THE TRIP

Arrival Yangon

Upon arrival at Yangon international airport, you will be met by the guide and driver for a private transfer to the hotel.
In the evening start your walking tour to china town, there will be local snacks to be tasted as well as a local draft beer or fresh lime juice. The tour includes drinks, a walk over the night market in downtown, tea and snacks as well as a tasty bowl of noodles shared with some locals.

Yangon

Spiritual Shwedagon Pagoda with guide & taxi – half day
So what’s behind the golden façade of the Shwedagon Pagoda? During this interactive half-day tour we take you through the back door and show you the full history of the pagoda, the daily life of all people living in the immediate surroundings of the pagoda, and a deeper insight in the Buddhist religion and how the spiritual belief is mixed with the belief in nats – the Myanmar spirits. An intriguing half-day tour starting from the bottom of the hill and passing the workshops, markets, and monasteries which will be useful or even essential to understand more of the country during the rest of your journey. The tour includes a traditional Burmese breakfast, offerings to monks and the pagoda, a visit to a fortune teller, and a Burmese lunch.

After the tour, transfer back to the hotel and free at leisure on your own (Good time to discover the colonial downtown area near your hotel on your own.)

Yagon- HSIPAW by Public Bus

Biking Tour: “Islands and Rivers”, YGN-021 – half-day (Join-in tour)
(07:30 am to 12:00 noon) joining biking tour operated by Uncharted Horizons Myanmar. This is an easy tour, which can be handled by everyone who is healthy and fit, no prior biking experience needed. The tour leads to villages, through rice fields and across rivers, perfect for everyone who wants to catch a glimpse of the Delta, without heading out too far!

HSIPAW

Shan village walk
In the late afternoon, your guide will take you for a 2.5-hour walk through a panoramic scenery of paddy fields and other seasonal crops passing small creeks, Shan villages, and local schools and monasteries. The guide will explain in detail about Shan life around Hsipaw and show you some home industries like cheroot (cigar) rolling and bamboo weaving. He will explain why each Shan village has a spirit house build at the entrance of the village and make sure you will get to know the spirit of the local people in Northern Shan state.

HSIPAW

A walk through the fields visiting Palaung tribal villages
One of the most colorful tribes in Shan State is certainly the Palaung people who are famous for their high-quality tea plantations. Especially the older women who still wear their traditional costumes. During this full-day walk, we visit 2 or 3 different villages and have a simple lunch in a local village on the way. Transfer to the starting point will be by local tuk-tuk. An enchanting day in nature discovering some of the interesting tribes of this part in Myanmar.

HSIPAW

After a local breakfast, downsloping back to the hotel along the path which the local guide will lead in different ways and villages for some parts of the trek.

HSIPAW- Train Over Gokteik Viaduct – PYIN OO LWIN- Mandalay

Transfer on own to the train station, the train departs around 09:30 from Hsipaw station and will pass the Gokteik Viaduct around 13:30. Through spectacular mountain scenery, the train will slowly move forward over the old railway track passing small villages and towns where vendors will enter the train to sell drinks and local snacks. The expected arrival time in Pyin Oo Lwin is around 16:00. But be warned: be delays on a historic railway like this one are not unusual.

Mandalay

Biking Tour: Mandalay Morning Ride – MDL-012 – half-day joining biking tour operated by Grasshopper adventure (morning)
A fantastic tour just outside the city operated by Grasshopper Adventures a small specialized biking company in Mandalay. We start biking from our conveniently located shop and ride through the back lanes to get out of town. We pass through fresh markets, lively neighborhoods, and head for the northeast of the city. After only a short pedal we find ourselves in the true countryside where farmers tend to their fields and villagers go about the daily rituals that have remained unchanged for decades, if not longer. Water buffalo lazily roll in the mud, goats nibble at the foliage, and friendly locals wave from all directions.

Mandalay

Mandalay’s night market, beer and barbecue stations –MDL-010 – evening tour by Tuk Tuk
A fun tour to get to know the real Mandalay, starting with a visit to a viewpoint near the Ayeyarwaddy river as well as the lively fish market. Continue to the busy Yadanar night market to have some traditional snacks and a walk around before heading to one of the most famous beer stations and BBQ restaurants in Mandalay. Your guide will order the food and make sure you’re satisfied.

Mandalay – Bagan

Breakfast at the hotel.
Own transfer to the bus station where you take 6 hours’ drive with a public bus to Bagan. The bus will leave from Mandalay around 10:00 and will arrive at Bagan around 16:00.
Upon arrival, transfer on your own to the hotel.

Bagan

E-Bike & Temple view swing – half day
Bagan is an ancient city of Myanmar – the stunning landscape of ancient temple ruins that seem to be spread around randomly in between toddy palms and bamboo huts. During this half-day electric biking tour, the guide will show you some of the most spectacular sceneries of ancient lesser-known temples and the best of all is that you can stop any time, any minute to make some beautiful pictures. At the end of the trip, enjoy the fun thing of swing ride between palms tree while some healthy juices and traditional snacks are served.

Bagan

Free at leisure on your own.

Bagan – Kalaw by Public Bus

Own transfer to the bus station and take the bus to Kalaw. The bus will leave from Kalaw around 08:30 and arrive around 16:00. Then a 5 minute walk to the hotel.

The rest of the day is free at leisure at the hotel.

Kalay – Trekking (5 HRS- 20KM)

Kalaw is a small former hill station surrounded by the Shan mountains. As the British already discovered the cool climate is not ideal for walks in the mountains with great sceneries and interesting hill tribe villages like Danu and Palaung.We start in the early morning when your guide will pick you up from the hotel and arrange that your main luggage is sent directly to your hotel in Inle Lake.

Trekking (4HRS – 16KM) Inle Lake

Early morning wake up for breakfast of pancakes and fresh fruit served with coffee or tea.

We continue trekking for about 2 hours passing through Kyauk Su and Nan Yoke villages and we stop for a short refreshment. We continue to walk towards the jetty about 2 hours where a local home-cooked lunch will be served. From here, we walk to the jetty where we take a private boat ride about 1,5 hours to Inle.

Inle Lake

Inle Bike, Boat & Kayak Tour (join-in tour) – INL-017 – full day (From 08:00 to 17:00)
A full day of exploration by bike, boat and kayak, with a fantastic traditional lunch in an exclusive Shan house on the lake. A somewhat challenging day, but filled with the rewards of outstanding scenery & genuine connections.

We start the tour in the morning around 08:00 (own transfer from hotel to Grasshopper shop arrival at 07:45) with a bike ride alongside fields of flowers tended by friendly villagers, pass remote monasteries and cycle through peaceful bamboo forests.

Inle Lake

Free at leisure on your own.

Inle Lake

Shan cooking Class at Bamboo Garden-INL-009A (Join-in)
A fantastic cooking class provided by Bamboo Princess at the open kitchen in the Garden with a nice atmosphere. You will have 10minutes’ walk to the meeting point at 09:00 am to visit Nyaung Shwe market and buy the ingredients for your special menu then you will bring to the Bamboo Garden to learn Intha recipes of Intha style fish curry, fried vegetables, Shan noodles or fried rice cake and egg curry with tamarind paste such as and cook your own lunch.

Inle Lake – Yangon By Public Bus

Free at leisure in the morning.
Own transfer to the bus station and take the night bus to Yangon. The bus will leave around 18:00.

Yangon

You will arrive in Yangon around 05:00, then own transfer to the hotel. (Early check-in is subject to availability)

Free at leisure the rest of the day.

Yangon Departure

Upon your departure flight time, take the taxi from the hotel to Yangon international airport.