Myanmar Active Tour | Myanmar Travel | Private Myanmar Tour with Pyala Travel - Travel Program
Active tour to Myanmar. Hike in Kalaw state and near Kengtung. Visit the hill tribes of Myanmar. Individual Myanmar Tour from Pyala Travel.
Myanmar Active Tour
private tour
Trekking among the Hill Tribes
On the Myanmar Active Tour you get to know the other Myanmar! You visit many villages of hill tribes on foot. You will walk in the Golden Triangle, in the Shan state between Pindaya and Kalaw, and around Hsipaw, where you arrive by train, a beautiful ride
from 1590,-
20 days
Tabs
Day 1 Arrival Yangon
Today you arrive in Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon. After the customs formalities are completed, you could exchange money. You will be transferred to your hotel. Today you can explore Yangon along with an English speaking guide and private car with driver. Visit the central Sule pagoda, located amidst many buildings from the British colonial era. Also, the Chauktatgyi Buddha, a huge reclining Buddha, should not be missed. In the late afternoon you can visit the Shwedagon Pagoda (Shwedagon Paya or, as the Myanmar say), the Golden Glory of Myanmar, an imposing edifice and perhaps one of the most impressive temples in the world. The end of the day, at sunset, is the best time to see this impressive monument. By nightfall many people come to the Shwedagon to walk their rounds around the pagoda and to meet friends and acquaintances. It is also very nice to go to the Yangon river and witness the bustling river life with its many ferries.
Day 2 Yangon - Kengtung
You leave the city life behind you and fly to Kengtung in Shan state, in the middle of the infamous Golden Triangle. Since Kyaing Tong (Kengtung) is only accessible by plane, you cannot travel overland and you need to fly. Kyaing Tong (Kentung) itself is a nice town with a colorful market and many beautiful temples and pagodas. It is the largest city in the so-called Golden Triangle, the border region of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, and center of the opium trade. Due to the battle between the army and the drug lords, the region was inaccessible for decades. It is now much calmer, but the overland routes are still closed. Because of the isolation, this is one of the most traditional regions in the Golden Triangle and you will find beautiful villages of the Wa, the Eng, the Shan, Akha and Lahu peoples.
Day 3 Kengtung
During your stay you have two days for hikes and treks, while visiting a number of villages of different tribes. There are also many markets in this area, which rotate on a schedule among the villages. Today you will drive to northwest from Kyaing Tong (Kengtung) and continue walking from there to Akha villages of the Loai population. The ride, the walks and visits take days to complete. It's a beautiful drive through the rice fields. You walk into the hills and partly through the woods. The villages are more or less hidden in the jungle. The walks are pretty tough, but doable for anyone with a normal physical condition and some hiking experience. Keep in mind that it can sometimes be quite hot. We recommend you to bring plenty of water and some snacks for the road. The walk begins uphill, not too steep, but the path is rising constantly in the first hour. The second hour is a lot flatter. The path, or rather the dirt road, is new and quite broad. There are also occasional cars that come along and raise a lot of dust.
Day 4 Kengtung
You will be traveling to Hokyin, by the road to Tachileik, where there are four different Akha villages. One village is Buddhist and the other animistic, another Christian and the last a "bit of everything". It is about an hour away and then a half hour walk to the first village. From there it is always a half-hour walk to the next village. This hike also starts uphill, partly along a wider path that a tuk-tuk or car can also drive on, and later on a narrow path along the mountain. Upon your arrival in the first village, the Akha women will already be waiting for you. People in all four villages are very friendly and accessible. The path is fairly steep but can be walked by anyone without help. Sometimes you have to look down deep ravines. From one village to the next the hike is always first a bit down and then up again. The villages are all on top of a hill. Distances between the villages are quite short, ranging from 15 to 30 minutes walking. After the last village you walk down again, partly along a fairly new, wide path, and then on a narrow path for about one and a half hours until you are back at the car.Note: The guide is sometimes forced by circumstance to visit other villages and take other walks.
Day 5 Kengtung - Inle Lake
A short flight takes you from the hills around Kengtung to Inle Lake in Shan state. This area is much more accessible and it is also much more accustomed to foreigners. Nevertheless it is still a beautiful area.From the airport in Heho it is an hour drive to Nyaung Shwe, located on the northern part of the lake. Along the way you take a scenic drive through the countryside and the Shan hills. This is one of the traditional agricultural areas of Myanmar and then you also see many rice and corn fields, and farmers with ox-carts along the roadside. Nyaung Shwe is a relaxing place and the base to explore the area. You can stroll through the market, on the countryside by cycling and of course also by boat across the lake. In the town itself you can visit some monasteries, a market. There are many restaurants and shops also.
Day 6 Inle Lake
Today is a free day to enjoy the beautiful lake. We definitely recommend that you book a day trip to explore the lake, the villages, monasteries and floating markets by boat. In the towns around the lake you will also find a large rotating market place, and should one of the market days occur when you are there, you can see such a market, where many mountain peoples come down to visit.
Day 7 Inle Lake - Pindaya
It is a few hours drive to Pindaya. En-route you will visit the Pindaya caves also know as ShweUMin caves, where thousands of Buddha Images are set in a bizarre cave complex. Pindaya is a small town, situated in the hills of Shan State. You can take several hikes with a local guide.
Day 8 Pindaya - Kalaw
It is about a half hour drive to Kalaw, originally founded as a British hill station and located at approximately 1300 meters of elevation. It is a nice town and it is worth visiting the market. In Kalaw you can also find many British colonial houses. In addition, Kalaw also has a large Indian community and you will find Hindu and Sikh temples. There is a small, bustling market that happens once in 5 days which many Palaung and Pa 'O peoples visit.
Day 9 Kalaw
Today you have a free day in Kalaw. The fresh, hilly area around Kalaw invites hikes. You can take a short walk or choose one of our walking tours. In addition, you will visit some villages of the Palaung and Pa'o tribes.
Day 10 Kalaw - Mandalay
In the morning you will visit villages of the Pa'o and the Shan. In the afternoon you fly from Heho to Mandalay, one of Myanmar’s largest and best known cities. The town lies on the eastern bank of the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwaddy). It has a large market and a vibrant river life and is surrounded by many attractions.On the outskirts of the city you can visit Mandalay Hill. From here you have a beautiful view of the surrounding area. In the vicinity of the hill are several pagodas, monasteries and temples. You can also visit the palace where the last kings of Burma (Myanmar) resided. The palace was largely burnt down during World War II, but in recent years has been completely restored. The whole picture gives a rather soulless impression partly because it is surrounded by military complexes, but it gives an idea of how the Myanmar rulers have previously and splendidly built their own palaces.
Day 11 Mandalay
Today is a free day in Mandalay. There are plenty to do in this city. Do you want to explore the city on your own, or choose one of our trips in and around Mandalay?
Day 12 Mandalay - Hsipaw (Thibaw)
Today you travel by train to the charming town of Hsipaw. You have to get up early because the train leaves in the morning and will take 11 hours; the train lurches slowly through the hills. Along the way you will pass the famous Gohteik Viaduct. This 700-meter-long bridge was built in 1900 by the American Pennsylvania Steel Co. and bridges a ravine of 300 meters. Once you arrive Hsipaw you can explore this small town which was once the capital of Shan State. Early in the evening you can enjoy the sunset from the Theintaung hill.
Day 13 Hsipaw / boat ride and trekking
Breakfast at hotel then take 1 hour boat ride upstream river, nice scenery with the mountain, valley, fruit plantations along the river. Stop boat riding to take short trekking for 45 min trek up the hill through fruit plantation and visit old Tai (SHAN) monastery which is 150 yrs old, sitting alone in the forest. Pass through the plantations of pineapple, papaya, orange which are widely grown along the way to the monastery. Return to the jetty and return to hotel at Hsipaw. On the way back of visit to a SHAN village which has typical houses with a small charming garden. Overnight Hsipaw.Day 14 Hsipaw - Maymyo
Early morning visit to local market (the best time is 0400 – 0600 AM) and walking tour to Little Bagan pagoda. Return to hotel for breakfast then transfer to Maymyo. On arrival transfer to hotel for check in and overnight Maymyo.
Day 15 Maymyo - Mandalay
In the morning you visit the Peik Khyin Myang caves and the Pwe Kyak waterfalls. You can stop at the old British colonial hotel Candacraig, built in 1906. Drive back to Mandalay which is two hours from Maymyo. The rest of the day is free for you to explore Mandalay.
Day 16 Mandalay - Bagan
Today you board a boat to head over the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwaddy) River to Bagan. Along the way watch river life glide past you while sitting comfortably on the deck of the boat. After eight hours you arrive in Bagan. It is an impressive sight to approach the pagodas and temples of Bagan from the river.
Day 17 Bagan
Bagan is undoubtedly Myanmar's most famous attraction, and rightly so; it is one of the most beautiful temple complexes in the world. On the eastern bank of Ayeyarwaddy River, you will find an area of 40 square kilometers covered in endless temples, pagodas and monasteries built between the 11th and 13th centuries. It is an enchanting experience to climb one of the temples during sunrise or sunset and look out over the landscape. As far as you can see there are temples scattered across the plain and farmers with their herds wandering among them.Bagan is best explored by bicycle or horse cart. Because of the vastness of the area you will have to choose which temples to visit. Note that these temples - like all temples in Myanmar - can only be entered barefoot. During the warm periods this may mean that the stone floors are piping hot from the sun. It pays to visit the temples early in the day or at the end of the afternoon. We recommend that you use the first day to book a tour to the most famous temples, and the second day explore the property further on your own.
Day 18 Bagan
Today you have a free day to explore Bagan temples, visit the banks of the Irrawaddy, or make an excursion to the holy Mt. Popa.
Day 19 Bagan - Yangon
You return today to Yagon. Visit one of the pagodas, stroll along the Strand Road (Kannar Road) for the street side food stalls, or sip cocktails in the bar of The Strand Hotel.
Day 20 Depart Yangon
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