Myanmar Adventure

“The trip itself was great though and the guides and service provided were excellent. The tour was well paced and as it was just me and my husband we could be flexible about what we wanted to see or not see. The guides were all extremely professional, very knowledgeable about the country's history and culture. We like to eat in local restaurants and the guides were more than happy to change from the set restaurants chosen to take us to local gems. I don't know that I would call it an adventure as such as it is a lot of sightseeing. There is a short bike ride in Bagan. A 4 hour trek through beautiful countryside in Kalaw (we never saw another foreigner the whole time), with a homestay in a small village - this was excellent and well worth doing. Trek back to Kalaw. There was an option to cycle to Inle, but as cycling is not really my thing we were given the option to walk to some other sights on the way to Inle. Apart from walking around temples that was the only energetic part of the trip. The inclusion of meals in local houses is good though as you really get to experience the culture and the food was always excellent. We also added in the balloon trip in Bagan, which although expensive, was well worth it. Truly beautiful. The trip is quite full on as they try to cram a lot into 12 days, but it gives you a real flavour of the place and you can always come back and see other parts at your own pace. Apart from some dinners, which we liked to eat in local restaurants anyway, all meals were included, as were entry fees and internal flights. I thought it was good value.”

“For us both, the best holiday we've experienced.”

“The guides were all excellent, easy to talk to, thoughtful. All the guides were different but perfect for the different legs of the trip. The scheduling of the trip worked well for us – starting in Yangon and getting some orientation to Myanmar, and ending with the more physical aspects of the trip – the trek and the Inle Lake, which we would have liked to do a bit more. Visiting the local villages, and the trek were highlights – seeing how the locals lived and getting a small appreciation of their lives - the Kayin village, walking with Nee our local guide, and meeting the villager who was making charcoal who invited us into her home for coffee and showed us her weaving; the visit to the Monastry on the Sunday of the Trek where the all the surrounding villagers were meeting and participating in the blessing by the headman. We felt very welcome in all the villages and just loved our interaction with the villagers. Milko and Denzo our local guide and cook on the trek were great fun, very quickly joined in picking up the odd plastic bottle and wrapper we found as we moved through the hillside. Would have loved more time in the villages or with the locals eg in the markets. All the guides were very patient with all our questions and side tracks which “blew” out the timing but if it was a problem, they didn’t let on. An item to take could be our reusable bags that we use when shopping at home - easy to pack and had many uses, also the guides were interested to see them. Hotels were all good - centrally located, easy walking distance, friendly staff. Pool at Bagan was a wonderful surprise.”

“We have the utmost praise for this trip and the guides and team who put the schedule together. From the moment we arrived at Yangon airport to the time we left, we felt you had our back. We would particularly like to thank and praise our 3 guides, Ye who took us through Yangon and Mon State; Nang who was so passionate about the temples and ancient history of Bagan; and finally Jue who was a fabulous and engaging guide for our ‘adventurous’ days in the mountains and around Inle Lake in Shan state. We would also like to thank our drivers, boatman and local guide and cook all who connected with us so well and let us experience local life. All our guides shared their passion for Myanmar and its Buddhist religion, it’s history and most of all the warmth and hospitality of local people. They all had a deep love and knowledge for their beautiful country and were very respectful, responsive and delightful people that made us comment every day ‘wow - what a fabulous day- and there’s still more to come!’ We loved the variety of places we visited and most of the accommodation was very authentic and comfortable. We particularly enjoyed the final stage around Inle Lake which coincided with the 4-day Water Festival!! We were very ably guided on our 2-day trek, bike ride and boating and our time trekking and stay at the monastery was definitely a highlight. Our connection with local people in each of the three states we visited was fabulous and this was a special feature that WE offers. We will both have lasting memories of visiting local markets, sampling street food, having lunch with many local families, seeing how traditional skills are being maintained, calling out ‘Mingalaba’ to everyone we saw on the tracks through the tea plantations, and being soaked with buckets of water (and throwing plenty in return!). Also had so many laughs with our guides who helped us pick up rubbish as we climbed higher and higher up the tiny tracks to the monastery! Finally on the last day on Inle Lake we watched the parade of 1,000 monks who filed into 100 waiting long boats that ceremonially passed slowly by the floating platform to receive their annual rice offering. We always felt safe and warmly welcomed and would highly recommend this trip, particularly at this time of year when it is quieter (and also takes in the Thingyan Water Festival). Our main recommendation would be regarding money- in fact local currency was the best to have rather than US dollars. We managed communication easily through our guides who all spoke excellent English. We took our SIM cards out and simply used What’s app for calls and messaging as most places had wifi. We would be very keen to travel again with WE - thank you for offering this trip to a wonderful part of the world.”