Cover thousands of kilometres over 14 days motorbiking through varied terrain, from historical Mandalay to the cool plateau of Shan State and Inle Lake. Traverse back across the heart of Myanmar to the remote tribal villages of mountainous Chin State and witness the spectacle of the thousands of temples on the plains of Bagan.
Tour Overview
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Meet up in Mandalay, receive your detailed tour and Myanmar road use briefing and then get a chance to familiarise yourself with your motorbike by having a ride round the bustling city; visit Mandalay Palace and head up to Mandalay Hill to be rewarded with a stunning sunset over the city.
After breakfast, head up into the Shan Hills on the Mandalay-Lashio road, ascending 1000 metres in the first hour of your ride. Along the way, visit the Pyeik Chin Myaung cave, ride through the spectacular Gokteik Gorge and then to Kyaukme, where you will stay at nearby village homestay, with dinner prepared by your host.
Enjoy the cool mountain air in the morning and explore the dirt roads, ox cart paths and donkey trails that weave between the charming villages of these hills. In the afternoon, head back down a seldom-used dirt road to the colonial-era hill station of Pyin U Lwin, where you will have dinner at a lakefront restaurant and then retire to your comfortable hotel bed.
Start the morning a stroll around the beautifully-maintained botanical gardens of Pyin U Lwin, then continue your ride through dirt roads, coffee plantations, quarries and pine forests before descending back down to the plateau. Ride to a waterfall where you have the chance for a refreshing dip in the water, before continuing through the mountains and rice paddies to Kyaukse.
The following day, ride a mostly a sealed, single lane all the way to Pindaya, taking in riverside runs and zigzagging switchbacks. In this attractive lakeside town, take time to relax and then explore the nearby cave in which there are thousands of Buddha images.
From Pindaya, ride down to Nyaung Shwe, the charming gateway town to Inle Lake. Meet local Pa-O tribal villagers in the surrounding hills before dinner by the lake (standard hotel option will be in Nyaung Shwe, superior option will afford you a hotel on the lake itself).
The following day, leave your bike at the hotel as you explore Inle Lake by boat. Visit the ancient lakeside stupas at Indein and see handicrafts in Nampan village. If the time is right, see the floating markets that are a photographer’s dream. Finish up your day with sunset wine tasting at Red Mountain Estate vineyard.
Have the chance to lie in this morning as the journey up the mountain to Kalaw is not a long one; head through tribal villages along nice dirt roads to this picturesque colonial-era hill station, with its large population of Nepali guides whose families remained here after the Second World War.
Wind your way down from the highlands to the hot plains of central Myanmar on mostly sealed roads, arriving at Mount Popa in the late afternoon. A famous monastery sits dramatically atop a volcanic plug on the slopes of this mountain, and is said to be home to nats (spirits) and is certainly home to hundreds of sometimes aggressive monkeys!
Head back up into the mountains, this time westwards to remote and untouched Chin State. After crossing the mighty Irrawaddy river, you will traverse more arid plains before steadily climbing 1,700 metres up on a mixture of tarmac and dirt roads before reaching the quiet mountain town of Kanpetlet, where you will stay at a rustic mountain lodge.
The next day, you will meet your local Chin guide and head up the high mountain trails of Nat Ma Taung National park to the highest peak in the area, Mount Victoria, which is known as Khonuamthung in the local Chin language and stands at 3,053 metres. After conquering the summit on your motorbike, head over challenging roads and through deep valleys to the town of Mindat, which sits on a high mountain ridge and is home to people of deep Christian faith and ancient tribal traditions – most notably, its tattoo-faced women.
Visit Mindat’s market and, if you fancy a bit of shopping, pick up some traditional Chin tapestries or even hand-crafted weapons. Then back down the mountains again to the thousands of temples on the plains of Bagan.
It’s a rough and bumpy ride again to Bagan but once back on the plain, the roads are nice and easy and you will have the chance to lounge by your hotel pool and cool off. The ancient temples of Bagan are one of Myanmar’s top tourist spots, but by exploring the smaller structures you can get away from the crowds – and the sunsets over the plains make for one of the most breathtakingly beautiful sights in the world.
Your last day of riding, back northwards along the Irrawaddy to Mandalay, will mostly be on sealed roads, plus a few dry riverbeds. On the final stretch, you will get the chance to see the iconic U Bein bridge at sunset, before heading into town for a BBQ dinner.
After your motorbike adventure, would you like to extend your tour to the abandoned ancient capital of Mrauk U or the beautiful and relaxing Ngapali Beach? Our travel advisors will be able to arrange this for you, along with any other travel, accommodation or activity requirements you may have. Just fill out the ‘Any further queries’ box after you have clicked on the ‘Book Tour’ button.
| Standard hotels for above program | Deluxe hotels for above program |
| Mandalay - Hotel Rama | Mandalay - Mandalay Hill Resort |
| Pyin U Lwin - Royal Park View Hotel | Pyin U Lwin - The Governor’s House |
| Inle Lake (Nyaung Shwe) - Hupin Hotel | Inle Lake - Amata Garden Resort |
| Kalaw – Dream Villa Hotel | Kalaw - Amara Mountain Resort |
| Mount Popa - Zay Yar Thein Gi Hotel | Mount Popa - Popa Mountain Resort |
| Kanpetlet - Mount Oasis Resort (Kanpetlet) | Kanpetlet - Sky Palace Villa |
| Mindat - Mount Oasis Resort (Mindat) | Mindat - Mount Oasis Resort (Mindat) |
| Bagan - Floral Breeze Hotel | Bagan - Bagan Lodge |
To get prices for this tour with luxury accommodation or basic accommodation, please enter a query in the ‘Any further queries’ field when you submit your tour booking form (link below).
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Important Notes:
The above itinerary is indicative and some details may change according to conditions and availability; you will always be informed of such changes.
There may be changes to estimated prices depending on air fuel cost, domestic airfares, US$ exchange rates and festive season surcharge. All supplemental cost to be advised.
