Cultural Myanmar

Travelling through Myanmar on a motorbike in 12 days

Pagoda, temples, one-legged rowers and more - that's what Myanmar stands for! During this motorbike tour through Birma, we'll show you the most beautiful areas, the tightest curves and the most exciting gravel roads.

Day 1: Arrival in the land of the thousand pagodas

After your arrival at the Mandalay airport our tour guide will meet you and accompany you to our hotel. There you can take your room and freshen up before we meet in the hotel lobby in the evening. Together we will enjoy a typical barbecue, which will give us a first insight into the Burmese cuisine, and discuss the route we will take in the coming days.

Day 2: Between construction and decay

Our motorcycle tour begins with a ride to Amarapura, during which we stop in a craft and textile district to learn about the traditional working methods of the artists. In addition, the U-legged bridge awaits us, the longest teak bridge in the world and one of the most popular photo motifs in Myanmar. Over the Irrawaddy Bridge we continue on to Sagaing, a town a little downstream from Mandalay, which is home to numerous golden stupas scattered across the Sagaing Hill. Sagaing is also one of the religious centers of Burma, which makes it a special place. Not far from Sagaing is Mingun, which is known for its huge pagoda that has not been completed until today. The pagoda, which was originally supposed to be the highest in the world, was partially destroyed during an earthquake. Nearby we also find the Mingun Bell, which after the earthquake has been given its own museum, and the Hsinbyume Pagoda, which is very different from the typical Burmese pagodas of Myanmar. After our visit we get back on our motorcycles and continue our journey towards Monywa, where we will stay overnight.

Day 3: Vibrant life in Monywa

The busy trading town of Monywa welcomes us with the fascinating Po Win Daung Caves and the man-made cave system of Shwe Ba Daung, which houses several Buddhist sanctuaries. We spend the morning exploring these exciting sights before we ride our motorcycles along impressive serpentines up to Mindat via Tilin. Mindat is located at the foot of the Chin Mountains and invites us for a walk where we can get to know the friendly villagers.

Day 4: Visiting the Chin women

After breakfast we continue our motorcycle tour and drive to Kanpetlet. On the way we enjoy the exciting panoramic views of the Chin Mountains and the route itself, which challenges us more than the roads that we already know. We make our first stop in the village of Ayemoon, where we meet the Chin women, who are known for their impressive facial tattoos. You will notice that we find them rather with older ladies, as today's generations usually don't follow this tradition anymore. Afterwards, our tour leads us to Mt. Victoria on the motorbikes, the highest mountain in the west of Myanmar. On the way, we pass many remote villages and enjoy fantastic views of the mountains - some of them are even above the clouds. To be able to climb the summit of Mt. Victoria completely, we park our motorcycles in the base camp and cover a short distance of about 300 m by foot. If you prefer a more adventurous way, you can alternatively take a turn a little earlier and follow a narrow path through the green forests, which will also lead you to the summit after about 1.5 hours. We enjoy the view before we get back on our motorbikes in the afternoon and ride on to Kanpetlet.

Day 5: Texas-feeling in Myanmar

We continue our motorbike tour towards Bagan, which we reach in the early afternoon. Bagan is one of the most beautiful archaeological sites in South East Asia and was recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the way there, we pass through the Magwe Region, also known as the Texas of Burma. Once there we change from our motorcycles to e-bikes and explore the highlights of the temple city, such as the golden Shwezigon Pagoda or the four huge Buddha statues of the magnificent Ananda Pagoda. But, our tour guide will also show us some hidden treasures: with over 2,000 temples Bagan has a lot to offer, which we can even explore off the beaten track on our e-bikes.

Day 6: 777 steps to the summit

After breakfast, we ride to the holy Mt. Popa on our motorcycles, which according to a legend is home to the mystical holy spirits, also called Nats. To reach the monastery on top of the mountain, we first have to climb strenuous 777 steps, which are inhabited by cute monkeys. But the effort is worth it: when we reach the top, a magnificent view over the surrounding national park awaits us. After we have enjoyed the view, we drive to Kalaw, one of the former British Hill Stations, which welcomes us with pleasantly cool temperatures due to its high altitude. The afternoon in this charming town is at your leisure.

Day 7: Sunset over the roofs of the city

In the morning we continue our journey towards Loikaw, the capital of the Kayah state, on our motorbikes. Time permitting, we visit the Taung Kwe Pagoda, from where we have a picturesque view over the whole city, which we enjoy at sunset.

Day 8: The long-necked women of Padaung

We enjoy a hearty breakfast before we drive to the exciting mountains south of Loikaw, which are the home of the Kayah. Here, we meet the Padaung, also known as long-necked women, who owe their name to the many brass rings they wear around their necks. Far away from mass tourism we have the opportunity to go hiking in the villages of Pan Pet and Hta Nee La Lae and to dive into the local village life. Besides our enjoyable hike through Pan Pet, another highlight is waiting for us today: in Hta Nee La Lae we will learn about the traditional techniques of the craftsmen.

Day 9: Cave Worlds of Loikaw

We use the morning to explore the nearby caves and waterfalls of Loikaw. Afterwards, we will set off on our motorcycles to the famous Inle Lake and cross the villages of the Lisu and Pa O ethnic groups before we make a stopover in Kakku. The holy pagoda complex Kakku is worshipped by the Pa O. Afterwards, we have the choice: we can either drive on an asphalt road via Taunggyi to the Inle Lake or we choose the off-road route over the mountains to reach our destination.

Day 10: The one-legged rowers of the Inle Lake

Our day begins with a visit to the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, one of the most revered pagodas of the Intha, where we will see five ancient golden Buddha statues. We continue our way towards the Nge Phe Chaung Monastery and roam the green floating gardens of the Inle Lake, which is best known for its one-legged rowers. We continue to the village of Inn Paw Khone on our motorcycles, where we visit a lotus and silk weaving mill. We also learn how traditional Burmese cigars are made in Nan Pan.

Day 11: The Shan-Plateau, Burmese Switzerland

Our day starts with a motorcycle tour through the Burmese Switzerland towards Pindaya. On our way, we pass the beautiful fields and hilly landscapes of the Shan Plateau and get an insight into the life in the most important agricultural region of Myanmar, where corn, cauliflower and zucchini are cultivated. On our motorbikes, we continue our journey towards Pindaya, where we first visit the Pindaya Caves. The limestone caves, which are decorated with countless Buddha statues in all kinds of shapes and colours, are considered one of the holiest sites in the country. Afterwards we have the choice to make a small detour via Ywangan, where we can dive deeper into the picturesque nature of the region. We also have the opportunity to visit a coffee plantation, which is run by the Danu ethnic group. In the early evening, we finally reach Mandalay on our motorcycles, where we comfortably end the last evening of our journey.

Day 12: See you soon again in Myanmar!

After eleven exciting days in Myanmar have passed, it is time to say goodbye today: goodbye to Burma, to your fellow riders, to the numerous tempels and pagoda and to your rental motorbike. According to your flight time, we will drive you to the airport, where you can check-in and board your flight without being in a rush. We hope that you've got a safe trip home and are looking forward to welcoming you at one of our motorcycle tours again soon!