Bagan Walking Tour with Bamboo Crafting

Hands-On with Burmese Artisans

Learn about the many uses of bamboo as building and craft material in Myanmar during this hands-on bamboo crafting class and Bagan walking tour.

Highlights

Combines Bagan temples at sunrise with a village walking tour and bamboo crafting class
Discover traditional ways of life as we walk through a local village, chat to locals and hear about their ways of life
Get a hands-on lesson in traditional Burmese bamboo crafting and Bagan’s lacquerware creations
Create your own bamboo souvenir with the help of artisans in the family workshop
Learn about the many uses of bamboo in Myanmar culture

What You’ll Do

We begin with a walking tour of a dry-zone agricultural village to see firsthand how local people in Bagan are coping with the effects of climate change. We will gain an understanding of Bagan’s natural environment, climate, and how villagers find creative solutions to the challenges of the hot and dry climate using natural materials. You will visit a family workshop in a rural village where the entire family participates in the traditional artisanal crafting of bamboo and lacquerware products and souvenirs. You will have the opportunity to try the techniques these artists use to transform stalks of bamboo 7-9 meters long into beautiful and durable household wares and ceremonial utensils. It’s harder than it looks!

Itinerary

Pickup from your hotel 30 mins before sunrise
Sunrise temple viewing from less-crowded area of Bagan
Outdoor breakfast at our “home pagoda” within the monument zone. Meet the local caretakers supported by your tour
Transfer to local farming village by taxi
Walking tour of local village, chat with locals and learn about their traditional ways of life
Explore the family bamboo crafting workshop and learn about the traditional process of making lacquerware
Create your own bamboo souvenir together with family artisans
Return to your hotel by taxi around 11am

Includes breakfast/afternoon snack, fresh organic coffee/tea.
Duration: 4-5 hours
Availability: morning, afternoon

We got to meet at the village and start walking around and know about the real local lives. And we got to visit a bamboo crafting workshop run by a family of 9 and we can see the whole process of how skillful to make a lacquerware. We are really impressed and this place sells at a fair trade price and they deserved it.
Choi, Hong Kong (via Tripadvisor)

Pricing

$129USD per person, minimum 4.
Includes transport to/from your hotel, guide, outdoor breakfast, drinking water and tea break.

Additional Information

Minimum group size: 4 participants
Tours operated by Myanmar SEEDS in cooperation with Three Treasures Responsible Tourism. Tours are offered on a nonprofit basis, with tour income supporting our development projects.