An off-road cycling adventure in northern Shan State

(More photos below the text)

One of the most popular routes for bike tours in Myanmar is the paved road between Mandalay and Lashio, a 280-kilometer (175-mile) stretch that gives cyclists a close-up view of northern Shan State’s stunning landscapes and colorful traditional cultures. Highlights on the way include Pyin Oo Lwin, Hsipaw and the spectacular Gokteik Gorge.
On a recent ride along this corridor, our group of four cyclists found that some of our most memorable adventures occurred when we ventured off the main road on our mountain bikes to explore the dirt paths winding through the surrounding hills and villages.
One narrow track we followed out of Lashio led us to a tall limestone outcropping with a pagoda on top. We were met by a Buddhist monk who unlocked a bamboo gate that allowed us to enter a cave at the base of the towering rock.
This wasn’t any ordinary Buddha cave, but a twisting, claustrophobic passageway that led all the way through the outcropping and out the other side.
Accompanied by a legion of young monks and lighting our way with headlamps, we descended into the bowels of the earth and stooped, scrambled and crawled through the tunnel. The most harrowing moment involved climbing back up to the sunlight on a tall, rickety bamboo ladder leaning against the side of tight vertical shaft.
After emerging onto the surface of the planet, we continued pedaling away from Lashio among monolithic limestone formations, passing through wide-open farmland and several Shan villages. We climbed a steep hill on a barely discernible footpath and zoomed down the other side, where we found a lone monastery on the edge of a wind-whipped valley surrounded by high stone cliffs.
The monks there showed us a modest cave lined with Buddha images, and then invited us to share snacks and green tea before we remounted our bikes and made our way back to Lashio.
Two days later we were in the town of Hsipaw, where we asked local guide Myo Lwin (Ko Palaung) to recommend a challenging mountain biking route. He described a mountainous 40-kilometer (25-mile) loop that a few tourists had done on motorcycle, but as far as he knew, no one – local or foreign – had ever tackled it on bicycles.
Ko Palaung drew a map of the route in my notebook. We left our guesthouse at 6am and pedaled west out of town. After less the 2 kilometers of paved road, we turned right onto a dirt lane that curved around a cemetery and then followed a rocky creek.
Near a wooden footbridge, a smiling Shan woman flagged us down and gave us a gift of sticky rice wrapped in bamboo, which we ate on the spot.
The climbing started just after the bridge, and it was four hours before we reached the top of the mountain. Along the way, we made rest stops in the villages of Na Moon and Mon Pyay. We hazarded sips of ice-cold water at a natural spring, which must have had magical healing powers because my flat legs suddenly felt revitalized as we continued plodding onward and upward.
By the time we reached Pankan village, we were among mountains higher than any I had ever seen in Shan State. We stopped at a snack shop and cleaned out their supply of energy drinks. An inebriated Palaung man tried to ply us with dodgy rice wine, but there were no takers among our group.
The dirt trail narrowed and continued ascending through a green tea plantation, and then entered a forest with a nerve-wracking drop-off to one side. We came out at Than Sant village, where shaggy horses grazed among the trees and a fresh wind kicked up dust as it howled across the mountains.
There was only a little more climbing, and we finally topped out at Bongkha village. A local family, dumbfounded at seeing four foreigners on bicycles so far from the main road, invited us into their house for a lunch of noodles and eggs.
From there, the rest of the ride was 90 percent downhill. Ko Palaung had said it would take us an hour to descend from Bongkha to O-Moo village, but we flew down in less than 20 minutes.
After that, we found ourselves on a twisty, semi-paved road that led us down to Bhaju Pagoda, where we picked up the Mandalay-Lashio highway for the 5-kilometer cruise back into town. We arrived exhausted but exhilarated at midday, six hours after we had left in the morning.

A guide to visiting Moeyingyi Wetland Wildlife Sanctuary

There is a tendency in Myanmar to “enhance” natural landscapes by building pagodas on picturesque hilltops and establishing ramshackle shops where weary travelers can refresh themselves with snacks and energy drinks.
Moeyingyi Wetland Wildlife Sanctuary is one of those rare places in southern Myanmar blissfully lacking in such enhancements by simply allowing nature to speak for itself.
Visitors to the 104-square-kilometer (40-square-mile) sanctuary can truly get away from it all: Once out in the middle of the lake, there is nothing to see but calm water, aquatic vegetation and majestic migratory birds stretching to the horizon in all directions.
Moeyingyi is located in Pyinbongyi village in Bago Region, 112 kilometers (71 miles) north of Yangon. It’s just off the old Yangon-Mandalay highway, and is therefore easily accessible by private car.
Established in 1986, the sanctuary is paradise for birdwatchers. Even before reaching the lake, visitors will have the chance to enjoy the beautiful landscape of paddy fields in the surrounding area. Here, oxen are used to plough farmland that attracts snow-white egrets and open-billed storks. Drongos and mynahs can be seen snacking on insects as they ride on the backs of water buffalo.
The main activity at the lake is taking guided tours in a long-tailed motorboat. These usually last about 90 minutes and provide the opportunity to explore the rich wetland area in all its natural glory. Binoculars are essential for these excursions, as are sunscreen and wide-brimmed hats.
More than 100 species of water bird have been documented at the lake, including nearly 70 migratory species such as little grebes, grey herons, sarus cranes, Asian open-bills, ruddy shelducks, purple swamp hens, spot-billed pelicans, pheasant-tailed jacanas, black winged stilts, great cormorants and many others.
There are also about 25 butterfly species, as well as more than 20 varieties of natural grass that provide habitat for migratory birds and breeding grounds for resident species.
Of course the lake, which reaches depths of about 3 meters (10 feet) during monsoon season, is also home to a thriving fish population. The fish not only constitute an essential part of the ecosystem but also provide livelihoods for local villagers, who ply the lake in small boats and can be seen hauling in their catch using homemade nets.
To maximize the number of migratory bird sightings, the best time to explore Moeyingyi is from November to March, with January providing the most ideal conditions.
The sanctuary can easily be visited as a day trip from Yangon, but it’s also possible to spend the night at Moeyingyi Resort Hotel, which consists of nine wooden, boat-shaped cabins at the edge of the water, each accommodating up to two guests.
These rustic bungalows are greatly overpriced, but they do allow visitors to enjoy the full Moeyingyi experience, including watching the sun go down as thousands of egrets and herons fly to their roosts in trees surrounding the lake.
Clear nights bring the spectacle of countless stars twinkling in a sky free from light pollution, and staying overnight also allows visitors to enjoy the breaking of dawn, when the greatest number of birds flock to the lake.
Moeyingyi is a must-see destination for birdwatchers and nature lovers, but the experience could be improved. The sanctuary is often described as an ecotourism destination, but to truly earn that moniker, it would be necessary to ban motorized boats from the water.
Limiting lake access to paddle-driven transport such as kayaks, canoes and rowboats would eliminate noise pollution and fuel spillage, and would allow visitors to get even closer to wildlife that might otherwise flee the clacking sound of outboard motors.

More photos of the sanctuary are posted below.

Moeyingyi Wetland Wildlife Sanctuary

Entry fees
Foreigners: $2 per person
Locals: K100 per person
Parking fee: K500 (small vehicles), K1000 (large vehicles)

Boat fees
Foreigners: $15 per person
Locals: K5000 per person

Overnight stay (breakfast included)
Foreigners (two people): $65 per cabin
Foreigners (one person): $50
Locals: K30,000 per cabin
Dinner: K15,000 per person

Contact Aung Ko Oo (Moeyingyi Resort Hotel manager): 09-428194073, 052-70113

This article was originally published in the February 2014 issue of My Magical Myanmar magazine.