Different Tastes in Colorful Myanmar

Day 1:   Yangon Arrival                                                                                               

Mingalarbar! Welcome to Myanmar and upon arrival at Yangon International Airport, our friendly tour guide will meet and transfer you to a hotel. Enjoy your night in Yangon.

Day 2: Yangon Sightseeing                                                                                    

After breakfast at hotel, our guide will meet you in hotel lobby and start the tour at 08:00 am beginning with the busy traffic of Yangon heading downtown: about 1 hour drive to the city Centre. Explore its fabulous mix of architecture and historical buildings along the strand road which have a faded colonial charm that you cannot see elsewhere in Asia. First you will see the post office –a lovely historic building, passing by Strand Hotel, Mahabandoola Garden and Independence Monument along the way. After an hour, visit famous Chauk Htat Kyi Pagoda, one of the famous reclining Buddha images in Myanmar and the pagoda was donated by Sir Pho Thar Gyi in 1907. After lunch, visit Bogyoke (Scotts) Market (closed every Monday and on public holidays), the finest shopping place in Yangon due to its one-stop function for both locals and foreigners offering incredible bargains on myriad local products (Myanmar souvenirs, lacquer ware, tapestry, gems & jewelry among countless others.)  Finally, you will visit Shwedagon Pagoda, one of the world wonders because of its glittering grandeur and fascinating history. No visit to Myanmar is complete without a visit to the 2,500 years old Shwedagon Pagoda, which enshrines strands of Buddha's hair and other holy relics. At the same time, enjoy the amazing sunset view from Shwedagon pagoda. Check in to your hotel and enjoy your night in Yangon. Your tour will end at 17:00.

Day 3: Yangon – Nyaung U (Flight), Bagan                                                                

There is an optional hot-air Balloons ride in Bagan to watch the sunrise over many temples of Bagan. Seeing the glorious sunrise (or sunset) over Bagan undoubtedly adds to the allure of Bagan trip.

After breakfast, our guide will meet you in the hotel lobby and transfer to airport for a flight to Nyaung U. On arrival, our stationed guide from Bagan will meet you at airport and begin your exploration with a visit to Shwezegon Pagoda - the prototype for later Myanmar pagodas built by King Anawrahta,  Ananda temple - a master piece of King Kyansittha,  Thatbyinnyu temple - the highest building in the Bagan plain, Dhamma Yangyi temple – an absolutely massive temple. After lunch, you will learn more about the local culture with a visit to two workshops producing Bagan's most famous products: lacquerware and wood crafts. Watch as the skilled craftsmen use techniques passed down through generations to create beautiful items. In the evening, watch the sunset view at Nyaung Lett Phet view mount (or) Sulamani Kan View mount and you will definitely be amazed by the beauty of Bagan while you watch the sun slowly set behind the ancient Pagodas.  We then transfer you to a hotel. Enjoy your night in Bagan.

Day 4: Bagan Sightseeing                                                                                           

 After breakfast at hotel, our stationed guide from Bagan will meet you in hotel lobby and begin your exploration with a visit to a busy local market which sells food, vegetable, cloths, daily household things and local products. The bustling market atmosphere in Bagan will no doubt be memorable. Then go on to Myinkaba village to observe Myanmar lacquerware industry with its intricate floral patterns. In the afternoon, board a local boat and go upriver towards Kyauk Gu U Min Cave Temple (approximately 1 hour). Enjoy the beautiful landscape and river-life of fishermen, local ferry boats, riverside villages and views of the Bagan temples along the way. When you reach Kyauk Gu U Min, take a ten-minute walk to the temple. Kyauk Gu U Min was built into the river bank of sand stone. The ancient legend says that the cave was believed to have been built for the locals to hide from the invading Mongols.  Return to Bagan by motorboat and transfer to your hotel to enjoy your night in Bagan.

Day 5: Bagan – Pakokku (Private Boat), Monywa                                                   

After breakfast at the hotel, our stationed guide will meet you in hotel lobby and transfer you to Bagan jetty and embark on a private boat cruise (approximately 2 hours) along the Irrawaddy River to the city of Pakokku, the famous city of cotton and tobacco markets. Disembark at Pakokku and visit its local markets, cheroot factories, slippers and wood carving sculpture workshops. After that drive alongside the river to Monywa (approximately 2 hour drive).  Arrive in Monywa in the late afternoon and check in to the hotel enjoy your night in Monywa.

Day 6: Monywa – Mandalay                                                                                       

After breakfast at the hotel, our guide will meet you in hotel lobby and start to explore the local colorful market where you can see different kinds of local made products vegetables. Then proceed to Po Win Hill. Discover the sandstone cave system including Po Win Daung with its hundreds of Buddhist statues and murals dating from the 14th century and Shwe Ba Daung, which features unique pavilions cut from the surrounding sandstone and filled with Buddha images. Back in Monywa, you will have lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit Thanboddhay Pagoda (30 minutes’ drive from Monywa) which is located inside the Pahto with thousands of Buddha images - over 500,000! - all over the walls, archways and niches. In the evening, you will go back to Mandalay (2 ½ hr drive, 131km ). Upon arrival, transfer to hotel and enjoy your night in Mandalay.

Day 7:  Mingun, Inwa (Ava)                                                                                        

 After breakfast at hotel and our guide will meet you in hotel lobby and we will take a 1-hr boat ride to visit Mingun Bell, the landmark of Mingun. The bell weighs more than 87 tons and is the world’s largest intact bronze bell. Mingun Pagoda (Mingun Pathodawgyi) is nearby and we will take a one-minute walk there; two large earthquakes did considerable damage to it: during the 1838 earthquake, the heads of the giant lions statue (Chinthes) became detached and rolled into the Ayeyarwaddy River. Large cracks appeared in the Paya’s structure. Then, we will proceed to Myatheindan Pagoda, a stunning white-washed structure standing out from the rest. Observe the Interesting architecture and enjoy the view from the top. Return to Mandalay by boat. Enjoy your lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, we will take a 45 mins drive to Inwa, the ancient city which, located 30 km from Mandalay city. Inwa is the ancient imperial capital from the 14th to the 18th centuries.  In Inwa, we will take a horse cart ride and visit Maha Aungmye Bonzan – a brick and stucco monastery, Nanmyin Watchtower and wooden Bagaya Monastery. Then, drive back to U Bein Bridge, located 11 km from South of Mandalay and it is said that the longest teak wood bridge in the world. You can enjoy an enchanting sunset view while walking the length of the bridge. The tour will end around 18:00. Enjoy your night in Mandalay.

Day 8: Amarapura – Mandalay Sightseeing                                                              

After breakfast at hotel, our guide will meet you in hotel lobby and drive to Amarapura, located 11km south of Mandalay. Amarapura had been the royal city twice in Myanmar’s monarchic time. On arrival in Amarapura, first visit Mahar-gandha-yone monastery, one of the largest teaching monasteries in Myanmar. The main purpose for the visit is to watch the monks lined up along the road at 11:00am to have their main daily meal. Then we will proceed to Mahamuni Pagoda, which is one of the most sacred Buddha Images in Myanmar. To pay respect to the Buddha image, male devotees apply gold leaf to the image, which is called “Shwe Cha” in Burmese. As a result, the Mahamuni Buddha is covered with a thick layer of gold leaf of about 15 centimeters, which has distorted the shape of the image. Several old photos of the image in the temple show the difference in the outline of the image between about a century ago and now. Then, we will have lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, visit Shwe Nan Daw Kyaung or Golden Palace Monastery; a great place to get an impression of what the Royal Palace once must have looked like and consisting of 729 marble slabs engraved with Buddhist scriptures. As the Palace was destroyed by fire during the Second World War, the Shwenandaw Monastery is the only major original teak wooden building left of the original Mandalay Royal Palace. Then, we will proceed to Kuthodaw Pagoda, situated at the base of southeast stairways of Mandalay Hill. The tour will end around 18:00 and enjoy your night at a hotel in Mandalay.

Day 9: Mandalay – Heho (Flight), Kalaw                                                                  

After breakfast at hotel, our guide will meet you in hotel lobby and transfer you to Mandalay airport, on a 45 min drive from Mandalay City to fly to Heho. On arrival at Heho airport, our station guide from Nyaung Shwe will welcome you at the airport and drive overland to Pindaya (approximately 45 minutes). Along the way, enjoy the marvelous landscapes of the hilly region with vegetables patches, plantations and terrace cultivation. On arrival, visit the Pindaya Caves which houses 8094 Buddha Images and workshops where umbrellas are made of pulp. And then drive to Kalaw and stay overnight at the hotel in Kalaw.

 Day 10: Kalaw – Shwe Nyaung (Train), Inle Lake                                                     

After breakfast, our guide will meet you in hotel lobby and transfer you to Kalaw railway station. Board a local train to the village of Shwe Nyaung (It takes about 3 hours). The scenic route will allow you to witness the daily life of the region’s inhabitants.  Transfer by car to the village of Nyaung Shwe (35 minute drive), the gateway to Inle Lake. Board a local boat to the hotel on the lake. Overnight stay in a hotel on the lake.

Note: the train schedules are unpredictable; in case of long delays, the journey will be continued by car.

Day 11:  Inle Lake Sightseeing                                                                                    

After breakfast at hotel, our guide will meet you in hotel lobby. An excursion by boat on Inle Lake follows which includes sights of the famous leg rowers, typical floating gardens, local methods of fishing and village life. Visit Phaungdaw Oo Pagoda,  where the pagoda festival is held every year in Oct. In the pagoda festival, people place the four Buddha Images on the duplicate of Barge (catamaran???) designed in the form of Hintha, a mythical bird. The images are then taken on a tour around Inle Lake to be revered by the faithful for several days. One image always has to remain at the Pagoda. In 1960s, when all five Buddha Images were placed on the Barge to be taken on a tour around Inle Lake, violent squalls arose kicking up enormous waves around the lake. The Barge overturned and the images dropped into the lake. The legend had it that only four images were accounted for after a dive and search mission. Miraculously though, when they went back to the pagoda, the lost fifth image was sitting at its place. So, for future processions taking images on a tour around the lake, the fifth image was left at the pagoda.

After witnessing the mysterious images of Phaungdaw Oo Pagoda, we will proceed to the weaving village of Inpaw Khon, famous for its weaving workshops and products of multi-colored fabrics on looms made from bamboo poles lashed together with rope, Nampan village- famous for cheroot factories and Se-khong village where traditional blacksmith workshops produce knives and farming tools. After these places of interest, transfer to hotel and enjoy your night on Inle Lake.

Day 12: Inle Lake – Heho – Yangon (Flight) and Yangon Departure                         

After breakfast at hotel, our guide will meet you in hotel lobby and return to Nyaung Shwe boat jetty and transfer to airport for a flight to Yangon (approximately 1 hour and 10 min). On arrival, be welcomed by a tour guide at the airport. Then transfer to Yangon international airport for departing flight.