Myanmar Tour

On arrival in Yangon, your local tour guide meets you and takes you to your hotel to leave your luggage. In the afternoon, visit the Shwedagon Pagoda, made famous by Rudyard Kipling and one of Myanmar's most sacred places. The large bell-shaped stupa is plated with gold, and its tip is set with diamonds, rubies and sapphires. After a photo stop at Karaweik Hall, a floating barge shaped like a hamsa bird on Kandawgyi Lake, you see the reflection of the Shwedagon Pagoda across the lake. We drive back to the hotel at sunset. Overnight at the hotel.

After an early breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport for your flight to Bagan. On arrival, begin your Bagan tour with a visit to the busy Nyaung U Market. You then visit some of Bagan's important archaeological sites, including the Shwezigon Pagoda with its bell-shaped stupa, Dhammayangyi and the Htilominlo Temple with its delicate plaster carvings and glazed sandstone decoration. Continue to a lacquerware workshop to see a demonstration of this traditional craft by a skilled artisan. See the mural paintings, protected by UNESCO, at the Myinkaba Gubyaukgyi Temple, and watch the sunset from the Shwesandaw Pagoda. Overnight at the hotel in Bagan.

Breakfast at the hotel. We visit the Nanpaya Temple, which is known for its fine masonry and interior design. It shows the strong Brahman influence on the Theravada Mon kings. Look out for the relief of the god Brahma: three of its faces can be seen, each with typical Mon features. These are said to represent King Manuha. The temple is sometimes called the Ganesh or Mahapeine Temple, after the elephant-headed Hindu god whose image once stood at the corners of its five diminishing rectangular terraces. Sightseeing continues at temples where many old murals and friezes can still be seen, as well as several old horoscopes painted to protect the building from damage. We then visit the Ananda Temple, built in 1091 and considered the masterpiece of Mon architecture. In the evening, we board a local boat for a slow sunset cruise on the Irrawaddy River. From the boat you see the daily life of fishermen and riverside villagers and a different view of Bagan's temples. Overnight at the hotel in Bagan.

5:30 am: depart from Bagan. 5:45 am: briefing on safety and on what to do and not to do on board. 6:00 am: breakfast. 10:30 am: demonstration of the longyi and thanaka. 12:00 pm: lunch. 3:00 pm: demonstration of Myanmar salad. 5:30 pm: arrive in Mandalay. On arrival in Mandalay, transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Mandalay.

Mandalay was the last capital of the Myanmar kingdom before the British annexation in 1885. The kingdom lasted only a short time, but the name Mandalay became widely known through Rudyard Kipling. The royal palace walls, surrounded by a moat, are one of the main sights; the palace was rebuilt after 1945, following the Second World War. We drive to the former capital of Amarapura and visit U Bein Bridge, the world's longest teak bridge. We then visit Mahagandayon Monastery, where more than a thousand monks live and study the Buddhist scriptures. If time allows, you can watch the monks take their last meal of the day in complete silence. We continue to Ava, the capital from the 14th to the 18th centuries, and visit by horse and carriage the old wooden Bagaya Monastery, the remains of the Royal Palace and fort, the Maha Aungmye Bonzan and the Htihlaing Shin Paya. Back in Mandalay, we visit the Mahamuni Pagoda, whose Buddha image is one of the most revered in the country and has been covered with hundreds of layers of gold leaf over the years. We then visit a marble carving workshop and a gold leaf workshop. Overnight in Mandalay.

After breakfast at the hotel, cross the Ayeyarwady River to Mingun, home to a large and well-known unfinished pagoda. You also visit the white Hsinbyume Pagoda and the Mingun Bell, the largest ringing bell in the world. Back in Mandalay, you have time to rest at the hotel, and in the afternoon you enjoy the view over the city from Mandalay Hill. Overnight in Mandalay.

After an early breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Heho on the Shan plateau. Visit Nga Hpe Chaung Monastery, which houses dozens of Shan Buddha images. Continue to Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the lake's main shrine, which contains five sacred Buddha images covered in gold leaf. We look at the local crafts of Inle Lake with a stop at a cheroot workshop, where traditional Burmese cigars are made by hand. We can also visit a local silk weaving workshop, built on stilts over the lake, where old-style hand looms are still used. If time permits, you can take a short walk through one of the lakeside villages. Overnight at the hotel at Inle Lake.

After breakfast at the hotel, visit Nga Hpe Chaung Monastery, which houses dozens of Shan Buddha images. Continue to Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the lake's main shrine, which contains five sacred Buddha images covered in gold leaf. We look at the local crafts of Inle Lake with a stop at a cheroot workshop, where traditional Burmese cigars are made by hand. We can also visit a local silk weaving workshop, built on stilts over the lake, where old-style hand looms are still used. We continue sightseeing on the lake with a visit to Indein village and its 17th-century pagodas. Indein is a small village on the western shore of Inle Lake. A Buddha image is enshrined in a whitewashed stupa on the summit of a hill. Around the hill below the stupa are hundreds of ancient stupas, most of them ruined and overgrown with bushes. The pagoda hill is quiet and calm, with a cool breeze and the sound of the bells hanging from the stupa's umbrella. The view from the top is a good reward for the climb. Indein lies at the end of the Indein creek, which joins Inle Lake just after the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda. The creek is narrow, with many twists and turns. Paddy fields line both banks, and you can see farmers ploughing and harrowing with water buffaloes. In many places, farmers dam the creek with bamboo barriers to irrigate the paddy fields. The water of Indein creek is used not only for irrigation but also for bathing and washing clothes, and you will see novice monks, young buffalo herders and village girls washing and swimming in the creek. Overnight at Inle Lake.

Breakfast at the hotel, then transfer to the airport for the domestic flight to Yangon. On arrival, continue to Kyaiktiyo, also known as the 'Golden Rock', a gold-leafed boulder balanced on the edge of a cliff. To get there, you ride in a private local truck from Kinpun base camp to the halfway point up the mountain. From there, you walk up the steep paths to the summit. If the walk is too demanding, you can be carried in a sedan chair by four porters. Watch the sun set over Kyaiktiyo. Overnight near the Golden Rock.

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and return to Kinpun base camp. You then continue to Mawlamyine, a journey of about 4 hours. On arrival, transfer to the hotel and check in. Afterwards, drive to Eindu to visit Saddan Cave and Kawgun Cave. Overnight at the hotel in Mawlamyine.

After breakfast at the hotel, you visit the local market, the Mahamuni Pagoda and Seindon Mibaya Kyaung. Then drive to Thanbyuzayat, 64 km south of Mawlamyine. This was the western terminus of the Burma-Siam Railway, known as the 'Death Railway'. The Allied War Cemetery lies west of the clock tower, on the south side of the road. You continue to the hand-weaving workshops of Mudon, then return to Mawlamyine. Overnight at the hotel in Mawlamyine.

After breakfast at the hotel, you return to Yangon. On the way, you make a short visit to Bago. Sightseeing in Bago includes the Shwethalyaung Pagoda, with its reclining Buddha, considered the most beautiful in the world; the Shwemawdaw Pagoda, one of the most venerated pagodas in Myanmar; the Mahazedi Pagoda; wood carving and cheroot-making workshops; the Kyaikpun Pagoda, with four large Buddha images seated back to back; and a Chinese temple. You also visit the Allied War Cemetery at Htaukkyant. Overnight at the hotel in Yangon.

Start exploring Yangon's colonial city centre, including Maha Bandula Park and the Town Hall near the Sule Pagoda, which dates back over 2,000 years. Next, visit the Bogyoke Aung San Market (Scott Market) for souvenir shopping (it is closed on Mondays) and Chaukhtatgyi, a large reclining Buddha image. In the afternoon, take a walk through the Indian quarter and Chinatown, finishing at the well-known 19th Street night market in Chinatown. Return to the hotel for the night.

Breakfast at the hotel, then transfer to Yangon International Airport for your departure flight. End of our services.