7-Day Myanmar Nature and Hiking Tour

• Our popular Myanmar nature and hiking tour hits straight at the heart of the country’s p ristine locales. We pick you up from your hotel in Mandalay and head straight to the jetty to set off on a three-hour sail in a private wooden boat.
• The boat sails upriver to Shein Ma Kar village, where you can disembark and take a look around the little marketplace on the banks of the river. A delicious lunch is served on board. Later that afternoon, our guide will lead you to the Myit Kan Gyi village where stilted homes and pretty monasteries play hide and seek amid the dense foliage. You can also walk through the fields and meet farmers who work there.
• In the distance, look out for Sa Gyin hill, where Myanmar extracts white marble slabs for domestic use and for export to China. Later that evening, we will venture out with a local fisherman on his canoe to observe - quietly and respectfully - a simple yet ingenious system they developed with the Ayeyarwady dolphins to catch fish.
• After you enjoy a beautiful sunset from the river bank, you can settle down for the night in your cabin on a non-air conditioned wooden fishing boat.
• Meals: Lunch and dinner are provided

• We set off early in the morning for another glimpse of dolphins collaborating with fishermen for food. A little spiritual insight will follow with a visit to the Kann Phyu village close to Myit Kan Gyi where we will stop at a home for the elderly and a meditation centre. Here you can connect with your inner being and enjoy the peace of nature that surrounds you.
• On the sail back to Mandalay, we make a short stop at the 87-tonne Mingun bell, the largest intact bronze bell in the world. It’s certainly a sight to behold! From here we got to the Hsinbyume or Ma Thein Tan Paya and the enormous Mingun Pagoda, which is still under construction on its way to being the world’s largest pagoda.
• You will enjoy lunch on board before your arrival at Mandalay jetty. We will transfer you back to your hotel for the night.
• Your accommodation for the night is at a superior room at Shwe Inn Gyinn Hotel or a similar property in the city.
• Meals: Breakfast and lunch are provided

• Your Myanmar nature and hiking tour picks up pace today as we head off to Bagan in the second leg. We transfer you to the airport for a domestic flight to Bagan airport, from where you are picked up by an off-road vehicle to take you to Chauk.
• Here you will cross the Ayeyarwady River, and hit the start of dirt roads for the rest of your hiking tour. Enjoy a picnic lunch on the way to Mindat which is about an eight-hour drive from Bagan. At 1473 metres - or 4860 metres - above sea level, Mindat is filled with beautiful views and cool breeze. Dinner is served at the hotel or at a local restaurant.
• Your accommodation for the night is a Building Room at Mountain Oasis Resort II in Mindat or a similar property in the vicinity.
• Meals: Lunch and dinner are provided

• You will begin your Myanmar hiking tour at the base of a steep slope up to the village of Pang Oo. It is here that you will get the chance to observe and learn more about unique Chin traditions and the lifestyle of its tribe. Take the chance to have your future read by the village elder. In a most interesting manner, he reads the cracks along eggshells created by hot bamboo sticks to tell you what your future holds.
• You will walk back to Mindat for lunch at a local restaurant. The guide will then lead you to Ng’Nam Thai, another equally beautiful village up in the hills, before dinner at the hotel or a local restaurant.
• Your accommodation for the night is a Building Room at Mountain Oasis Resort II in Mindat or a similar property in the vicinity.
• Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided

• It’s a reasonably tough four-hour hike up to the summit of Mount Victoria as you scale the elevations from 1728 metres to 3091 metres (5700 feet to 10,200 feet).
• To get here, we transfer you to upper base camp in the national park. Remember to eat a hearty breakfast for you will need it! Take the steep footpath which offers exquisite views at the edge of the forest which is skirted by rhododendron bushes at this altitude. Carry your binoculars if you enjoy bird watching as this area is teeming with exotic avian life. We will pack a picnic lunch for you.
• After enjoying views at the top, you will hike back to base camp and our guide will drive you to an old town of Kanpetlet, a picturesque little place that you will soon discover. Dinner is served at the hotel or a local restaurant.
• Your accommodation for the night is a deluxe room at The Floral Breeze Hotel Kanpetlet or a similar property in the vicinity.
• Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided

• A number of little villages border the town of Kanpetlet and we will head to each of these for a deeper understanding of the lives of the local tribes, including the Ngara, the Yin Du, the Dai, the Okpu, the Magan and the Mwyn people. It’s a one hour walk between each village and you will find stark differences and similarities between them all.
• Listen keenly for the different dialects in each village and carefully observe the differences in each traditional costume. These villages are most famous for the tattooed faces, mostly visible on the older women here and featuring a number of patterns including curls, lines, dots and even spiders’ webs.
• Although they are mostly Christian, the Chin people have still retained many of their animist customs. One of these is a buffalo horn trophy, taken from a species of wild gaur locally called mithan or gayal. A wooden pillar decorated with ornaments is placed in front of the house for every mithan slaughtered here. Another item to look out for is a stone table used as a cover for urns. Some homes in the villages may have up to 10 pillars. Others cluster all the stone tables together in a way reminiscent of cemeteries. Enjoy a picnic lunch on the way an dinner at the hotel or a local restaurant.
• Your accommodation for the night is a deluxe room at The Floral Breeze Hotel Kanpetlet or a similar property in the vicinity.
• Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided

• Most of the day is spent in driving back to Bagan enjoying the picturesque views en route. We take the road that passes by Saw and you will have a picnic lunch here. A couple of elephant camps are located along this route and if the season permits you may get the chance to see them at work.
• You will arrive in Bagan in the late afternoon and be transferred to the airport for your international flight out or for a domestic flight to Mandalay.

Points to note

• December 15 - January 15, and April 13-17 is peak season. There may be additional charges during Christmas, New Year and the Water Festival
• You will be notified of compulsory gala dinner charges when booking
• Hotel prices can be adjusted for higher or lower categories on request. Featured hotels are subject to availability during booking, and you will be notified of any deposits when booking
• Domestic airfares prior to booking are calculated based on averages and are subject to change. The most convenient flight is booked and final price confirmed once tickets are issued based on class of seat and availability

For the Ayeyarwady dolphin-fisherman observation, please remember:

• Wear a life jacket at all times
• Stay clear of the dolphins’ path and move away cautiously if approached
• Do not try to swim with, touch or throw things at the dolphins
• Use only sign-language when observing the fishing
• Do not throw non-biodegradable items into the river

For the Mount Victoria hike

• This is an adventure tour and you can expect frequent power cuts, poor road conditions, and substandard accommodation. Weather, transport and other issues may force us to change itineraries without notice. The Mount Victoria hike should be undertaken only during the dry season - from November to end of February.