Day 1: Arrive at Chiang Mai airport and transfer to hotel.

 

Day 2: Chiang Mai – Mae Sot (360 Kms.)

 

Today's bike ride from Chiang Mai to Mae Sot at the border between Thailand and Myanmar, although relatively long (360 km), is an easy ride. Lunch at a local restaurant on the way.

 

Day 3: Mae Sot - Mawlamyine (190 Kms.)

 

Cross the “Goodwill” Bridge that links Mae Sot with Myawaddy, Thailand with Burma. Cross the Dawna Mountain Range to Kawkareik. Road conditions worsen here. Later, cross the Thanlwin (Salween) River for the first time as we continue to Thaton, get onto the main road linking North and South Burma and continue in Southern direction towards Mawlamyine (Moulmein). We take Burma's longest bridge connecting the cities of Mottama and Mawlamyine, Burma's 3rd largest city and capital of the Mon State. Visit Kyaikthanlan Pagoda, which the famous English writer Rudyard Kipling meant in his poem when he wrote, “By the old Moulmein pagoda lookin' lazy at the sea. There's a Burma girl a-sittin' and I know she thinks o' me”. Sunsets at this pagoda are a scene to behold.

 

Day 4: Mawlamyine – Golden Rock (150 Kms.)

 

Start the day with a short excursion to Mudon, site of a huge reclining Buddha. From there, we drive further North to Thaton, which was the capital of the former Thaton Mon Kingdom that ruled Lower Burma from the 9th to the 11th century and stretched far into Thailand. We continue to Kyaik Hto, where you can see rubber plantations and the Golden Rock Pagoda.

 

Day 5: Golden Rock – Bago (150 Kms.)

 

Visit the Golden Rock, one of Myanmar's landmarks. You can get a great panoramic view from the top. Ride to Bago, also called Pegu. We visit the charming monastery of Kya Khet Wai, an eminent teaching centre for hundreds of monks. See the Shwedagon Pagoda that is more than a thousand years old. You can also see the 55-meter long reclining Shwe Tha Lyaung Buddha.

 

Day 6: Yangon (Rangoon)

 

Today we leave our motorcycles behind as bikes are not allowed in Yangon (Rangoon) the capital of Burma. We ride by bus into Yangon (approximately 90 km) and to the Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda containing a huge reclining Buddha image. Then we visit the tranquil Kandawgyi (Royal) Lake with Karaweik Hall, a royal floating barge. Then we enjoy a typical Myanmar lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, we drive to the Eastern entrance of Shwedagon Pagoda. We enjoy sunset at the pagoda. Return to Bago.

 

Day 7: Bago – Pyay (320 Kms.)

 

We leave Bago in the morning and ride to Pyay (formerly called Prome) on the Ayeyarwaddy (Irrawaddy) River. Visit the Shwesandaw Pagoda on the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwaddy River.

 

Day 8: Pyay – Bagan (380 Kms.)

 

Travel north along the Ayeyarwaddy River to Bagan.

 

Day 9: Bagan

 

See the archaeological sites of Bagan – the golden stupa of Shwezigon Pagoda, a cave temple with fine frescoes of Jataka tales, the whitewashed Ananda temple, and the adjacent brick monastery with beautiful, well-preserved 18th century murals. Visit a lacquer ware craftsmen's workshop at the Myinkaba village in the afternoon, and then the Myingaba Gu Byaukgyi temple for its mural paintings, which is a UNESCO site.

 

Day 10: Bagan – Mandalay (260 Kms.)

 

Today, a scenic overland journey leads us first to Mount Popa, an extinct volcano with a shrine dedicated to animist spirits called Nats. For the energetic - and if time allows, you can climb the 777 steps to the shrine at the top of the volcanic plug.

 

Day 11: Mandalay

 

Drive out of Mandalay to Amarapura to visit the Mahagandayone monastery, home to some 1200 monks and one of the finest monasteries in Myanmar. Afterwards, we will take a stroll over a historic bridge, known as U Bein Bridge, originally built in 1851 entirely of teak wood and spanning over the Taungthaman Lake. Mandalay sightseeing in the afternoon – the Mahamuni Pagoda, Shwe Nan Daw Kyaung, and the Kuthodaw Pagoda.

 

Day 12: Mandalay – Inle Lake (260 Kms.)

 

Head into the mountains and high plateaus of the southern Shan State to reach the fabled Inle Lake.

 

Day 13: Inle Lake

 

Inle Lake is a photographer's dream as its calm waters are dotted with floating vegetation and fishing canoes, to which scenic high hills provide the perfect backdrop.   We spend most of the day touring the lake by boat, passing endless floating gardens, where fruit and vegetables are grown and will observe the lake's unique “leg rowers” - the Intha people row standing up with one leg wrapped around an oar. Visit Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the holiest religious site in southern Shan State and see traditional handicrafts, silk weaving on wooden handlooms and a blacksmith shop.

 

Day 14: Inle Lake – Mongping (250 Kms.)

 

Ride up a steep mountain to Taunggyi, passing through many ethnic villages of the Shan people.

 

Day 15: Mongping – Kengtung (150 Kms.)

 

Today's ride takes us through breathtakin mountain scenery to Kengtung, a lovely town built around a lake.

 

Day 16: Kengtung – Chiang Rai (220 Kms.)

 

Ride one more time through beautiful mountains and along a long valley to Tachilek and the Myanmar / Thai border. After lunch, a short drive takes us to Chiang Rai.

 

Day 17: Chiang Rai – Chiang Mai (180 Kms.)

 

Our last ride of the Burma Motorcycle Tour is quite easy and follows the main road from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai. Visit Wat Rong Khun.

 

Day 18: Chiang Mai

 

Free day for relaxing, sightseeing and shopping followed by farewell dinner.