The road less traveled - the Burma Road by bicycle

Nov. 5, 2010 - PRLog -- SpiceRoads Cycle Tours will be the first tour company to bring cyclists on the historical Burma Road. Northern Burma has long been off limits to foreign visitors, but now with special permits, SpiceRoads will be offering 14-day tours there starting in January 2011.

The Burma road is rich in history as it was initially used by the British in WWII as a supply route to China before Japan was at war with the British. When the Japanese captured the road, the Western Allies built an alternative, known as the Ledo Road, which the tour will also ride on.  In 1945 the first trucks brought supplies to China on this route but since the war this road has seen little traffic and parts of it were only repaired in 2007.

This tour is for those with an adventurous spirit as there will be some rough riding over the 590 km route, some primitive overnights and of course the unpredictability of local authorities. However, there is the reward of meeting Burmese who have never met a foreigner before, seeing pristine landscapes and being among the first to cycle on the historical road.

The tour starts in Yangon and after a flight to Mandalay, the riding starts in the former British hill station town of Maymyo, now called Pyin Oo Lwin, and goes into the countryside and  past pagodas. The route then continues north to the Shan State, riding through small Shan villages, past ancient chedis, alongside terraced paddies to Hsipaw. Then it's on to Lashio, where the mountains truly start, to the Chinese border town of Muse. The adventure truly starts as we ride on the Ledo Road through numerous checkpoints to the river town of Bhamo. Here we'll board a riverboat to take us downstream to Mandalay and then catch a return flight to Yangon.

Along the way riders will stay in a variety of accommodation that will include a hill station resort, guest houses, business hotels and a night on the top deck of a riverboat.

The Burma Road tour is limited as we only offer two departures in 2011 – on January 16, already guaranteed to depart. and on February 20, with each departure accepting a maximum of 16 people. Tour cost is US$2,250 and includes internal flights.

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SpiceRoads is a specialist bicycle tour operator based in Bangkok offering a range of two-wheel tours throughout Asia. SpiceRoads tours cater for every level of cyclist and range from day-trips to complete country explorations. Participants are invited to join tours with fixed date departures scheduled throughout the year, while private or tailor-made tours can be arranged for groups or individuals on request. The professional operations set-up includes a fleet of well-maintained mountain and road bikes and support vehicles. All tours are led by experienced cycle guides.