MYANMAR ADVENTURE QUESTS
Release The Beast
Bagan at dawn is never forgotten — an exhilarating flight over one of the most exotic landscapes on the planet. Not to worry, the balloons are built to the highest standards of the British aerospace industry by Cameron Balloons Limited, UK, the world’s largest manufacturer, and the pilots are among the best in Asia.
Bagan at sunset will swing along the Irrawaddy to where Kublai Khan led his Mongol hordes across on horseback, and follow them as the charged the holy city and began their sacking of more than 9,000 temples. What had taken 1,000 years to build, the Mongols destroyed in a 1,000 minutes…
For more info and sample itinerary please click the Game Plan tab above. For more destination details, see Myanmar Destinations.
8 Days / Yangon – Pindaya – Inlay Lake – Bagan (Available October through March)Day 1: Yangon Arrival – Shwedagon PagodaDay 2: Yangon – Pindaya – Sunset Hot Air BalloonDay 3: Pindaya – Sunrise Hot Air Balloon – Inlay LakeDay 4: Inlay LakeDay 5: Inlay Lake – Bagan Sunset Hot Air Balloon
Day 6: Bagan Sunrise Hot Air Balloon
Day 7: Bagan – Yangon
Day 8: Yangon – Departure
‘Full of Hot Air’ Balloon Adventure
(Available October through March)
Starting at “please inquire for quote” per person, double occupancy
8 Days / 7 Nights
Deposit required to secure reservation
Top Rated English speaking guidesLuminous Journeys “Swag Bag”Airport welcome & farewellAll Accommodation with breakfastMeals according to your personalized planAll in-country airfare, airport taxes, air porter feesAll itinerary based transport, inc. private car & driverAmple bottled water throughoutEntrance and zone feesDonations to Luminous Journeys’ micro-NGO Charitiesinternational airfareany personal transportation unrelated to the itinerarytrip/medical insurance, medical expensesEarly check-in or late check-out chargespersonal expenses, such as telephone, laundry, alcohol, etc.tips for hotel porters or wait staffcamera feesguide or driver gratuitiesMyanmar visa fee (Visa on arrival may be obtained via Luminous Journeys)The rainforest is burgeoning with wildlife, and the sound of the jungle is intensely beautiful at night. For the first time in 20 years, a tiger was recently seen by villagers. In addition to a wide variety of birds, other species include wild Asian Elephant, Clouded Leopard, Himalayan Brown Bear, Sun Bear, Oriental giant squirrel, Indian Giant Squirrel, Hog Badger, monitor lizards, macaques, and Barking Deer.
Shorter safaris are available when visiting Myanmar, and we can always combine a safari with anything else you’d like to do during your totally awesome Burma adventure.
For more info and sample itinerary please click the Game Plan tab above. For more destination details, see Myanmar Destinations.
8 Days/ Mandalay – Alaungdaw Kathapha National ParkDay 1: Mandalay – Alaungdaw Kathapha Elephant Camp – Arrive Mandalay. We’ll greet you at the airport and drive you directly to the park, about 5 hours away.Day 2: Elephant Camp Orientation & Safari PreparationMeet your elephant and spend the day learning about him or her. And vice verse! Overnight Elephant Camp.Day 3: Jungle SafariWildlife observation and photography, learning about the rainforest species of fauna and flora. Overnight Jungle Camping.Day 4: Jungle Safari
Wildlife observation and photography, learning about the rainforest species of fauna and flora. Overnight Jungle Camping.
Day 5: Jungle Safari
Wildlife observation and photography, learning about the rainforest species of fauna and flora. Overnight Jungle Camping.
Day 6: Return to Elephant Camp
Arrive at camp mid-morning and say your goodbyes. This is an adventure neither you or your elephant will ever forget. Return to Mandalay for the short flight to Bagan and sunset over the temples. Then, plush out!
Day 7: Hot Air Balloon – Temple Tour by Horse & Carriage
Day 8: Return Flight
*Safaris of shorter or longer duration are available.
Elephant Jungle Safari
Starting at $1195 per person, double occupancy
8 Days / 7 Nights
Deposit required to secure reservation
Top Rated English speaking guidesLuminous Journeys “Swag Bag”Airport welcome & farewellAll Accommodation with breakfastMeals according to your personalized planAll in-country airfare, airport taxes, air porter feesAll itinerary based transport, inc. private car & driverAmple bottled water throughoutEntrance and zone feesDonations to Luminous Journeys’ micro-NGO Charitiesinternational airfareany personal transportation unrelated to the itinerarytrip/medical insurance, medical expensesEarly check-in or late check-out chargespersonal expenses, such as telephone, laundry, alcohol, etc.tips for hotel porters or wait staffcamera feesguide or driver gratuitiesMyanmar visa fee (Visa on arrival may be obtained via Luminous Journeys)Once you land at Heho we won’t waste any time. Your bikes will be waiting outside the terminal and you’ll get fitted right there. Luggage goes into the van and you get on your bikes for a sweet 50K ride past Lake Heho and through the Shan Hills to the former British Hill Station of Kalaw. Three and a half days moderate Myanmar trekking and very enjoyable Hill Tribe visits ensue, with two overnights at Monasteries before arriving at Pindaya. Relax!
Because the last stretch from Pindaya to Inlay Lake is 105K of pure biking glory! The next day, a half day boat tour on the lake and car back to the airport is planned, but many choose to extend another night soaking in the Inlay magic.
For more info and sample itinerary please click the Game Plan tab above. For more destination details, see Burma Destinations.
7 Days / 6 NightsDay 1: Cycling – Heho/Shan Hills – Former British Hill Station of KalawAirport greeting and bike fitting, right there in baggage claim. Kidding. Outside in the parking area our pros will get you all set up, assuming you have not brought your own two-wheeler special. The first 50k leg winds you up and takes you through pine forests and local villages. As you get closer to Kalaw, you will see more and more colonial style houses. Arrive in time to check in to your hotel and enjoy a nice cold Myanmar beer at sunset. Overnight Kalaw.Day 2: Trekking – Kalaw to the Middle of SomewhereToday’s trekking gives you a chance to get cultural, as you will hoof your way through the beautiful mountains and Hill Tribe villages that climb and then descend to your eventual destination of Pindaya. Among the people you will encounter on your 5 hour trek today are the Palaung, who are the chief leaf growers for those famous and often gigantic Myanmar cigars known as cheroots. You’ll have a chance to have lunch with them and if you like, enjoy a fine cheroot. By days’ end you will sleep like a monk – literally, in a small village monastery! Don’t expect room service.Day 3: Trekking – Middle of Somewhere Towards Pindaya
Fuel up with a hearty monk’s breakfast before heading off on another marvelous trekking day. You’ll visit different tribes and villages and check out their different traditions and skill sets. Just like yesterday, the day ends with another village monastery stay. By this time you might be meditating on your journey.
Day 4: Trekking – Shan Hills – Diversity Day
A day of diverse terrain and diverse Peoples leaves you smiling so wide and feeling so much like a Hill Tribe person yourself, you are thrilled with your 3rd night’s sleep in a monastery. Reports of “sleeping like a baby” are common.
Day 5: Trekking to the Promised Land – Pindaya!
The descent to picturesque Pindaya begins today down a different trail and ends by mid-afternoon as you enter the narrow terraced valley and see the town and it’s refection off the lake. There will be time to visit the famous Pindaya Buddha Cave, and you will be rewarded finally with a proper shower and soft bed. Overnight Pindaya.
Day 6: Biking – Pindaya – Nyuangshwe
Time to get back on the bike for a scenic 105km peddle to charming Nyaungshwe, the gateway to Inle, also known for its many fine Shan Pasta restaurants. Overnight Nyuangshwe.
Day 7: Magical Inlay Lake – Heho
A private boatman will take you on a half day excursion on the magic waters of Inlay, thought floating villages with floating gardens and pagodas. The lake is inhabited the warm & friendly Intha people, whose fishermen are well known for their one leg rowing style. You’ll visit a floating a market, the Jumping Cat Monastery, Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda and any special places your boatman might have in store for you. In the afternoon it’s a 45-minute drive to the Heho airport and departure.
*This tour is often extended with another night or two on the lake, and there are many fantastic hotels and exotic spa packages to choose from.
Shan Hills Bike & Trek combo
Starting at $1095 per person, double occupancy
7 Days / 6 Nights
Deposit required to secure reservation
Top Rated English speaking guidesLuminous Journeys “Swag Bag”Airport welcome & farewellAll Accommodation with breakfastMeals according to your personalized planAll in-country airfare, airport taxes, air porter feesAll itinerary based transport, inc. private car & driverAmple bottled water throughoutEntrance and zone feesDonations to Luminous Journeys’ micro-NGO Charitiesinternational airfareany personal transportation unrelated to the itinerarytrip/medical insurance, medical expensesEarly check-in or late check-out chargespersonal expenses, such as telephone, laundry, alcohol, etc.tips for hotel porters or wait staffcamera feesguide or driver gratuitiesMyanmar visa fee (Visa on arrival may be obtained via Luminous Journeys)Begin in Mandalay on your later model mechanically sound machine (guide mechanics available) or bring your own. You’ll bike out to the longest teak bridge in the world at Amarapura, and then onto the great rock temple edifice of Mingun on the Irrawaddy.
The way to Bagan is part by van and part by bike and on approach you’ll be riding trails Kublai Khan & the Mongols rode when they pounded in on horseback to sack the city in 1287. From Bagan we fly you out to Inlay Lake for the Spa Exotic and Tranquility Melt. However, you may choose to keep on “earning” by biking either from Heho or Pindaya to Inlay.
For more info and sample itinerary please click the Game Plan tab above. For more destination details, see Myanmar Destinations.
11 Days/ Mandalay – Amarapura – Bagan – Inlay LakeDay 1: Yangon ArrivalWe’ll greet you at the airport and take you to your hotel. Time permitting, a visit to the magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda is a must. Welcome Dinner. Overnight in Yangon.Day 2: Yangon – Mandalay – AmarapuraLate morning flight to Mandalay where your bikes will be waiting at the hotel for a fitting after check-in. Leisurely afternoon in Mandalay before heading out to Amarapura by car to take in the usually magnificent sunsets at the longest teak bridge in the world – the U Bein. You’ll be biking here tomorrow morning to see it in a whole new light! Overnight in Mandalay.Day 3: Mandalay – Amarapura – Mandalay (50K Biking)
Let the cycling begin! 17K southwest of the city is the same 18th century capital of Amarapura you saw last evening. Today stop dfor a walk across the the 200 year-old teak bridge to the large monastery on the other side.
Myanmar biking continues for 33K across the Irrawaddy River to Mingun and the massive unfinished temple of Pahtodawqyi. Unfinished because the King’s astrologer predicted he would die should the temple be completed. Jus near is the beautiful all-white Hsinbyume Pagoda, its distinctive style meant to resemble the mythical Mount Meru. Makes a great backdrop for little monk photos.
The return to Mandalay will be a relaxing cruise on the Irrawaddy. Spend the afternoon touring the many special places in the city, such as a gold-leaf workshop, an exquisite teak carved monastery, and Mahamuni Pagoda, home to one of the country’s most revered and bizarre Buddha images. End the day atop Mandalay Hill taking in the sunset over the city, it’s many pagodas and zedis, and of course the legendary Irrawaddy. Cocktails and dinner at a lively local restaurant. Overnight in Mandalay.
Day 4: Mandalay – Pyin Si – Myingyan (45K Biking)
Today is a combination of biking and traveling by car. You’ll pass through villages and have up close and personal access to observe traditional lifestyles of rural Burmese. Their life may be lacking in many modern amenities, yet there is a happy spirit of cooperation held together by the unique social and religious customs of this part of Myanmar. Overnight Myingyan Guest House, clean but nothing fancy.
Day 5: Myingyan – Bagan (40K Biking)
After breakfast, a little tour of Myingyan, located in the valley of the eastern banks of the Irrawaddy River south of Mandalay. Ten by car for 1.5 hours to Let Pan Che Paw village, where the bike to Bagan begins and end two hours later when you roll up to the amazing temple-scape. After lunch and hotel check-in, the day is free to do as you please, and we will assist with ideas. Lounge by pool, take a nap, and take in the surreal sunset from atop one of the temples is a popular plan. Overnight Bagan.
Day 6: Bagan (16K Biking)
Full day biking around the ancient temples. We begin with the colourful Nyaung Oo Market where the locals come to buy and trade fresh produce and handicrafts. Continue to Shwezigon Pagoda, known for its magnificent golden stupa, and Wetkyi-In Gubyaukgyi, a cave temple with exquisite jataka mural paintings. The morning ends at the elegant Htilominlo Temple, known for its fine carvings and glazed sandstone decorations.
Mid-Day heat break! Then afternoon visits to see the traditional lacquerware process, which is one of Myanmar’s best-known handicrafts and a Bagan specialty. Magnificent Ananada Pagoda follows. This architectural masterpiece survived to 1287 sacking by Kublai Khan’s Mongols with nary a scratch, and reflects the early-style of Bagan temple construction. It’s cool interior houses four impressive standing Buddha’s, each of a different style facing one of the four cardinal points. Overnight Bagan.
Day 7: Bagan – Mt. Popa – Bagan (25K Biking)
This morning set off for a ride to Shwe Hlaing village passing small settlements where men climb palm trees to collect the juice to make Jaggery, palm liquor jungle juice. Then see how the Jaggery is made. And drunk? It’s all by car after this to Mt Popa and back. At Popa a volcanic spire shoots 1,000 feet up from the plain, and atop it sits the famous Nat Shrine. It’s only 777 steps to heaven from the bottom, with about as many monkeys to deal with on the way. Reviews are mixed, but one is not — the views and photo ops of the spectacular shrine from Mt. Popa Resort area nearby. Overnight Bagan.
Day 8: Bagan – Inlay Lake (50K Bike to Kalaw, Optional)
Morning flight to the Shan Plateau. Normally the Biking has ended at this point because it is not possible to bike around Lake Inlay. However, the group you may choose to be fitted with another bike and make the 50K ride through the hilly pine forests to old colonial Kalaw, a former British Hill Station. From there we can drive you to the lake. Overnight Inlay Lake.
Day 9: Lake Inlay
Visit the morning market by private boat. The market rotates its location around the lake’s villages in a 5-day rhythm and is visited by lake inhabitants and surrounding hill tribes who come to sell and trade their wares. There is no market on the full moon.
You’ll cruise by floating villages with floating gardens built up from strips of water hyacinth and mud anchored to the bottom with bamboo poles. You’ll see Intha fisherman fishing with their baskets and rowing one-leg style. You’ll visit the Nga Hpe Chaung Monastery, now famously known as the “Jumping Cat Monastery”, and go on to Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the lake’s main sanctuary, which contains five sacred Buddha images covered in gold leaf. Lunch on the lake and later explore the wonderful crafts and textiles of Inlay, with a stop at the weaving village of Inpawkhone. Lotus silk shawls, anyone? Overnight Lake Inlay.
Day 10: Lake Inle – Indein – Nyaung Oak – Yangon
It’s a wonderful bucolic cruise up a natural canal leading to the Pa-oh village of Indein. The best of the 5-day markets is held here. Explore the area on foot, wander through the the mysterious ruins of Nyaung Oak and the Alaung Sitthou area, filled with 1054 ancient zedis and the monastery up top commands magnificent views of lake Inle. After lunch it’s time to make the return trip to Yangon. Take in the setting sun and twilight beauty of Shwedagon Pagoda from a prime position on Royal Lake, check into the hotel and prepare for a soecial farewell dinner. Overnight Yangon.
Day 11: Yangon Departure
If you have time, you might opt for a cultural favorite journey – a ride the Circle Train and around the rural outskirts of the city. This slow moving train gives you fantastic chance to observe the colorful lifestyle of the Burmese away from the “sophistication” of Burma’s largest city. Disembark about 45 minutes in at Insein market where you can check out the dizzying variety of stalls and have fun with the friendly vendors. It’s a really nice way to end your stay in Myanmar. Mingalabar!
Bike & Spa Exotic
Starting at $1495 per person, double occupancy
11 Days / 10 Nights
Deposit required to secure reservation
Top Rated English speaking guidesLuminous Journeys “Swag Bag”Airport welcome & farewellAll Accommodation with breakfastMeals according to your personalized planAll in-country airfare, airport taxes, air porter feesAll itinerary based transport, inc. private car & driverAmple bottled water throughoutEntrance and zone feesDonations to Luminous Journeys’ micro-NGO Charitiesinternational airfareany personal transportation unrelated to the itinerarytrip/medical insurance, medical expensesEarly check-in or late check-out chargespersonal expenses, such as telephone, laundry, alcohol, etc.tips for hotel porters or wait staffcamera feesguide or driver gratuitiesMyanmar visa fee (Visa on arrival may be obtained via Luminous Journeys)