TOUR OVERVIEW
Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) has been one of the least visited countries in Southeast Asia for many years but changes within the country have meant that now is an excellent time to visit this friendly nation and enjoy its fantastic birds, including all of its endemic species and many near endemics, as well as some of its stunning cultural landmarks. Beginning in the former capital, Yangon, we start our birding in the plains before moving on to the ancient capital of Bagan and its profusion of spectacular temples where we will also be able to find four of Myanmar’s endemic species; White-throated Babbler, Hooded Treepie, Burmese Bushlark and Jerdon’s Minivet. We will enjoy birding from a boat along the Irrawaddy River before driving to one of the ornithological gems of this wonderful country – Mount Victoria. We will spend five whole days at this fantastic location exploring the different altitudes and habitats, giving ourselves the best chance to see more Burmese endemics and many regional endemic species as well as enjoying some wonderful scenery and forests. After traveling back to Bagan we will take a short flight to visit Kalaw, an old colonial hill station where we can enjoy some more forest birding with a quite different set of species to those seen at our previously visited sites. Our birding will conclude with a visit to the picturesque Inle Lake and the surrounding farmland where we will see a wide variety of open country and wetland species as well as some interesting culture before heading back to Yangon where the trip ends.
Main: Thurs 23rd January - Thurs 6th Feb
Ext: Thurs 6th - Friday 7th February
KEY SPECIES
Here are just a few of the key species we will be targetting on this tour:
Leaders: Nick Upton and local guides. and local guides
Ground Price (Main Tour): £3475.00 - Yangon/Yangon
Ground Price (Extension): £285.00 - Yangon/Yangon
Airfare: £650.00 - £750.00 (Approx) - UK/UK
Single supplement: £475.00
Single Supplement (ext): £25
Deposit: £500.00
Group size (Main Tour): Minimum for tour to go ahead 6 and maximum 10 with 2 leaders.
Group size (Extension): Minimum for tour to go ahead 4 and maximum 8 with 1/2 leaders.
Included in cost: Accommodation in twin en-suite rooms, all meals, bottled water, all ground transport including domestic flights and overland transport, all park entrance fees, and services of leaders.
Not included: International flights, insurance, visa fee, drinks, tips and items of a personal nature.
Accommodation: The hotels & lodges used during this tour are of a good to very good standard, all with en-suite facilities. We will stay in the best available lodges/guest houses as close to the birding sites as possible.
Tour Code: This is a standard birding tour with regular birding walks along roads and well-marked trails. Expect early starts each day! Expect long drives on Days 6 & 11 as we travel between Bagan and Mount Victoria, although there will be birding stops along the way. The weather is generally warm at this time of year, although dawn/dusk and overnight it does get much cooler and can be quite cold at higher altitude. Rain is not expected at this time of year but it can sometimes occur. There is lengthy travel for the extension which culminates with a ride on the back of a motorcycle of if road conditions are poor, a hike. Weather on the extension is expected to be hot and humid.
