USD
Highlights
Take a boat trip on Inle Lake to glimpse one-leg rowing fishermen, floating villages and cottage industries.
Visit an elephant sanctuary to learn about their conservation.
Cycle to Mount Popa with a view of Taung Kalat temple filled with Nat Spirits.
Check out the many pagodas of Bagan on a ride through the mystical plain.
Day to Day
The group will meet this morning at the domestic terminal of Yangon Airport for our flight to Heho. The flight will leave between 10am and 11:30am, so you must arrive in Yangon no later than 8am. Alternatively, you may wish to stay the night before in Yangon. Our 70 minute flight to Heho is followed by a drive of around the same duration to reach Nyaung Shwe, the main town of the Inle Lake area. We stay on dry land rather than on the lake as it's actually a more interesting experience and allows more freedom of movement.
We take a ride around the area to learn a little about the local culture and the farming habits of the people here. We then cycle along the eastern bank of the lake, before taking a boat trip on the lake itself. Here we will see the famous one-leg rowing fishermen, silk weaving, and whole communities that exist in stilt houses on the lake. Everything from schools, shops, even the post office can be found out here, all within a short boat ride of each other. We will stop at some of the more interesting sites and visit some of the lake's renowned cottage industries such as lotus-silk weaving. This is usually a full day and we can expect to return to town by 4pm.
Leaving early this morning and after a flat ride to start, we climb out of the valley and up into the Western Shan Hills. This is a challenging ride, but with some lovely views. We reach the town of Kalaw in the mid afternoon. Kalaw was a British Hill Station in past times and is full of colonial-style buildings. Kalaw is populated by a diverse range of peoples, including Muslims (mainly originating from Bangladesh), Pa Oh and Paluang hill tribes, and even the descendants of Nepalese Gurkhas who settled here. The Shan hills are noted for their fresh produce and tonight you'll have a chance to try it at a family-run restaurant.
Another early start today for a short drive that takes us to the Green Hill Valley Elephant Sanctuary, a conservation project founded by two passionate and dedicated tour guides. The project is currently home to seven elephants, five of whom were recently retired from working service in the logging industry. We take a walk around to see the property, the reforestation project and the elephants. From Green Hill Valley we drive down past the trucking town of Aung Ban to start our next ride. This is a lovely ride through rolling hills with patchwork crops, punctuated by groups of villagers working the fields. We roll into the tiny town of Pindaya in the late afternoon and visit the Golden Cave for which the town is famous.
We start with an off-road ride through a seldom visited area where small communities of Pa Oh will watch curiously as you pedal by. The scenery today gets better at every turn, with limestone karsts topped by gold and white stupas giving way to lush flower gardens as we pass through tiny towns. One of these towns is our home for the night. Here a simple guesthouse in a small community awaits and offers an enjoyable night in a truly off-the-beaten-path setting.
Today offers a challenging, rewarding ride. The day includes some fun downhill sections, but also some short climbs to keep you warm. We leave the highlands today and as we drop into the Irrawaddy Basin we get some fantastic views from the hills as we fly down them. There are few towns today due to the steep landscape but there are lots of villages where the inhabitants will be truly surprised to see you. This is a much less traveled route where it is uncommon to see many people on bikes. As we reach the main north-south highway, we board the vehicle for a drive to Mandalay where a comfortable hotel and a great meal await.
Mandalay was the last royal capital of Myanmar and was the first city to be ransacked by the advancing British forces. The former royal complex was destroyed in a fire during World War II but you can still see the impressive walls and moat. The city of Mandalay is now a bustling commercial center with fascinating local markets. There are many ways to relax, including some time by the pool, a massage to revive the limbs or even a guided food adventure. A visit to Mandalay Hill for sunset is another option and provides a great view over the city.
We are in for a real treat today as we avoid roads as much as possible. We first travel upstream on the Irrawaddy River by boat and then explore from Mingun down to Sagaing, along a fantastic road running parallel to the river. A short, challenging climb takes us to the top of Sagaing Hill for a fabulous view of the monastery-dotted hill and Mandalay in the distance.
From here, we cross over the river returning to smaller trails, leading us past the ancient former capital Ava, banana groves, weaving villages and countryside. We make it all the way to the longest teak wood bridge in the world, a structure that has withstood the ravages of time remarkably well. After some time at the bridge, we travel by car to our home for the evening, the small town of Myingyan, where a simple, but adequate hotel awaits.
A pleasant ride takes us through the dry zone, terrain that is markedly different from the rest of Myanmar. We pass villages along the way and as the day progresses, the gently rolling hills become more pronounced. As we pass the last of the flat fields, we find Mount Popa and a sharp, but relatively short climb to our lovely resort with its pool perched on the edge of the mountain overlooking the Taung Kalat temple. In the afternoon, you will have the option to visit this temple and hear the stories of the 37 Nat spirits who call this place home.
A flying downhill starts us off into the valley and into Kyauk Padaung. After a stop at the local tea house for snacks, we will look through the produce market before riding onto Bagan. As we arrive, the red bricks of the pagodas come into view and they grow more and more numerous as we near the hotel which is located on the edge of the Bagan Plain. After lunch we will head out to a scenic spot to catch the sunset.
The pagodas of the Bagan Plain are best visited early in the morning, as the sandy landscape heats up by the middle of the day. We make good use of an early start and focus our visit on the temples that were built between 14th and 19th centuries: Shwezigon, Dhamagyangyi and Ananda to name a few. In the late morning, we find a local restaurant to have lunch then return to the hotel where an afternoon by the pool may be a good way to unwind and enjoy the warm temperatures.
Note: Day 11 is the ideal timing for a sunrise hot air balloon flight over Bagan, considered some of the best ballooning in the world. We can arrange this for you. Prices are approximately US$360 per person and the balloon rides operate between 01 Oct and 15 Apr each year. Please inquire when booking on the tour if this interests you.
We will take a late morning flight (subject to flight schedules). We'll check straight into the hotel and after some down time, enjoy a walking tour of the city. We walk through Little India and Chinatown in downtown Yangon which is a frenzy of trading and eating activity. We see an amazing collection of British colonial era buildings, some in a well restored state and others in moss covered decay. As the afternoon wears on, we take in an unforgettable sunset at Shwedagon Pagoda. We then enjoy our final meal together and celebrate the tour.
Today the tour concludes. For those who are not in a hurry to leave, the beaches of Myanmar beckon. For information on these and other destinations to extend your holiday, please ask our team at the time of booking.
WHAT MAKES US STAND OUT
GRASSHOPPER STYLE
On this tour, we aim to show you the heart and soul of Myanmar. This means taking time to explore Inle Lake, Yangon, Mandalay and Bagan with plenty of off-the-beaten-track stops along the way. Rest assured knowing we’ve taken care of all of the small details for you, planning out an excellent route, booking quality accommodations and transferring your luggage so you can relax and enjoy the ride as an expert guide takes you through Myanmar.
