Cycling Myanmar
The notes below outline our bike route in Myanmar during January and February 2013. Tabi put together these amazing maps using a combination of bikeroutetoaster.com and some creative Photoshop. It was really helpful to know what the elevation for the day was going to be. We basically just used these maps and very rarely pulled out our larger fold out map. Most maps of Myanmar do not meet the needs of cycle tourists to say the least.
If you have any specific questions about traveling in Myanmar feel free to contact me.
Why you should cycle tour in Myanmar:
1) Tea Leaf Salad – this alone is worth the plane ticket.
2) The Smiles – it’s not often you pass by someone on the road without being greeted by a mile long smile. The Burmese are extremely friendly and welcoming.
3) Bagan – enough said!
4) Where are the cars? While there are some busy areas, for the most part you’ll be riding on roads that see little traffic. When you see some of the potholes you will know why.
The notes below outline our bike route in Myanmar during January and February 2013. Tabi put together these amazing maps using a combination of bikeroutetoaster.com and some creative Photoshop. It was really helpful to know what the elevation for the day was going to be. We basically just used these maps and very rarely pulled out our larger fold out map. Most maps of Myanmar do not meet the needs of cycle tourists to say the least.
If you have any specific questions about traveling in Myanmar feel free to contact me.
Why you should cycle tour in Myanmar:
1) Tea Leaf Salad – this alone is worth the plane ticket.
2) The Smiles – it’s not often you pass by someone on the road without being greeted by a mile long smile. The Burmese are extremely friendly and welcoming.
3) Bagan – enough said!
4) Where are the cars? While there are some busy areas, for the most part you’ll be riding on roads that see little traffic. When you see some of the potholes you will know why.
Here is some recent info from a rider who followed these notes for a trip he took to Myanmar in 2014. From Inle to Pindaya I found the road you talked about which saved me about 30km's for the day. The section that is dirt road is being made into a bitumenl road as I went through. In Kyaukse the bridge which leads to the hotel was no longer in use so there was a bit of a detour to get across, the price was up to $65 too - most had increased as is the way in Myanmar.
Bangkok to Mandalay airport to Sagaing
Luckily, Air Asia has started direct flights between Bangkok and Mandalay which meant we did not have to waste travel days between Yangon and Mandalay.
We didn’t hear too many good things about Mandalay, so when we got to the airport we decided to try our luck at finding a hotel in Sagaing. We totally lucked out with the brand new Shwe Pyae Sone hotel (072-22781, 072-21942; [email protected]). Great staff and the rooms are modern. You may want to splurge for the $35 rooms as they are quite a bit more spacious than the $30 ones. Keep in mind that the Happy Hotel listed in Lonely Planet is no longer in existence.
Sagaing is an interesting place. In addition to the temple riddled hills that surround the town, there is a good food market that runs most of the day and each morning a parade of monks walk past the hotel to collect alms. Plus, it’s easier to ride to Myingun from Sagaing than from Mandalay.
We also found a great place to eat dinner. From the hotel turn right and walk to the end of the street. Turn right again and walk straight to the busy street. Cross this street and walk a short distance to where you’ll see blue seats on the right and outdoor restaurant on the left. They have a wonderful array of curry dishes such as okra, tofu, potato and chicken. It’s also ridiculously cheap.
Luckily, Air Asia has started direct flights between Bangkok and Mandalay which meant we did not have to waste travel days between Yangon and Mandalay.
We didn’t hear too many good things about Mandalay, so when we got to the airport we decided to try our luck at finding a hotel in Sagaing. We totally lucked out with the brand new Shwe Pyae Sone hotel (072-22781, 072-21942; [email protected]). Great staff and the rooms are modern. You may want to splurge for the $35 rooms as they are quite a bit more spacious than the $30 ones. Keep in mind that the Happy Hotel listed in Lonely Planet is no longer in existence.
Sagaing is an interesting place. In addition to the temple riddled hills that surround the town, there is a good food market that runs most of the day and each morning a parade of monks walk past the hotel to collect alms. Plus, it’s easier to ride to Myingun from Sagaing than from Mandalay.
We also found a great place to eat dinner. From the hotel turn right and walk to the end of the street. Turn right again and walk straight to the busy street. Cross this street and walk a short distance to where you’ll see blue seats on the right and outdoor restaurant on the left. They have a wonderful array of curry dishes such as okra, tofu, potato and chicken. It’s also ridiculously cheap.
Betel Nut stands are ubiquitous in Myanmar. Here is my attempt to stomach it.
Betel Nut from Matthew Kadey on Vimeo.
Ride #1 Sagaing to Mingun
Total Distance: 42 kilometers
The ride to Mingun is a good day trip to get the legs used to cycling after a lot of traveling. The road is in pretty good shape with just a few rolling hills. There are some interesting temples/ruins but nothing spectacular.
Ride: #2: Sagaing to Myingyan
Total Distance: 96.5 Km
To get out of Sagaing make sure to take the old bridge over the river as opposed to the new bridge which is a little further west and a lot busier with traffic.
The first 45km to Myotha is on good pavement. There is a busy tea shop in Myotha on the left hand side of the road that makes great samosas and sweet coconut balls. A wonderful place to grab lunch and mingle with the locals.
Much of the road after Myotha is in poor condition with many pot holes and some sandy sections. There was no road work taking place at the time so the road is likely to stay in bad shape for a while. The road does improve however as you start to enter Myingyan. The traffic is generally light throughout this ride.
We stayed at the Kuang Kuang Guesthouse (066 22365) in Myingyan. At 40,000 Kyat it’s overpriced but the rooms are generally clean and the staff is friendly. The hotel is located on the far end of town shortly after crossing the bridge. There is a pretty good restaurant on the grounds. There is really nothing of interest in Myingyan.
Ride #3: Myingyan to New Bagan
Total Distance: 77 Kilometers
There is about a 12 km stretch of road just outside of Myingyan that is in very bad shape. However, road crews were working on it so it’s likely to be much better in the near future. The rest of the road to Nyaung U and Bagan is in reasonably good condition. Generally, it’s a fairly easy ride with not a lot of traffic until around Nyaung U and Bagan. If you’re riding from Nyaung U to New Bagan, you can take the quieter road that goes past the South Plain of temples such as Thambula Pahto.
We stayed at the Thiri Marlar Hotel in New Bagan (www.bagan-thirimarlar-hotel.com; [email protected]) It’s a great place. The standard rooms at $30 are good value but just a little small. We also stayed in the $45 superior rooms which are luxe and huge. It’s very quite at night and the breakfast on the rooftop overlooking the temples is a nice touch.
Here is a video of the day food market in New Bagan
Ride #4: Around Bagan
We spent a few days cycling around the temples in Bagan on the sandy paths. Having your own bike so you can explore some of the lesser known and more remote temples is a big bonus. Make sure to pick up a detailed map of Bagan from your hotel. The one in Lonely Planet is not very good.
An excellent place to catch the sunrise and sunset is on top of Dhammayazaka Zedi. During sunrise you’ll stand underneath several hot air balloons that float overhead.
Ride# 5: New Bagan to Mt. Popa
Total Distance: 52km
This is a very pleasant ride, especially the last 25 kilometres after the turnoff which is a rural gently rolling road with very little traffic. I believe there were more ox carts than cars in the afternoon. The pavement is mostly in good condition throughout the ride. There are a few steep switchbacks before entering the town of Mt. Popa that will work up a good sweat.
We stayed at the Zey Yar Theingi Hotel (061-50755; $44 for a double). If you call ahead like we did from Bagan the owner may quote a higher price but we were aware of what others had paid. It’s another example of an overpriced Myanmar hotel, but the only other option is the very expensive government run hotel way up the hill. The hotel is actually well before the Mt. Popa summit about 1 kilometer past the stands selling papayas. We were feeling too lazy to go up to the top of the mountain. It looks like there was another hotel on the way out of town as you head downhill.
We stayed at the Zey Yar Theingi Hotel (061-50755; $44 for a double). If you call ahead like we did from Bagan the owner may quote a higher price but we were aware of what others had paid. It’s another example of an overpriced Myanmar hotel, but the only other option is the very expensive government run hotel way up the hill. The hotel is actually well before the Mt. Popa summit about 1 kilometer past the stands selling papayas. We were feeling too lazy to go up to the top of the mountain. It looks like there was another hotel on the way out of town as you head downhill.
Ride #5: Mt. Popa to Meiktila
Total Distance: 117 km
Total Distance: 117 km
Start with a fun downhill out of Mt. Popa and then the rest of the day is on good pavement that is generally rolling. Most of the ups and downs occur between 50 and 70 kilometers into the ride. There is not very much traffic to be concerned with.
Even though Meiktila is a fairly big town, there was not any crazy traffic getting into the city center.
If you’re up for a little more riding, you could press onto Thazi and make the next day to Kalaw less difficult. But we were pretty toasted by the time we rolled up to Meiktila.
We stayed at the Honey Hotel ($30 to $35; 064-23588) which was descent enough but nothing spectacular. Meiktila has a bustling night market with plenty of meal options.
Even though Meiktila is a fairly big town, there was not any crazy traffic getting into the city center.
If you’re up for a little more riding, you could press onto Thazi and make the next day to Kalaw less difficult. But we were pretty toasted by the time we rolled up to Meiktila.
We stayed at the Honey Hotel ($30 to $35; 064-23588) which was descent enough but nothing spectacular. Meiktila has a bustling night market with plenty of meal options.
Ride #6: Meiktila to Kalaw
Total Distance: 117 Kilometers
This is a big day due to the distance and elevation gain. You are basically climbing for the last 35 kilometers. It’s really important to get an early start to the day. However, the saving grace is that the pavement is in good shape for most of the ride and the gradients for the climbing are not too steep. There are also plenty of places along the way where you can stop for food and drinks. The ride through the mountains towards Kalaw is very pleasant. Most of the time, traffic is not an issue on this ride.
In Kalaw we stayed at the New Shine Hotel ([email protected]; 95-81-50188 or 95-81-50028). For $35 we thought it was good value. It’s clean with friendly staff. They seemed very impressed when we arrived on bicycles.
Two restaurants we enjoyed eating at were Thu Maung Restaurant (right beside the steps leading up to the Thein Taung Paya) and Everest Nepali Food Center.
If you are lucky enough, you’ll arrive in Kalaw when they are having the five day market where people from surrounding villages come to sell and buy their food. It’s a bustling affair and how we spent most of our day off in Kalaw.
Ride #7: Kalaw to Nyaungshwe (Inle Lake)
Total Distance: 65 kilometers
This is a relatively easy ride that involves quite a bit of downhill on good roads. However, the traffic seems to pick up a fair amount once you turnoff the NH4 highway towards Inle. There are several places to eat in Heho, which is located just past the airport.
When we arrived in town much of the accommodation was booked up, which is normal as this area is very touristy. We found a room at the November Hotel (095-081-29226, 29227, 29228, 29040). For $35 it was adequate and clean enough. It probably had rooms available because it was not listed in the Lonely Planet.
For a good day trip, you can ride your bike down the east side of the lake. However, you can’t really get that close to the lake from the road.
Everyone who goes to Inle ends up taking a day boat trip to see the sights. We had a good experience with MR A TUN travel agency ([email protected]) which is a little ways down the road from the November Hotel. Make sure to include Inthein in your itinerary as the temple complex is truly inspiring.
The lady at the Zar Zar night stand (located beside the Lin Htett restaurant which is the Lonely Planet top choice) makes an amazing Shan noodle soup and should not be missed. Cheap, flavorful and filling!
Ride #8: Inle Lake to Pindaya
Total Distance: 93 kilometers
We retraced our pedal strokes back to Aungban which involved a fair bit of climbing but nothing overly arduous. We had heard that other cyclist's had been able to find a rural dirt road from Heho to Pindaya that was supposedly a great ride, but we were unable to locate it. When we asked locals they just pointed us towards Aungban on the pavement.
The 40 kilometer road from Aungban to Pindaya is in rough shape in some spots and fairly narrow, which can be a little concerning when cars and trucks zip by you. There are also not a lot of provisions along this road. It would probably be very nice ride closer to the wet season as the fields would be greener, but it was a dust bowl for us. The final 5 kilometer descent into Pindaya is on good pavement. There are also some really amazing huge trees lining the road.
In Pindaya, we highly recommend the Golden Cave Hotel (9581-66166; www.goldencavehotel.com; [email protected]; [email protected])
The superior rooms at $35 were very good and the staff is exceptionally friendly. There is slow internet access here. The hotel is also located a short walk from the cave entrance. Unfortunately, we both got sick and had to lay low for a few days in Pindaya.
The dinner options are pretty slim as there are a few overpriced tourist restaurants such as the Green Tea restaurant. However, for lunch we found a great family run local place. From the Golden Cave Hotel you walk left on the main road for about 100 meters and directly beside the huge tree on the left hand side of the road is a small place run by a charming family. Basically its just a few benches and cooking area. They can whip you up some really great vegetarian (and probably meat as well) dishes for just a few bucks. We have fond memories of their pickled chili onions and okra curry.
Ride #9 Pindaya to Ywangan
Total Distance: 77 kilometers
This day involves retracing your pedal strokes uphill back to the turnoff for Ywangan. The pavement from Pindaya to the turnoff and for the first 10 kilometers on the road to Ywamgan is in good shape. Afterwards, however, you’ll see a bunch of pot holes and some very sandy stretches up until about 10 kilometers before Ywangan. Sometimes it was actually easier to ride off the sides of the road. This also feels amazingly rural and well off the tourist path. Overall, a really great ride.
In Ywangan, we stay at the Shwe Gue Gu hotel (09-650-2103) which is the only show in town. It’s located at the far end of town on the main road. The cost was 20,000 kip and the bungalows are in good shape overall with plenty of hot water.
Ride #10: Ywangan to Kyaukse
Total Distance: 89 kilometers
Get ready for a ride on the wild side. After about 20 kilometers of fairly rough road through some beautiful countryside you come to a huge downhill. The pot-hole filled road snakes its way through the mountains as it descends about 1100 meters. Traffic is virtually non-existent along this road and the heat really picks up the more you drop. We were happy to be going down as this would be a brutal uphill with no shade or sources of water. Overall, this was one of our favorite riding experiences in Burma.
A video of the wild downhill toward Kyaukse
Matt Video 2 from Robert Waldeck on Vimeo.
At the bottom of the hill you’ll come to the Golden Century restaurant on the left hand side of the road just before the blue sign for the Dam. It has an assortment of fruit shakes, which at this point in the ride was like striking gold. From the restaurant to Kyaukse it’s mostly a flat ride or pretty good pavement.
The only place that foreigners can stay in Kyaukse is the Royal Orchid Hotel (066-50657, 50887). The $50 rooms are unexceptional, so it's greatly overpriced by SE Asian standards. But like everywhere else in the country, the staff is friendly and helpful. The hotel is located on the far end of the town. It's about 1 kilometer past the main part of town where the banks are. Look for a small blue sign on the left hand side of the road. When you turn down the street that heads towards the hotel there is a store on the left hand side that has good ice cream! The hotel is about 2 kilometers down this road.
For a great and inexpensive dinner, go back to the main street from the hotel and turn right on the main street. About 500 meters down you’ll see a night restaurant stand on the left hand side of the road that has a bunch of tasty curries and other dishes. Seems to be popular with locals which is always a good sign.
The only place that foreigners can stay in Kyaukse is the Royal Orchid Hotel (066-50657, 50887). The $50 rooms are unexceptional, so it's greatly overpriced by SE Asian standards. But like everywhere else in the country, the staff is friendly and helpful. The hotel is located on the far end of the town. It's about 1 kilometer past the main part of town where the banks are. Look for a small blue sign on the left hand side of the road. When you turn down the street that heads towards the hotel there is a store on the left hand side that has good ice cream! The hotel is about 2 kilometers down this road.
For a great and inexpensive dinner, go back to the main street from the hotel and turn right on the main street. About 500 meters down you’ll see a night restaurant stand on the left hand side of the road that has a bunch of tasty curries and other dishes. Seems to be popular with locals which is always a good sign.
Ride #11: Kyaukse to Pyin Oo Lwin
Total Distance: 92 kilometers
The ride from Kyaukse to Myitnge is on a very flat road with a lot of traffic. However, there is a wide shoulder for most of it making the riding less worrisome.
After the turnoff that blissfully bypasses Mandalay and before the climb starts there is a pretty crappy section that goes by a massive gravel pit.
The ride up to Pyin Oo Lwin is most challenging in the first few kilometers with some steep sections. The rest of the climb is of a moderate grade but still long enough to feel like a good amount of work. Good fun! There are several places to stop for food and liquids. The traffic is moderate, but we didn’t find it too bad. There is some truck traffic presumably on its way to China.
In Pyin Oo Lwin we recommend the Bravo Hotel ($30; 085-21223, 21826). Even though it’s located on a busy street in the center of the town the rooms are quiet. A great place to grab dinner is at the Family Restaurant which is a very short walk from the hotel. The mutton curry was killer.
After the turnoff that blissfully bypasses Mandalay and before the climb starts there is a pretty crappy section that goes by a massive gravel pit.
The ride up to Pyin Oo Lwin is most challenging in the first few kilometers with some steep sections. The rest of the climb is of a moderate grade but still long enough to feel like a good amount of work. Good fun! There are several places to stop for food and liquids. The traffic is moderate, but we didn’t find it too bad. There is some truck traffic presumably on its way to China.
In Pyin Oo Lwin we recommend the Bravo Hotel ($30; 085-21223, 21826). Even though it’s located on a busy street in the center of the town the rooms are quiet. A great place to grab dinner is at the Family Restaurant which is a very short walk from the hotel. The mutton curry was killer.
Ride #12: Kyaukme to Pyin Oo Lwin
Total Distance: 110 kilometers
From Pyin Oo Lwin we decided to take the train to Kyaukme and then cycle back to Pyin Oo Lwin. The train ride was pretty wild as you go over the Gokteik Viaduct. It’s also crazy how much that train sways from left to right as it chugs along. We did not have enough time to go on to Hsipaw.
In Kyaukme, there is only one place where foreigners can bed down. It’s called A Yone Oo Guest House (082-40183,082-40669). We stayed in what they call the luxury rooms for $38 which were very nice and spacious. If you get room 406 you can wake up to a beautiful sunrise.
We really enjoyed our time in Kyaukme. It’s a low key town and the residents are eager to strike up conversations. Good day market and teas shops as well. Looks like there would be some exciting day trips riding in the surrounding mountains.
This is a big ride with a fair amount of climbing. The highlight is the winding downhill into the Gokteik Gorge and the switchback climbs. Way too much fun! The road is in good shape for most of the ride and traffic is moderate. We even found a shop along the road selling macadamia nuts.
Video of the Gokteik Gorge switchbacks
RidetoPyinOoLwin from Matthew Kadey on Vimeo.
Ride #13: Pyin Oo Lwin to Sagaing
Total Distance: 76 kilometers
Ride #13: Pyin Oo Lwin to Sagaing
Total Distance: 76 kilometers
This ride took us back to our starting place in Sagaing. There is a lot of downhill so the kilometers go by fast. At this time of year we found the air quality to be quite poor, especially down by the gravel pit. Make sure not to miss the turnoff to head towards Mytinge or you'll be riding in very busy traffic to Mandalay.
We took a bit of a detour to the famous U Bein's teak bridge by Amarapura. You can walk (or probably even ride) your bike across the bridge. It was a pleasant experience.
When approaching Sagaing, you’ll want to ride past the new bridge and once again ride over the old bridge which has much less traffic.
