Myanmar Optional Tours and Extensions

Optional Tours

Hot Air Balloon Ride in Bagan                                                  Back to: Myanmar Classic Tour  
 

A special travel experience in Bagan can be uniquely enhanced with a flight in a hot-air balloon. At sunrise, one hour flight carries you above more than 3,000 ancient monuments of the great site of  Bagan. Marvel with joy at the unrivalled magnificence of Bagan on Ayeyarwady River’s bank. Have a champagne toast at the arrival to celebrate your flight!
Wind-speed in general is about 15 Km/hour. The balloon has been constructed by the best in hot air balloon design and manufacture. The pilots and technicians are British and the flight certification is from England. All passengers are insured.

Day excursion to Mount Popa (60 km east of Bagan by car)

A joyful day excursion out of Bagan. Drive in the morning for 1 hour to visit Mount Popa, home to Myanmar's intriguing Nats (spirits). The steps and path climb steeply up Mount Popa – your energetic climb is rewarded by fabulous views from the top. Relax in the gardens of Popa Mountain Resort. Drive back to Bagan, on the way stop at some villages for a glimpse of village life, admire locals climb palm trees to collect toddy juice for making sugar.

Myanmar Tour Extensions

Extension to Ngapali Beach
Enjoy Myanmar's premier beach destination and long stretches of sandy beach, swaying palm trees and some well-integrated bungalow type resorts. Recognized as exotic paradise for beach-lovers since British time, you'll find Ngapali Beach a great place to relax after your cultural journey of Myanmar. Scheduled daily flights available between Thandwe (the former name of Sandaway), name of nearest airport in Ngapali, and Yangon.
 

Extension trip to ancient Rakhine capital of Mrauk-Oo
In remote western Myanmar lie the remnants of Mrauk U, the capital city of a powerful ancient kingdom that once ruled 1600 kilometers of coastal territory with its huge naval fleet. The ancient temples of the city remain nestled among a cluster of small villages set in a scenic landscape of narrow valleys and low hills. This trip will take you to the town of Sittwe on the coast of Rakhine State, from which you will embark on a boat journey upriver to mysterious Mrauk U. After exploring the timeless temples of the city, you will travel north to visit the ethnic Chin villages, where women practice the curious tradition of facial tattoos of intricate patterns. The return trip from Mrauk U will take you back downriver to Sittwe, where you will linger long enough to take in the atmosphere of this busy port town.
 

Extension trip to lesser-known caves at Phowintaung
Drive by land-route either from Mandalay or from Bagan via Pakokku, the bustling commercial town, to arrive at Monywa, located on the Chindwin River banks. One night stop is needed to explore the environs of Monywa by  a local ferry across the Chindwin River and from here by a local truck to visit the sandstone cave system in the Phowin Taung. These caves, numbering more than one hundred, are full of Buddhist statues and murals. Most exhibit the Innwa style but some may date from the 14th century. Nearby visit Shweba Taung which features unique pavilions cut from the surrounding sandstone and filled with Buddha images. Accommodation at Monywa.

Extension trip to the sacred Golden Rock at Kyaikhtiyo
A four hour drive to the east of Yangon brings you to visit one of Myanmar's most important pilgrimage sites, known as the magnificent Golden Rock Pagoda at Kyaikhtiyo, located in Mon state, about 250 km east of Yangon. This natural amazing golden rock, situated on a hill some 1100 meters above sea level, has a small pagoda at the top that sits precariously balanced on the edge of a cliff. It has been said that the sacred hair relic of the Buddha was enshrined in the rock. The recent motor road constructed from the base camp to the top of Yethetaung Camp, or Hermit's Hill, saves time, leaving the last 1.5 km to the pagoda entrance takes now no more than one hour on foot.

Back to: Myanmar Classic Tour