A Burmese Journey - From the Shan Hills to the Bay of Bengal (9 or 12 Days) We love road journeys. They are by far our favourite way of traveling. We think the world of western China and the countries that border on this region – think Vietnam, Lao, Thailand, Myanmar, for example.
On the Road Experiences is all about sharing with like-minded travelers just how beautiful a road journey in these varied lands can be. Now turn the page to find out what we’ve come to love so much…
p2 p3 Itinerary Map …where you will travel… p. 006 Yes, it is possible… p. 008 Journey of Discovery… p. 010 Day-by-day… p. 062
In closing... Any car you like, so long as it is an SUV… p. 081 Adventures and discoveries in local cuisines p. 082 What’s included/Best Months to Go... p. 084
Photo credits p. 087 p5 Itinerary Map Day1 Day7 Yangon to Inle Lake – Arrive in Mount Popa to Bagan – Visit a Yangon and fly to Inle Lake local village and learn how to make thanaka on the way to Bagan Day2 In and around Inle Lake – Float Day8 across the serene waters of Inle In and around Bagan – Start with Lake and discover the Intha people’s a stroll through the colourful local unique way of life market and continue with visits to the most significant temples of Day3 Bagan Inle Lake to Pindaya – Travel to the pleasant lakeside town of Pindaya Day9 and visit Shwe Oo Min Natural Cave Time to say goodbye – Fly to Pagoda Yangon and continue your journey home… or continue on the road Day4 with us: Pindaya to Mandalay – Leave Bagan to Yenanyaung – Along the the Shan Plateau behind as you Irrawaddy to colonial Salay and approach Mandalay, Burma’s last sleepy Yenanyaung royal capital Day10 Day5 Magwe to Pyay – A beautiful drive In and around Mandalay – Explore through rural scenery – past ox the many sights of Mandalay; climb carts and cotton plantations Mandalay Hill and chat to the monks there, while watching sunset over Day11 the city Pyay to Ngapali – Travel on winding roads across the Rakhine Day6 mountain range Mandalay to Mount Popa – Overtake ox carts and drive past Day12 small villages to the most important Ngapali – Back to real life? Or Nat pilgrimage site in Burma linger here awhile longer? p6 Yes, it is possible...
A driving holiday in this part of the world is indeed possible. We take care of everything. All you need to do is come, drive and enjoy a rare adventure!
A Burmese Journey - From the Shan Hills to Bagan (9 days) or all the way to the Bay of Bengal (12 days) is a discovery of the Golden Land’s beautiful scenery and traditions. This spectacular itinerary will take you from Yangon to the Shan mountains to Inle Lake, where you will witness the famous leg-rowing technique of the lake’s fishermen. From rural Pindaya you will enter the plains of the Mandalay Division, the pilgrimage site of Mount Popa and the magical temple- strewn landscape of Bagan. Here you can either end the journey or continue with us on remote country roads along the east bank of the Irrawaddy to Yenanyaung – the police might follow you, as not many foreigners have been seen here! After Pyay, an important trading centre during the Bagan era you’ll finish your drive though the Rakhine mountains and then unwind on the beach at Ngapali, looking out at the Bay of Bengal, where long, tranquil stretches of white sandy beaches and azure waters await.
Join this spectacular journey and discover a country, which has kept its traditions and welcomes you every day with something different.
On the Road Experiences has paved the way for you to cross borders in your own properly insured SUV, so that you can enjoy the romance of a classic overland journey without any of the logistical headaches that typically accompany such journeys...
p8 p9 p11 VIEW from your hotel...”
Welcome to Inle Lake p13 In addition to FISHING, the Intha people GROW vegetables and fruit in large gardens that FLOAT on the surface of the lake...”
Floating garden at Inle Lake p15 PA-OH people WASHING their cloths at the lake...”
Typical village life at Inle Lake p17 The villages of the INTHA people across the lake are wooden houses BUILT HIGH on STILTS...”
Typical stilt house at Inle Lake p19 FARMING is the main income for most villagers...”
Scenery close to Inle Lake p21 BURMESE MARIONETTES are all string operated and are a POPULAR ART in Burma...”
Nyaung Shwe Market near Inle Lake p23 COWS are a COMMON SIGHT on Burma’s roads...”
On the way to Pindaya p25 The idyllic town of PINDAYA is situated at Pone Taloke Lake...”
The small town of Pindaya p27 This massive limestone CAVERN is filled with OVER 8,000 gilded BUDDHA STATUES...”
Shwe Oo Min Natural Cave Pagoda, Pindaya p29 MONK feeding is A COMMON sight...”
Monks rely on offerings from locals p31 A BEAUTIFUL 1.2km structure built from TEAK PLANKS...”
U-Bein Bridge, Mandalay p33 MONKS come in all SHAPES and SIZES...”
On the way to Mount Popa p35 OXCARTS are used to carry PASSENGERS, BUNDLES OF HAY, BAMBOO CANES and more...”
On the way to Mount Popa p37 Young PRINCES before TASTING the lives of MONKS...”
The novitiation ceremony is one of the most important events in a Buddhist’s life in Burma p39 An EXTINCT VOLCANO regarded as Myanmar’s Mount Olympus, in which SPRITS called NATS reside...”
The famous Popa Taungkalat monastery p41 TEMPLES and PAGODAS wherever you LOOK...it takes your BREATH AWAY...”
Bagan in central Burma is one of the world’s greatest archeological sites p43 WATER plays an IMPORTANT ROLE in peoples life...”
The road from Bagan to Magwe p45 The BEST PLACE to overlook the IRRAWADDY...”
Yenanayaung p47 A GIANT seated Buddha, sits eye-to-eye with the Shwesandaw Paya and WATCHING over it...”
Sehtatgyi Paya in Pyay p49 NARROW LANES... across the RAKHINE mountain range...”
The road to Ngapali p51 HAPPY children welcome you at their SCHOOL ...”
A school visit p53 FERTILE PLAINS around Thandwe...”
Area around Thandwe p55 A BEACH PARADISE almost for yourself...”
Ngapali Beach p57 The PERFECT location to end the JOURNEY...”
Ngapali Bay Villas p59 A SUNSET by the OCEAN...filled with MEMORIES of the JOURNEY...”
The Bay to Bengal p61 p63 Day 1 Arrive in Yangon and fly to Inle Lake
Welcome to Myanmar!
Arrive in Yangon as per your own arrangements, not later than 11am and continue your journey with a flight to Heho, Driving Distance & Duration Inle Lake’s airport. If you wish to spend a few days in Yangon Distance: NA before joining our trip we will Duration: NA arrange an airport transfer for you. Elevation In Heho, we will meet you at Highest Daytime: 884m the airport and take you to your Overnight: 884m beautiful hotel, sheltered in a peaceful inlet on the eastern Hotel shore of Inle Lake, surrounded by the Shan mountains. Inle Princess Hotel, Inle Lake (****) After settling into the hotel you can watch sunset over the lake before you can enjoy your first local dinner and meeting your fellow travellers.
p64 Day 2 weeds from the deeper parts of the lake and bring them back Float across the to make floating flowerbeds serene waters of Inle anchored by bamboo poles. These gardens rise and fall Lake and discover the with changes in the water Intha people’s unique level, and so are resistant to way of life flooding.
Today you have time to explore After a delicious, traditional Inle Lake by longtail boat. A ethnic Inthar lunch in the wonderful watery world of middle of the lake, we will visit Driving Distance & Duration floating gardens, stilt-top Inthein village on the lake’s Depending on your chosen villages and crumbling stupas western shore, where you activity awaits you. We will suggest a will find a staircase leading route for you and of course will to the hidden Inthein Pagoda Elevation join you on this tour, but if you complex. Highest Daytime: 850m prefer to go on your own with Overnight: 850m your own boat and boatman or In the evening we return to the relax at the hotel you can do hotel for dinner. Hotel so. Inle Princess Hotel, Inle Lake (****) Setting out in the early morning, the boatmen will pick us up from the hotel pier. The day will not only include stops to see Inle’s famous leg rowers, stilt villages and magnificent scenery but also at the lake’s floating gardens. In addition to fishing, locals grow vegetables and fruit in gardens that float on the surface of the lake. The farmers gather p67 Day 3 we check into our rustic but Day 4 of Mandalay Division. Travel to the pleasant charming inn. Then we can Leave the Shan After a local lunch in the take a leisurely walk around Driving Distance & Duration mountains we will come to the Driving Distance & Duration lakeside town of Ponetaloke Lake and visit Plateau behind as you small town of Kyaukse, from Distance: 95 km Distance: 202 km Pindaya Cave. Every nook and here it takes only an hour to Pindaya and visit Duration: 2-3 hours approach Mandalay, Shwe Oo Min Natural cranny in the cave is crammed Burma’s last royal drive in to Mandalay. Duration: 7 hours with Buddha images and statues. Elevation capital Cave Pagoda The floor of the cave is studded Mandalay is Burma’s second Elevation Highest Daytime: 1200m biggest city with a population Today’s drive is relatively short, with stalagmites and pagodas, Today’s drive from Pindaya Overnight: 1200m of roughly one million and the Highest Daytime: 1500m and we will be able to take it with stalactites hanging from the to Mandalay is highly scenic. traffic can be dense. Please be Overnight: 21m slowly in order to enjoy the cave roof. Multi-colored fields, village Hotel aware of the many motorcycles region’s spectacular scenery live, buffalo cowboys, orange Tonight’s dinner will be at the Pindaya Inle Inn, Pindaya (***) and drive very slow and careful. and for you to hget used to the orchards, bullock carts loaded Hotel charming hotel restaurant. with cabbages and rolling pine- After a brief stop at our hotel driving in Myanmar. Before we will drive to Mandalay Hill Mandalay Hill Resort (*****) departing for Pindaya, we will clad hills make it an interesting and pleasurable drive. to see the sunset over Burma’s visit a colorful local market last royal capital. Our dinner will in Nyaungshwe, where hill As we approach Mandalay the be in a small restaurant where tribes come to sell fruit and scenery changes and flattens we enjoy a mix of Western and vegetables, along with a handful as we emerge onto the plains Burmese fusion cuisine. of stalls selling Burmese string puppets.
As we leave Nyaungshwe, we will stop at the charming red- painted Shwe Yan Pyay teak monastery, built in the early 19th century. It provides a home for boys from poor families around the region and provides them with education and meals.
After arriving in Pindaya, a small town of ethnic Danu people in a fertile valley bordered by mountains, p69 Day 5 Day 6 Our overnight stop, Mount Popa, was formed in the cone Explore the many Overtake ox carts of an extinct volcano and is an Driving Distance & Duration and drive past small Driving Distance & Duration sights of Mandalay Depending on your chosen important center for Burma’s Distance: 200 km nat worship. This distinctive, activity villages to the most Today you can explore the Mandalay has to offer as it is important Nat steep-sided mountain is Duration: 6 hours known as the center for many many highlights of Mandalay, pilgrimage site in considered to be the abode of either heading out on your of Burma’s artisan crafts - Elevation the 37 nats or spirits. Elevation own (our guides and hosts working in marble, stone, Highest Daytime: 100m Burma Highest Daytime: 1000m will be happy to help you gold and teak wood or making Overnight: 21m Today you will enjoy a beautiful The hotel we have selected plan your day), or joining puppets just to name a few. Overnight: 1000m drive through the countryside tonight is a beautiful lodge our programme. We have Hotel of Mandalay Division. While at Mount Popa with a perfect planned a leisurely breakfast End the day in a small Mandalay Hill Resort (*****) the landscape is flat, the rural sunset view over Taung Kalat Hotel followed by a chauffeured restaurant where we enjoy a scenery is never boring, with monastery. Mount Popa Resort (****) drive to Amarapura, the mix of Western and Burmese its ox carts and rice fields. It “City of Immortals”, where fusion cuisine is a leisurely drive and we will we will visit the 150-year old enjoy some interesting stops en Mahagandayon Monastery and route. the famous U-Bein bridge. Afterwards it is worth strolling along the different workshops
p70 p71 Day 7 vintage ox-driven press, and how to apply Burmese thanaka Visit a local village paste. From here it is another and learn how to half hour drive to Bagan. make thanaka on the way to Bagan After checking into our hotel and eating lunch, you can For those who would like explore a few of the 2,200 to start the day with a bit of temples and pagodas that litter exercise, it is possible to make the region. In the early evening the 20-minute walk from the we set off to watch the sunset Driving Distance & Duration hotel to Taung Kalat Hill and from Bagan’s most picturesque Distance: 60 km spot followed by a nice local then up the 777 steps to the Duration: 2 hours hilltop monastery. Make sure dinner. you don’t take your breakfast with you, as you may end up Elevation “donating” it to the troops of Highest Daytime: 1000m macaques that live around the Overnight: 139m monastery.
After the climb our team Hotel will pick you up from the Bagan Lodge Hotel (****) bottom of the mountain and we will return to the hotel for breakfast before departing for Bagan. On the way to Bagan we will visit a village, which offers a fascinating glimpse of local life. Shortly before arriving in Bagan we make another stop at a workshop – while this may be touristy it still makes a fun break from the road. Here, we will learn how sesame and peanut oil are made using a p73 Day 8 Start with a stroll through the colourful local market and continue with visits to the most significant temples of Bagan
Today we have a whole day to Nyaung U’s colorful market explore Bagan, a vast plain that before returning to the hotel for Driving Distance & Duration once sat at the heart of the breakfast. Depending on your chosen Kingdom of Pagan, which ruled activity this region of Burma between The rest of the day is very the 9th and 13th centuries. flexible and we recommend you Elevation At its height, between the to explore the many temples and Highest Daytime: 100m 11th and 13th centuries, over pagodas by horse cart. Overnight: 75m ten thousand monasteries, pagodas and temples thrived in In the evening we meet for a the devoutly Buddhist kingdom. dinner at a local restaurant. Hotel Bagan Lodge Hotel (****) Our day here starts with an Please note, breakfast and dinner optional sunrise drive or you are included in the tour price, lunch may wish to take the jaw- is not included today. dropping balloon ride (not included in our package) over Bagan to get a sense of the site’s vast scale. Then we will have a shopping stop at
p74 p75 Day 9 the dominant industry of this Day 10 Fly to Yangon and area was petroleum – thus the A beautiful drive name “Yenangyaung” which Driving Distance & Duration Driving Distance & Duration in Myanmar literally means continue your journey Distance: 150 km through rural scenery home... OR “stream of oil”. This region – past ox carts and Distance: 200 km is not well known among Duration: 5 hours Duration: 6 hours Along the Irrawaddy tourists and finding good cotton plantations to colonial Salay and accommodation is near to Elevation Toady’s drive might feel similar colonialists – apparently unable Elevation sleepy Yenanyaung impossible. Highest Daytime: 60m to many roads we have driven to deal with either name – called Highest Daytime: 60m We stay overnight at the Overnight: 60m already on this journey, but it Prome. Roughly 1.5 hours South of Lei Thar Gone guesthouse. eagle-eyed travellers will still Overnight: 30m Bagan lies the Bagan-era Whatever you decide to call it, The rooms are basic but Hotel be able to find something fresh village of Salay, our lunch stop comfortable and we can enjoy and new on the roadsides. soak up this town’s atmosphere for today. It remains an active Lei Thar Gone Guesthouse Hotel the sunset over the Irawaddy in Cotton grows along the road, and prepare for the long drive religious centre, with around (**) Mingalar Garden Resort, Pyay the evening. for example, the plants looking ahead of you tomorrow. 50 monasteries shared among (**) the fewer than 10000 residents. like little flowers. Closer to Please note, hotel choices here are You might wonder why the Pyay the road gets busier as also limited. We have again chosen town has such a colonial feel Pyay is an important transit the best available. to it. The colonial houses are point for goods between Upper remnants of the Burma Oil and Lower Myanmar and due Company, which housed rig to its location on the Yangon– workers in the area starting Bagan highway. in 1886. Working in Chauk, a Pyay’s glory days date from crude oil production centre the ancient Pyu capital of just 15 kilometres (9 miles) Thayekhittaya, the partially upstream, the men settled in excavated remains of which Salay. lie 7km east of Pyay’s other After our lunch we continue stellar attraction: the dazzling with a leisurely drive to Shwesandaw pagoda. Yenanayaung. Yenangyaung is located in the Dry Zone of The Burmese switch between West-Central Myanmar in two pronunciations of the the Magway Division, on the town’s name: ‘Pyay’ and ‘Pyi’. Irrawaddy River. For centuries In British Burma, the British p76 p77 Day 11 Day 12 Travel on winding Driving Distance & Duration Back to real life? Or roads across the Distance: 235 km linger here awhile Rakhine mountain Duration: 9 hours longer? range Elevation Some of you will have to fly Our last driving day is also the flat and very fertile, and our Highest Daytime: 1600m home today because, after all, third of our journey’s three route runs past rice fields, Overnight: 141m life must go on. We will transfer you to the airport in Thandwe, longest drives. Almost the banana trees and cashew nuts Hotel from where you will fly to whole day will be spent on as we approach Thandwe and Ngapali Bay Villas & Spa Yangon. In Yangon our tour winding mountain roads across Ngapali Beach. (*****) the Arakan Mountains. The comes to an end, leaving you road finally flattens out for the The hotel you are staying is at to continue your journey as per last two hours as we finally one of the best locations along your own arrangements. draw closer to the ocean. The the beach and – with a well- Arakan Mountains separate the earned cocktail in hand – you On the other hand, if you can coast of Rakhine State from the can watch the sunset over the spare an extra day or two, why Central Burma Basin. Bay of Bengal before we meet not stay on and explore the for a farewell seafood dinner area around Ngapali? Whether This scenic drive leads through on the beach. you choose to go snorkeling, small mountain villages and kayaking, visiting fishing an impoverished primary villages or prefer relaxing on school, which we can visit on the pristine sands, an extension our way. Unfortunately – as is thoroughly worthwhile. We in so many other parts of are happy to assist you with an Burma, deforestation has extension of your stay. had a considerable impact on this region’s scenery, but this Regardless of how your trip drive is still a fantastic one. ends, we hope that you will When we have left the winding leave us refreshed and with roads behind us, we come to many new memories of your the sleepy town of Taungup. exotic journey from the Golden Beyond Taungup the scenery Triangle to the Bay of Bengal. changes, the land becomes p78 p79 Choice of Cars
We include in the package price Also, they reinforce the feeling an SUV we procure from Avis of adventure, exploration and or Hertz or another reputable discovery…which is, in the car rental company. Most of end, the mood of journeys in the SUVs are Toyotas, but on this region, no matter how occasion Mitsubishis or other comfortable or even luxurious brands may also make an the night’s hotel may be. appearance. What’s more, they offer sufficient clearance when We wish the car rental markets required and thus add a sense of China and it’s southern of safety and all-round ability. neighbors would be more (4-wheel drive capability is developed and we could give hardly needed in China these you more choice, but this is not days since all roads are either so: since we want to provide very well-paved or, with good well-maintained and well gravel, offer solid support.) insured cars, the choice is rather limited. And so SUVs from reputable brands are our car of choice! But SUVs are in fact the right choice for driving journeys in this part of the world because they are spacious enough to ANY car, accommodate a lot of luggage, photography equipment, and as long as good-and-bad-weather gear. it is an SUV” p80 p81 Adventures and Discoveries in Local Cuisines
While this itinerary is not one of evening when it will be less our ‘Foodie’-themed journeys, fresh. For evening meals, we do believe that each one of many Burmese people prefer our journeys should introduce Chinese food, as it is freshly you not only to hidden gems of cooked to order. You will enjoy cultural and scenic beauty, but a combination of these two that sampling local cuisines is styles on your journey. also a must. Wine and beer is always In Burma this means a mixture included in our meals for you of Burmese and Chinese to enjoy. (When we travel into food. While local people rely high-altitude, we suggest on noodles and salads for moderation!) breakfast and snacks, main meals are based around Finally, if you have special various curries prepared dietary requirements are fresh each morning, selected particularly interested in the from a buffet and served with culinary aspect of one of our side dishes. Thanks to the journeys, please let us know. country’s unreliable electricity supply, refrigeration is not yet For private journeys, we can, widespread in Burma, and of course, tailor the meal for this reason many local experience to your taste (and people prefer to eat curry at budget). lunchtime, rather than in the
p82 p83 What’s Included / Best Months to Go...
Generally speaking, our journey packages and prices are all-inclusive. Once you’ve paid and • Other Essentials – we provide each car with you arrive at the starting point, you really won’t walky-talkies have to take out your wallet again. • Travel Insurance – including 24-hour medical • Cars – a modern SUV is provided for all assistance, evacuation and repatriation driving days, expertly maintained and serviced emergency service by Avis Laos, and covered by the best insurance • Tips & Entrance Fees – basic tips and available. The sending of the cars from Ngapali entrance fees for jointly attended activities are back to Laos is included as well. included • International Journey Host, Guide and • Activities, Meals, Transport during ‘free times’ Support Vehicle – you will be accompanied as indicated in this Journey Dossier by a registered Burmese tour guide, an On the Road Experiences host and a fully equipped • Top-up Collision Damage Waiver insurance lead car with a local support driver. In Burma we are also required to have 1 government minder in the lead car. What’s Not Included • Routes – A well-researched itinerary and carefully crafted journey experience. You The only items not included in our prices are • Airport Transfers – all airport transfers are • Meals – breakfast (a choice of Western and will receive a detailed route book before your your flights to and back from Yangon, your included Local is provided), and lunch and dinner are departure. We will also supply each car with a Burma visa and personal purchases (e.g., gifts, included on all driving days, as are drinks pre-programmed GPS and printed maps. (The • Flights – Flights from Yangon to Heho (Inle souvenirs) GPS maps are not yet ideal in Burma, though.) Meals on non-driving days as specified above. Lake) and from Thandwe (Ngapali) to Yangon Prepare for a culinary adventure! are included • Driving License – All arrangements, fees and • Goodies – you will enjoy an On the Road Home- permits for driving in Burma are included • Permits and logistics – all entry, border Away-from-Home Kit containing wet towels, • Fuel & Tolls & Parking – we provide petrol for crossing and road permits are included. anti-bacterial gel and basic toiletries, and a the car throughout the journey, pay all tolls daily picnic basket containing fresh fruit, fruit • Hotels – the best available or five-star and all parking fees juice, water, and a mixture of sweets and accommodation is included in each overnight nibbles p84 stop p85 Photo Credits
© Anantara Chiang Mai - page 12 © Hpa An Lodge - page 20 © Htein Linn - Front & Back Cover, pages 3, 4, 10, 16, 18, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 44, 46, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 64, 76, 78, 82-83, 84-85, 86-87, 88-89, 90-91, 92-93, 95, 97, 99, 106, 109 © Mareen Windsch - pages 66, 70, 72, 81, 98 © Nancy Wu - pages 8, 14, 40, 42, 60, 62, 68, 96, 102-103 © Ngapali Bay Villas - page 74 © Peter Schindler - pages 100, 104-105 © Ron Yue - page 48
p86 p87 Contact Us
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