Intrepid Myanmar Escorted Group Tour 14 November 2015 Burmese Monks We are proud to have received a number of awards over recent years including Top Tour Operator in the 2012 Wanderlust Readers’ Travel Awards. We have also won recent awards in the Sunday Times Travel Magazine, The Telegraph, Condé Nast Traveller and the Guardian and Observer. Additionally, we have been awarded AITO's maximum five stars for our responsible travel policies and achieved two stars from the Best Company organisation for our great working environment. These awards are widely recognised as being the most respected in the travel industry as they are professional surveys of the publications’ readerships. With over 500 travel companies for you to choose from in the UK alone, we hope you find these awards are an additional reassurance of the quality of service you can expect from Audley. Contents Introduction to tour ______________________________ 5 Day by day summary of our Intrepid Myanmar arrangements 8 Price _________________________________________ 10 Why travel with us? ______________________________ 11 Introduction to the region _________________________ 12 Photographs of the region __________________________ 16 Itinerary in detail ________________________________ 18 Accommodation information ________________________ 35 Charity support _________________________________ 42 General information ______________________________ 43 Terms and conditions _____________________________ 46 Booking form _____________________________ back page Meet our Myanmar Specialists Audley have been arranging trips to Myanmar for our clients for over 15 years. Since the release from house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi and the announcement that she now welcomes careful visitors, demand has grown and we now have 12 Myanmar specialists. They have explored all corners of the country and are passionate about ensuring that every trip we create considers how to travel responsibly in Myanmar. We raised funds to rebuild a school after the 2008 cyclone and we are constantly looking for ways to preserve the culture, heritage and environment of this beautiful country. 4 Meet our specialists Introduction to our Intrepid Myanmar tour Introduction to the tour With years of experience in operating tours to Myanmar, we have designed this intrepid tour on where you experience Myanmar’s highlights as well as several off the beaten track locations and events, including the Taunggyi Fire Balloon Festival. Beginning in Yangon, you explore its suburbs on the circle train and spend sunset at the majestic Shwedagon which will grant you an introduction to the city and its charming people. Next is Pyin Oo Lwin with its grand colonial homes and botanical gardens. Continue your journey by train through remote jungle clad landscape and over the Goteik Viaduct to Hsipaw. Visit Mandalay with its deserted ancient cities where temples and monastic culture are plentiful. The impressive U Bein’s bridge makes for a wonderful backdrop at sunset. Next you travel off the beaten track to Monywa home to sandstone caves of Hpo Win Daung and rock hewn temples. With over 3,000 temples Bagan is an archaeological site not to be missed; an optional balloon flight is a real highlight. Travel to Taunggyi to witness the annual hot air balloon festival, a lively occasion which is great fun to watch. Next visit Inle Lake which provides you with the chance to explore the lake and small stilted villages by boat as well as watching the unique leg-rowing fishermen. Spend time trekking in the hills around Kyaingtung and surrounding villages, a charming but seldom visited area. Venture overland into Thailand and spend your last night relaxing in the Golden Triangle. Home Truths Myanmar is a country where things are changing faster than we can type them! We try to keep on top of the changes, but please let us know if while you are travelling you spot any information that is now outdated. We aim to provide accurate and detailed information and to make you aware of the less positive aspects of the journey you are undertaking, some facts you should be aware of are outlined below: Internal flight schedules are often changed at short notice, and sometimes the airline as well as the timings may change. Please see the Introduction to Myanmar for further information. The local currency in Myanmar is kyat although US dollars are also accepted in many places. A number of private banks operate a number of Foreign Exchange bureaux in Yangon and also at the key domestic airports around the country - Bagan, Mandalay and Heho. Amounts are limited to around US$500 per transaction at some bureaux and you will need to show your passport or at least be able to give your passport number. Your local guide will be able to assist you with exchanging money throughout your trip. Exchange rates vary but as a general rule expect 770-800 kyat per one US dollar. Larger notes attract a better exchange rate. The use of credit cards, whilst now more common since the country has opened up to tourism and foreign investment, can at times be unreliable. Please note that payment by credit card for sundries at hotels and in restaurants can incur a surcharge of between 4-7% on each transaction. We would still suggest that you travel with a supply of US dollars in new bills. Euros are also now accepted at some international standard hotels and can be exchanged into Kyat at the new exchange bureaus in cities and at airports, although US dollars are still the preferred currency. ATMs are now commonplace in Myanmar although please be aware that exchange rates and commission charges may not be competitive. They dispense in Kyat and you can take out a maximum of 300,000 Kyat (around $300) per transaction and three transactions are permitted per day. Single Travellers Although we welcome single travellers, due to the complicated logistics of this tour, the single supplement can make this an expensive option. There are two options for single travellers; you can choose to share a room with another single traveller on the tour and pay the standard tour price (this option will only be available if another single traveller of the same sex is also willing to share otherwise a single supplement will apply), or to guarantee sole occupancy of a room, a single supplement of £1,160 will be payable. Please note that due to limited numbers of rooms at some of the lodges on the tour, we are only able to accept a maximum of two single travellers unless you are prepared to share a room. Group Size The group size is kept to a maximum of 16, this ensures that the trip is a more personal experience and that you can always hear and speak to your guides. The small group size also ensures that your experience of a particular sight is not marred by presence of too many people. There is a minimum requirement of eight passengers to run this tour, so the first eight people to book will be done so on a provisional basis until minimum numbers are reached. Deposits for those first eight people will be fully refunded should the tour not operate. Introduction to our Intrepid Myanmar tour 5 Introduction to our Intrepid Myanmar tour Local guide An experienced English-speaking local tour leader will meet you on arrival in Myanmar and travel with you throughout your time in the destination. When you cross over the border into Thailand you will be handed over to a Thai guide who will accompany you for the last day of the tour. Our local guides are carefully selected for their in-depth knowledge, interpretation, and ability to manage large groups as well as their skills as charming hosts. Dining Daily breakfasts are included throughout your trip. There is a welcome dinner in Yangon and a farewell dinner in Chiang Rai as well as an additional five lunches and seven dinners, all of which are included in the tour. Other meals than those mentioned will be at your own arrangement and restaurant recommendations will be provided for your benefit prior to travel. If you have any special dietary requirements please do let us know and we will do our best to accommodate your needs. Extending your trip You have the option to extend your trip, maybe with a few days relaxing by the beach or discovering a nearby region on a short tour. You may also choose to break the journey to and from Myanmar with a stopover in Bangkok. On any extension, you will be looked after by our carefully selected local agent. Please contact Alex, Angela, Jack or Mark on 019993 838105 to discuss options. Health & Fitness Requirements To ensure that all participants get the most out of the tour, it is important that you are fully aware of the level of activity and fitness and medical health required to successfully complete this itinerary. Please read this dossier carefully prior to confirming your place on the tour, and having established the facts, it is your responsibility to contact us with any concerns regarding individual levels of fitness, health or ability. Please be aware that our tour leaders have the right to exclude customers from the tour if they feel they are not sufficiently fit, healthy or able to complete the tour without affecting its safety, comfort or smooth progress. If you would like to discuss any of these issues further please call Alex, Angela, Mark or Jack on 01993 838 105. Activity Levels - Medium The vast majority of this trip does not require any significant level of physical fitness or agility but you should be physically active. However, there are many elements which involve getting in and out of boats or walking on rough unsurfaced paths and so a certain degree of physical dexterity will be required.