Highlights of Myanmar
Myanmar is a land of wonder and will surely enchant visitors. Formerly known as Burma, it is often referred to as the Golden Land. A visit to Myanmar is like going back time. It has kept its culture and spirituality where magnificent temples, revered monks and holy men are just part of the everyday scenery. On this journey you will visit Yangon, Mandalay, take a boat ride up the mighty Irrawaddy, see the multitude of pagodas in Bagan, visit an elephant sanctuary in Kalaw, and visit the majestic Inle Lake.
Pricing
Private tour starting at $4,499* CAD per person, based on double occupancy
13 Days – Yangon to Yangon
Your package includes
- 12 night accommodation in double occupancy
- Transfers to/from airports to hotels by private car
- Domestic flights as per itinerary
- Sightseeing with private English speaking local guides
- Meals as per itinerary
- Air conditioned vehicles
- Daily water bottle during visits.
Not included
- International airfare and airport taxes
- Visa for Myanmar · Myanmar airport departure tax: USD10 (subject to change)
- Gratuities
- Beverages
- Optional excursions
- Note: A visa is required to enter Myanmar
Day
Day 1
Location(s)
Yangon
Meals
Description
Arrive in Yangon. After visa and passport formalities you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
Accommodation: Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon (2 nights)
Day 2
Yangon
Breakfast, Lunch
Yangon lies in the fertile delta of southern Myanmar, on the wide Yangon River. The city is filled with treeshaded boulevards, while shimmering stupas float above the treetops. The city became the capital only in 1885, when the British completed the conquest of Upper Myanmar and Mandalay’s brief period as capital of the last Burmese kingdom ended.
Visit Shwedagon Pagoda – The highlight of any visit to Yangon, the Shwedagon Pagoda dates back about 2600 years and was built to house eight sacred hairs of the Buddha.
Walking tour around Colonial buildings nearby Sule Pagoda.
Day 3
Yangon – Mandalay
Breakfast
Transfer to the airport to take flight from Yangon to Mandalay. Arrive Mandalay and transfer to the city.
Sightseeing in Mandalay – The last capital of royal Burma, Mandalay is still one of the largest cities in Myanmar, and a cultural and spiritual centre. Neighbouring Sagaing is home to over sixty per cent of the country’s monks, while the artisans of Mandalay continue to turn out the finest crafts in Myanmar.
Visit Mandalay Hill and take an easy climb up the sheltered steps to see panoramic views over the palace, Mandalay and the paya-studded countryside. Visit Shwenandaw Kyaung, a monastery of great interest, not only as a fine example of a traditional Burmese wooden monastery, but as a fragile reminder of the old Mandalay Fort. Afterward, visit Kuthodaw Paya. The central stupa of the Kuthodaw Paya was modelled on the Shwezigon Paya at Nyaung U near Bagan.
Accommodation: Mercure Mandalay Hill Resort (F.Mandalay Hill Resort) (2 nights)
Day 4
Mandalay – Mingun – Inwa – Mandalay
Breakfast, Lunch
Excursion to Mingun and Inwa (Ava) with boat trip (Sic boat) (8 hours)
Travel upriver by boat to Mingun, passing fishing villages, market boats, women washing clothes, and children playing in the water. Explore the ruins of the vast Mingun Paya, a monument to human ambition. Had it been completed its size would have dwarfed all contemporary pagodas. Continue by vehicle to Inwa (previously known as Ava), another former royal capital but now a quiet rural oasis situated on the banks of the Irrawaddy River. Enjoy a leisurely ride by horse and cart around the peaceful countryside, briefly visiting Bagaya Kyaung, a beautiful teak wood monastery; Maha Aungmyay Bonza Kyaung; and Nan Myint Tower. On the way, stop and observe how local artisans make the famous alms bowls out of iron.
Day 5
Mandalay – Bagan
Breakfast, Lunch
Depart for Bagan by boat. Cruise aboard the RV Panorama for a relaxing 10-hour journey to Bagan (no guide on board). Cast off at 6am. Cruise along the Ayerawaddy River and take in the surrounding scenery and countryside. Arrive in Bagan around 5pm and transfer to your hotel (the boat journey might be replaced by a flight if Boat Company does not operate). Special note: The cruise (MDL-BGN) operates daily (unless the chartered cruise is booked on that day).
Accommodation: Aureum Palace Hotel & Resort (3 nights)
Day 6
Bagan
Breakfast, Lunch
Bagan is a spectacular plain stretching away from the Ayeyarwaddy River, dotted with thousands of 800-year-old temple ruins. Although human habitation at Bagan dates back almost to the beginning of the Christian era, Bagan only entered its golden period in 1057 Ad.
Visit Ananda Pahto, one of the finest, largest, best preserved and most revered of the Bagan temples. Visit Sulamani Temple built in 1181 and is one of the best examples of the later, more sophisticated temple styles, followed by a Dhammayangyi Temple with its fine brickwork and Thatbyinnyu Pahto, rising up to 61 metres.
Visit temples for sunset by horse cart (2 hours) – Take a break from the rhythms of modern life and explore some neighboring temples in an old-fashioned horse drawn buggy. (The duration of the horse ride is approximately 1-2 hours, depending on the length of temple visits).
Day 7
Bagan – Mt. Popa – Bagan
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Excursion to Salay (4 hours) – Explore local life in this unspoiled Burmese town of Salay. Visit the Yoke Son Kyaung, the oldest surviving wooden monastery. Continue to wander around the town and the market. Visit Mann Paya- a modern pagoda housing a 6m gold Buddha made of straw lacquer.
After lunch, return to Bagan with a stop by a palm village. Stop at a typical village, where villages demonstrate how they press palm juice and oils from the native plants, make jaggery from the sugars, and weave baskets from the palm leaves.
Visit Mount Popa, a cylindrical hill that rises sharply from the surrounding plain and is considered to be the home of Myanmar’s most important nats (spirits). Take pleasure in cruising on the river and witness the golden sun setting beyond the mountains. Upon arrival back in Bagan, enjoy dinner and a traditional puppet show.
Day 8
Bagan – Kalaw
Breakfast, Lunch
By vehicle from Bagan to Kalaw (258 kms). Come straight to Magway elephant camp to an elephant village and see the life of mahouts with their families. Time to introduce the elephants and feed them their daily prepared food. Then proceed to the river where you can help bathe the elephants. Lunch will be served at the main camp. You are also welcome to join in on planting regional trees from the nursery in their forest recovery efforts. Return to the main camp and enjoy the view through the valley. Drive back to Kalaw and overnight.
Accommodation: Kalaw Heritage Hotel
Day 9
Kalaw – Inle Lake
Breakfast
Transfer to the train station for the train to Aung Ban. Arrive and continue by vehicle to Inle Lake, then transfer by boat to your hotel.
Accommodation: Aureum Palace Hotel & Resort (3 nights)
Day 10
Kalaw – Inle Lake
Breakfast, Lunch
Enjoy a boat ride on Inle Lake and discover its calm serenity and still waters. Rolling high hills hug the lake on all sides, as the lake’s shore and islands host 17 villages on stilts, mostly inhabited by the Intha people. Enjoy the awe-inspiring scenery and meditate on the one-of-a-kind skill of the local fishermen who use their legs in a unique rowing technique to glide themselves gracefully around the lake. Visit the enchanting floating gardens, a teeming market and an Intha village around the lake. The DAY also includes a visit to the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, Inn Paw Khon Village (Lotus and silk weaving villages) and the Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery. Visit a cheroot factory and rest of the DAY at leisure.
Day 11
Inle Lake
Breakfast, Lunch
Travel by boat to the western shore of the lake to a stairway leading to the hidden Indein temple complex. Located on the shore of the lake, this site consists of hundreds of small stupas overgrown by moss and greens. Explore the village of Nam Pan, where the local villagers work in the traditional workshops building boats or producing cheroots (Burmese cigars). The village consists of houses on stilts resting just above the water of the lake.
Day 12
Inle Lake – Heho – Yangon
Breakfast
Depart Inle by boat and car back to Heho. Board a flight to Yangkok. Arrive and transfer to your hotel for your last night in Myanmar!
Accommodation: Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon
Day 13
Yangon
Breakfast
Transfer to the airport.
*Hotel rooms are subject to availability and are confirmed by the supplier at time of booking; they may be replaced by other hotel rooms of similar category at the sole discretion of the supplier.
Interested in the itinerary above? Click on the “START PLANNING” button below and reference “Highlights of Myanmar” in the form, or give us a call at 587.997.5969 to book.
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*Prices are per person, based on double occupancy and subject to change and availability.