Myanmar insights

Mingalaba! Welcome to Yangon!
This former capital of Myanmar is home to a fascinating blend of impressive colonial architectures, tree-lined boulevards, exciting street life scenes and glittery temples dotted around, making it the most exciting place in the country.
Check in hotel then enjoy the remainder of the day for sightseeing the city with some highlights around.
Start your exploration with a visit to the Yangon Post Office that noted for its red-brick color, charming beaux-arts portico and ornate stucco work.
Continue to the Kandawgyi Park, a beautiful and greenest spot of Yangon where you see the impressive Karaweik Hall, a replica of Royal Barge that floats on a vast lake, reflecting it glittering image on peaceful water surface with stunning background of surroundings.
Following is the Chauk Htat Kyi temple which is home to a 66-meter long reclining Buddha, one of the most revered Buddha images in the country, where locals gather to pay homage and pray every day.
Your last visit is the Shwedagon Pagoda, the most famous landmark in Yangon with spectacular view of the 100-meter tall chedi gilded by 40 tons of gold leaf. The view of Shwedagon become most spectacular during the sunset and when lights are on.
Back to the hotel and enjoy free evening at your leisure.

Summary of inclusions

Transferred to the airport for short early morning flight to Bagan that is claimed to be one of the greatest sites of ancient religious architecture in Asia, with more than four thousands impressive red brick temples scattered on a vast dry plain.

Met and greeted upon arrival and go straight on your tour exploring the ancient Bagan. Spend time to wander through colorful and bustling atmosphere of a busy local market where you gain an insights into local life and business.
Following, you will spend the rest of the day to explore the architectural masterpieces of Bagan with a diverse selection of some most important shrines and temples in the area. Walking around, listen to your guide for interesting stories behind each of these impressive monuments, look at fantastic works and be amazed at how people created this magnificent site.
In the late afternoon you will take a climb to the top of an elevated temple for spectacular view of sunset over the Bagan. Just sit back relax and be overwhelmed by the striking landscape as the sun is slowly setting down behind the background of mystical towering temples.

Evening is free at your leisure.

Summary of inclusions

This morning you will take scenic drive to Mount Popa which is 50km away to the southeast of Bagan. This extinct volcano, one and half thousand meters above sea level, is known as one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Burmese, and also a visiting highlight for travelers. Atop of this impressive truncate cone shaped mount is a group of golden gilded temples and stupas surrounded by yellow painted walls giving an impression of a celestial fortress of Olympus. Worshiping here including for Buddhism, Animism and traditional beliefs, reflecting interesting multifaceted religious life of Burmese people.
Take a climb along 777 step stair up to the top of the mount where you explore the fascinating temple ground and enjoy the rewarding view of the surrounding areas with the background of ancient Bagan and conical peak of Taung Ma-gyi from a far.
Get back to Bagan with stop to visit flower gardens and a local market along the way.
In the afternoon you will spend time to visit some traditional villages around the ancient site where you witness the local authentic way of life in those ‘living museum’ and interact with friendly people. Later, hop on horse cart for an exciting ride through hidden side of Bagan along little paths, gaining the taste of Bagan with different perspective. 

Summary of inclusions

After breakfast, check out and leave Bagan on a 3 hour private leisurely cruise upstream the mighty Irrawaddy River passing fascinating landscapes to Pakkoku, a rustic yet small bustling town known as a tobacco trading center of the region and famous for its traditional weaving craft. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the view on the two banks of the river and scenes of different boats moving about on the water fishing with traditional methods remain unchanged for years. 
Upon arrival, spend time to wander around sightseeing Pakkoku and take a visit to the regional open-air market, a typical indigenous place that is filled with local produces.
Continue on road transfer to Monywa.
Located by the bank of the Chindwin River, about hundred and fifty kilometer from Bagan, Monywa is the largest city in Sagaing Region of Myanmar. The city is known for its laidback charms, prominent religious architectures including Indonesian styles, and typical scene of local life. Sometimes, it is also called Neem city since neem trees are very popular here and can be seen on many streets.  
Check in hotel and remainder of the day is at leisure.

Summary of inclusions

Get up early if you wish to wander around and catch some shots of local early morning life.
After breakfast, take a ferry crossing the Chindwin River then a short drive to the lesser-visited yet typical Pho Win Taung temple complex which is known for its nearly a thousand wonderfully decorated caves that were carved into sandstone outcrop containing about 450,000 Buddha statues of different sizes and lots of colorful mural paintings all those said to date back between the 14th and 18th centuries. What a treasure of Myanmar and the World!
Enjoy the exploration and be amazed at beautiful works created by so skillful hands of the people. Really an amazing architectural adventure!
From here you proceed to the nearby Shwe Ba Taung which features several tens of unique cave chambers carved vertically down into solid rock and filled with intriguing Bubddha images and other stone works.
Get back to Monywa for a visit to the renown Thanboddhay Pagoda, dated back from 1303, that is home to a very impressive stupa and contains about half a million Buddha images. The temple is so well decorated with gilding, colorful patterns, and paintings on every walls, archway and also wonderful reliefs depicting Jataka tales.
Later, take a 4 hours drive through country land to Mandalay (140 km). Check in hotel upon arrival and remainder of the day is at your leisure.

Summary of inclusions

Today you will spend time to explore the historical town of Mandalay.
Visit the most important pilgrimage site in Mandaday, the Mahamuni Pagod. This pagoda houses the greatly venerated statute of Mahamuni Buddha which is central to local’s spiritual life. Day by day and over the years, the statue continues to be covered with gold leaf by devotees and this application of gold makes the image unique with special uneven contour.
Next, visit the Shwenandaw Monastery also known as Golden Palace Monastery, a special architecture built of teak wood dating back from 1878 that is famous for its wonderfully intricate carvings.
As Mandalay is famous for traditional crafts, during your discovery of the town, you will also have the chance to visit some local workshops where you can observe the production of gold leaf making, wood and marble carvings, with special techniques remain unchanged for centuries.
Continue to the well-known Kuthodaw Pagoda whose 729 white stupas, each houses a huge marble slabs carved with Buddhist scriptures, have earned the title ‘World’s largest book’.
End the interesting day tour with your visit to the legendary U Bein Bridge, the longest teakwood bridge worldwide with the total length of 1.2 kilometer across the Taungthaman Lake. Take a leisurely walk along, enjoy the breeze and stunning view of the lake with colorful boat skimming on the smooth as silk water surface. This centuries-old bridge is most photogenic during the sunset.
Evening is free at your leisure.

Summary of inclusions

After breakfast, get to the jetty and board a private boat for a relaxed 1 hour journey on of the Irrawaddy River to Mingun, a historical site about 10 kilometer from Mandalay. This place is known for its never-finished stupa Mingun Paya, a massive construction begun and unintentionally left unfinished by King Bodawpaya in the late 18 century. The uncompleted 50 meter high monument was expected to be the greatest and highest in Myanmar and perhaps in the World at that time with intended height of 150 meters and is now recorded as the ‘largest brick pile’ in the World. Wander around, admire the grandeur and listen to your guide about interesting story about it.
Nearby is a Burmese style pavilion called zayat which houses the Mingun Bell, a national treasure of Myanmar, weighing 90 tons and claimed to be the World’s heaviest functioning bell several times in history.  
Following is the Hisnbyume Pagoda, an impressive white temple built by King Bagyidaw in dedication to his eternal love and memory of his beloved wife, reminding you the story of the Taj Mahan in India. This temple consists of seven concentric terraces representing seven mountain ranges surround the main high stupa which resembles the holy Mount Meru.

In the afternoon you will spend time to wander through the ancient imperial capital of Ava, exploring some remains of this faded city including the outer walls, ruins of Royal Palace, the left over Maha Aungmye Bonzan Monastery and so on. Later, cross the Irrawaddy River to visit some of traditional villages of cottage industries and a nunnery where you have chance to interact with and learn about those of religious devotion. Finally, enjoy your visit to the Saggaing Hill, an intriguing place with lush, tree-covered and glittering temples crest the hill top where you can have magnificent sunset view over the Irrawaddy River and fascinating surroundings.

Evening is at your leisure.

Summary of inclusions

Get transferred to the airport for a short morning flight to Heho in the Shan state. Met upon arrival and take a short drive to visit the Pindaya Cave, an attractive and unusual sight that set in a limestone hill in the Myelat region. It is a very important pilgrimage site for Burmese Buddhists. This cave is more than a hundred meters long, containing several different chambers adorned with stalagmites and stalactites and cramped with thousands of Buddha images in various size, shape, and color dating back from 18th century until the present time through continuous donation by devotees.
Enjoy your time exploring the cave and surrounding then get another one hour transfer to Kalaw for hotel check in. Remainder of the day is free at your leisure.

Nestled between pine-clad mountains at nearly 1400m above sea level, Kalaw was summer resort founded by British during their rule here. This charming town is endowed with cool climate, beautiful pine forests on rolling hills and scenic views of natural surroundings. Dotted around and along quiet tree-lined streets of Kalaw are fading colonial architectures reminding and European town feel. In and around the town is home to different ethnic villages of Danu, Pa-O Palaung, Taung Yo and so on, who still maintain typical traditions and way of life.
During your leisure time, just enjoy a walk around exploring this laidback mountain town. Perhaps, take a visit to the local market for delicious Shan noodles, sample local fruits or enjoy some shopping of local products. Or pick up a bicycle and make a fun ride to nearby little elephant sanctuary where you can participate in the daily care of the elephants or just to explore local villages. There is also a pretty lovely golf course nearby where you can hire cubs and balls for a good round.   

Summary of inclusions

After breakfast, take a short drive to Nyaung Shwe where you hop on a local boat to the hotel to check in.
Inle is a vast natural water body at the elevation of 800 meter above sea level and is the second largest lake in Myanmar. Dotted around the lake bank and on the water are numerous small villages of different ethnicities who remain very well their unique culture and life style. This beautiful lake is fringed by marshes and floating gardens, wooden houses perched above the water on stilts and glittering temples rise above the serene water surface. The typical image of Inle is the Intha fishers in traditional costume fishing on the lake with distinctive rowing style with one leg on the rear of the boat and the other leg wrapping around the oar.
Following, hop on a private local boat for sightseeing around Inle. Cruise pass the endless charming floating gardens where locals use weeds from lake bottom and put on floating beds to grow fruit and vegetable, houses and monasteries built on stilts.  During this tour, you will also visit the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, an impressive religious structure and the most revered site in the Inle Lake area and southern Shan State, and local villages on the bank of the lake where you can interact and observe local craftsmen using traditional techniques for silk weaving, silversmith, boat building and making cheroot, a kind of Burmese cigars.
Enjoy the authentic scenes that shine on the lake and get for you wonderful photos.
Back to the hotel and remainder of the day is at your leisure. 

Summary of inclusions

After breakfast, start your another interesting day in Inle by a visit to the colorful local market which rotates through villages around the lake and including a day on the lake itself when trade is conducted from small boats. This is where and when you will see local hill tribe people in the colorful traditional dresses congregating to barter and purchase. A very nice scene!
Continue by boat along winding and scenic canals to Indein, a little yet fascinating village on the western bank of the lake. This place is known for its two groups of ancient pagodas and stupas with hundreds structures in many shapes and sizes varying from authentic crumbling state with trees and plants entwine around them to the restored, gilded and tacky one, offering an impressive sight of evolution through successive generations.
It is wonderful to see people having bath in the river, boats moving about on water, colorful shops and stalls, the mythical world of gods and life of ordinary smiling people. Wander through, walk up the hill along colonnades and enjoy the cram-full sight of exotic scenes around.
Following, visit a weaving villages with houses perched on stilts, interact with “long neck” tribal women who working on traditional looms and of course, you will not miss the chance to observe and take wonderful photos of the Intha men fishing on the lake with traditional tools and typical one-legged rowing technique.

Back to the hotel and remainder of the day is at your leisure.

Summary of inclusions

Take a short morning flight back to Yangon. Get pick up at the airport and take a visit to the Bogyoke Market, also known as Scott’s market, a wonderfully colorful place where there are lots of handicrafts and other local products to browse through. Wander around, enjoy some shopping if you wish and perhaps, take a sit down at a local tea shop enjoying typical Burmese tea drinking experience.
Following, spend time to visit some other prominent sites of Yangon such as St Mary's Cathedral, a gothic style architecture dates back from 1899, the glittering Burmese style Sule Paya, and the century old Rangoon Synagogue. These visits give you a clearer view of the multifaceted culture of the town.
Later, proceed to the India and Chinatown where you take stroll along bustling streets with maze of colorful shops and thousands of photo opportunities around you.
Check in hotel and remainder of the day is at your leisure.

Summary of inclusions

Enjoy the morning free at your own pace until check out hotel (12.00) and get a private transfer to the airport for your international flight back home or to onward destination. Safe travel and see you again!

Summary of inclusions