Itinerary
14 Days/13 nights starting and finishing in Rangoon

• Day 01 / From Yangon we fly to Bagan and then transfer by car to Mt. Popa, which seems to pop up out of the plains at 650 meres. Enjoy the hotel pool before dinner and a trip briefing about the ride ahead.
• Day 02 / Wake up to superb views! We start with an easy bike down from your hotel to the base of Mt. Popa. After a visit to Popa Taung Kalat, the the Nat Temple, we continue our ride to the temples of Bagan.
• Day 03 / Bicycles are the perfect way to explore the temples of Bagan; we take a morning cycle around the Archaeological Zone before returning for a dip in the pool. The sunset ride, with views across the plains studded with chedis and temples, is something you will never forget.
• Day 04 / This morning we will drive to the Bagan Jetty for a leisurely boat journey on the Irrawaddy River to Pakokku. Once back on land we cycle towards Yazagyo where we’ll visit the wooden Pakhangyi monastery that was built in 1886.
• Day 05 / Our loop cycle through the Chindwin Valley will takes us to two famous sites – Mohnyin Thambuddhei Paya, which dates back to 1303 and claims to house more than 500,000 images of Buddha and the extensive cave complex of Po Win Taung where more than 947 sandstone caves contain a rich collection of mural paintings and Buddhist statues.
• Day 06 / We ride from our hotel to Myint Mu, stopping en route to visit the Hindu-style Thanbodday Temple that has some 864 small stupas surrounding the central golden chedi and the Boditahtaung Pagoda which houses one of the largest reclining Buddha images in the world. Get your cameras ready.
• Day 07 / From Mandalay we explore the towns of Sagaing and Mingun on the opposite side of the Irrawaddy River and visit the ruins of Pahtodawgyi and the Mingun bell, the largest ringing bell in the world. In the afternoon we hop on a boat to take us downstream to Mandalay.
• Day 08 / We have a long transfer this morning to head up to the Shan Plateau. We start cycling from Ywar Ngan through a patchwork of fields. Our destination is Pindaya, home to limestone caves that house thousands of Buddhas.
• Day 09 / Today is a rest day to recover and explore the small town of Pindaya. In the afternoon we meet up for a guided tour of the Buddha-filled caves of Pindaya.
• Day 10 / Cycle through a beautiful rural landscape as the gently rolling hills takes us to Aung Ban and then we have a climb up to the former colonial hill station of Kalaw.
• Day 11 / We leave the pine trees behind us and then continue coasting to Inle Lake. We cover many kilometres, but the last section has two sweeping downhills, which take us directly to the shores of Inle Lake.
• Day 12 / We give our legs some rest and enjoy a full day boat trip on Inle Lake. We take in the five-day market, Indein temples, floating gardens, monasteries and the Intha fishermen, who famously manage to row with their legs. Lunch is in a secluded bamboo forest by the lake. We then visit several Intha cottage industries. There are a variety of restaurants in town and dinner is your choice.
• Day 13 / In the morning we transfer to Heho airport and fly back to Yangon where we visit the huge Shwedagon Paya, Burma’s holiest religious site.
• Day 14 / The morning is free for shopping at Bogyoke Aung San market before heading to the airport for the flight home.

Tour Price

• USD $2,895 Twin
• USD $525 Single supplement
• USD $170 for bike hire

Departure Dates
14 Days/13 nights starting and finishing in Rangoon.

• Jan 08-21, 2012
• Feb 05-18, 2012
• Mar 04-17, 2012
• May 13-26, 2012
• Jul 01-14, 2012
• Oct 07-20, 2012
• Nov 04-17, 2012

Trip Profile

This is a touring trip for mountain bikers and road cyclists. We will ride point to point through central Myanmar, covering between just over 515 kilometres on country lanes with almost zero traffic.

Rest days are in Bagan and at Inle Lake. There is also time out of the saddle in Mandalay and Rangoon.

The first few days riding are in the flat Irawaddy basin. The second phase of the tour takes us east into mountainous Shan State where there are some climbs, including the challenging 20-km Kalaw Hill, which some people will opt out of.

As we ride along major arteries, riders can find their own pace and meet up at prearranged points along the way. The range of surfaces and incredible variety of rides on this tour will ensure that every kind of cyclist is satisfied, whilst the first-class support and mean it is also popular with inexperienced and non-riders.

Facts & Figures

• Bike Hire USD $170
• Total Distance 515 Kilometres
• Number of Days 14 days / 13 nights
• Number of cycling days 8 full days plus 1 half day
• Road Surface This tour mostly follows good asphalt roads and sometimes vehicle-width dirt roads, which may be smooth, loose or hard-packed.
• Support An air-conditioned bus converted to take bikes and bikers follows the group the whole time.
• Group Size Minimum 02, maximum 16.
• Staff Groups of 06 or more, a cycle tour leader with English-speaking Burmese guide plus drivers and assistants. Groups of 04-05 will be led by our local guide and support team
• Accommodation 05 nights 4* hotels, 04 nights 3*, 02 nights 2*, 01 night in basic hotel, 01 night in a monastery. All hotels have en suite facilities and air-conditioning, except 01 night in a dormitory with shared facilities. Many hotels exhibit charm and character.
• Meals All meals included on the tour for the majority of days. Exceptions: Day 01 (dinner), Day 05 (breakfast), Day 13 (breakfast & dinner).

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