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Myanmar Southern Explorer (5 days)
From: $0
Code: E-MCLZZ0004
Tour Style: Classic
Duration: 5 days
Difficulty Comfort Exclusivity
Home » Myanmar » Classic Tours » Myanmar Southern Explorer (5 days)

 

Visit Bago, the ancient capital of the Mon Kingdom. Explore local craft-making, markets and heritage sites of the region, including Shwemawdaw Paya, the tallest Pagoda in Myanmar and Shwethalyaung Paya with its impressive reclining Buddha. Take part in one of Myanmar’s holiest pilgrimage sites to the Golden Rock (Kyaikthiyo), a boulder covered in gold leaf that miraculously, delicately balances at the edge of a cliff. During the tour we visit Hpa An, the charming trading capital of Karen State, and Mawlamyine (Moulmein), the first waterfront capital of the British Myanmar colony.

 

ITINERARY BRIEF:


DAY 01: Drive to Golden Rock & visit Bago enroute.
DAY 02: Continue to Hpa An. Visit monastery and caves.
DAY 03: Mawlamyine Allied war graves & Death-Railway.
DAY 04: Bilu Island excursion & Mawlamyine sightseeing.
DAY 05: Drive back to Yangon.
 


 

DAY 1 YANGON – BAGO – GOLDEN ROCK ( KYAIKTIYO )
Morning pickup from your hotel in Yangon and drive 1.5 hrs/80 km to BAGO, one of richest archeological sites in Myanmar and the ancient capital of Mon Kingdom. En route, you visit Htauk Kyan’s ALLIED TROOPS WAR CEMETERY honouring 6,000 war heroes, a NAT TREE SHRINE dedicated to famous Nat spirit at the base of a grand tree, and a COTTAGE INDUSTRY that produces intricate woven bamboo crafts. In Bago you take a stroll through a colourful BAGO MARKET and stop for a cup of tea or coffee in local tea shop, just like the locals do. You continue to the impressive 55 m reclining Buddha of SHWE THA LYAUNG and the 114 m golden spire of the SHWEMAWDAW PAGODA, the tallest in Myanmar. After lunch at a local restaurant in Bago, you continue 3.5 hrs/110 km to Kin Pun base camp to change our mode of transport to an open truck. The ride is shared with local pilgrimage makers for the next 11 km to Yathetaung base camp, located 500m below the summit ridge. A further 1 hour hike up a partly-paved steep trail leads us to the summit. The GOLDEN ROCK, or Kyaiktiyo as the Burmese call it, is a fascinating sacred boulder covered in gold leaf and balanced precariously on the edge of a cliff. Crowning the boulder is a small shrine believed to contain Buddhas hair relics, the source of the gravity defying magic. A continual stream of pilgrims from Myanmar and Asia come to witness the wonder at least once in their life time. Enjoy the tranquil sunset, soak in the unique atmosphere and share in wonder with fellow monks, nuns, and lay pilgrims.

 

Meals included: -
Overnight stay: In a hotel near the Golden Rock.

 

DAY 2 GOLDEN ROCK - HPA AN
Wake up early for lovely sunrise views and a quiet morning stroll. Breakfast at the hotel before descending back to the Kinpun base camp. You will be transfer to the quaint Karen State capital of Hpa An, visiting en route THATON, one of the ancient Mon kingdoms, and the THAMANYA MONASTERY, the home of one of Myanmar’s most revered monks. After lunch at a local restaurant, you continue with visits to: the picturesque KYAUK KALAT, a standalone rock islet in the middle of a small lake; the LUMBINI GARDEN, a park housing one thousand Buddha images with the majestic Mount Zwekabin as its backdrop; and the SADDAR CAVE, the most impressive limestone cave in the region, passing through an entire limestone mountain range and opening up to small lake and fields. The cave also displays fascinating rock formations inside. You arrive at Hpa An late afternoon. Time permitting, you enjoy the sunset at SHWEYINMYAW PAGODA at the bank of Thanlwin (Salween) River.

 

Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight stay: In a hotel near Hpa-An.

 

DAY 3 HPA AN - MAWLAMYINE (MOULMEIN)
After breakfast, you take a stroll through the CENTRAL MARKET to get the feel for Hpa An local life, then visit the KAYIN CULTURAL MUSEUM, which exhibits the social, literary, musical and cultural heritage of the Karen (Kayin) ethnic people. Continuing on another 1 hour drive, you reach MAWLAMYINE (Moulmein), the 4th largest city of Myanmar as well as 1st capital of British Burma, boasting many intact colonial-era buildings. In the afternoon, you make an excursion 64 km south of the city to THANBYUZAYAT, the western-most terminus station of the infamous Burmese-Siam “Death Railway” built by prisoners of war during WWII. You visit the MON STATE CULTURAL MUSEUM with its displays of bronze, silverware, ceramics and sculptures; the THANBYUZAYAT WAR MEMORIAL that honors the Allied Troops of British, American, Australian and Dutch from the war; and a DEATH RAILWAY MUSEUM with a small locomotive of bygone days to commemorate the start point of the tragic railway. If time permits, you learn about hand woven textiles at a WEAVING WORKSHOP on the way back to Mawlamyine.

 

Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight stay: In a hotel in Mawlamyine.

 

DAY 4 MAWLAMYINE – BILU ISLAND
After breakfast at hotel you explore Myanmar authentic rural life by catching a 1.5 hour ferry ride to BILU ISLAND, a pleasant town that has been largely untouched by development. Touring by local pickup truck, we pass through idyllic rice paddy fields, rustic villages and palm lined roads. A visit to COTTAGE INDUSTRY WORKSHOPS allows us to learn about the how local crafts such as walking sticks, wooden pipes and pens are made. In the afternoon, you return to Mawlamyine and enjoy a TRISHAW RIDE, or bicycle taxi, to visit the city’s highlights. The day ends with a sunset from the KYAIKTHANLAN PAGODA, immortalized in Rudyard Kipling’s poem that begins: “By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin’ lazy at the sea/ There's a Burma girl a-settin’, and I know she thinks o' me…”.

 

Meals included: breakfast
Overnight stay: In a hotel in Mawlamyine.

 

DAY 5 MAWLAMYINE – YANGON
After an early breakfast at hotel, you will be in coach about 7.5 hrs/300 km to Yangon. Near Kyaikhto, you stop for lunch at local restaurant. If time permits. then you visit MON WEAVING WORKSHOP enroute to Bago, with arrival to Yangon by the late afternoon.

 

Meals included: breakfast
Overnight stay: not included

This tour is private and can be tailor-made to suit your travel needs. As a result the price is quoted in US dollars and shown on a per-person basis. The 'Price From' quoted above is for parties of 2, 4 and 6 people and for accommodation in 3 star hotels. The final price will be privately quoted, based on the number in your party, your preferred time of travel, grade of hotel and any additional services requested. Please click on the BOOK NOW button and fill in the booking form, after which one of our travel consultants will customize the best value holiday for you.


REMARKS:
We are aware that a good tour must have good hotels. In Indochina particularly, hotel price makes up most of the cost of your Cambodia cycling, Vietnam cycling, Laos cycling, Myanmar cyclingor Thailand cycling. All of our prices are calculated on a twin-shared basis. As a guide, Travel Loops defines hotel grades as follows:

>>Superior Level (3 star hotels in good locations): > 40 USD/room/night
>>Deluxe Level (4 star hotels):> 80 USD/room/night
>>Luxury Level (5 star hotels): > 180 USD/room/night

Price based on twin shared accommodation.
Tour price is indicative only, please enquire for a detailed quotation.
More people means more discount. Please enquire for more details

 

If, after reviewing the details of this tour, you would like to receive a "Special Offer" tour price, just click on the "INQUIRY" button below. If you wish to “Tailor Make" your trip, simply click on the "CUSTOMIZE TRIP" and enter your contact details.

 

COST INCLUDED:

  • Experienced English speaking guide
  • Private transportation by air-conditioned vehicle
  • Accommodation in double/twin sharing rooms with daily breakfast
  • Meals as mentioned in the itinerary
  • Bottled drinking water for sightseeing
  • All sightseeing entrance fee where required in the itinerary.

 

COST EXCLUDED:

  • International/domestic airfares & tax
  • Travel Insurance. (We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance from home)
  • Personal expenditure (telephone, laundry, shopping and so on…)
  • Tips for guide, driver, porters and project cost
  • Beverage and alcoholic drinks
  • Any other services not clearly mentioned on itinerary and trip inclusive portion.
     

The hotels listed below are just our suggestions offering the best value for this trip according to the hotel category chosen, but Travel Loops also offers more options to cater for different grades, personal taste, and budget. Please let us know if you have any specific choice of hotels, or personal preferences/requirements.

 

Note: Our choices for each level of accommodation have been highlighted in orange. As mentioned above our selection criteria are based on: prior client reviews, hotel management and staff training, facilities maintenance, location, business relationship and advantages given exclusively to our clients on price and service.
 


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