Myanmar Indepth Classic Tour, a mixture of everything (#2006)

Day 1: Yangon – Arrival (no meals)

Arrive at Yangon Airport, welcome by our local guide and transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon, sightseeing of Yangon starts with Sule Pagoda, dating back over 2000 years and have an afternoon tour of City Hall and other colonial buildings. From City Hall, walk to General Post office. On the way, you will pass Pansodan Street with its old colonial buildings such as the beautiful building of Port Authority, which was the head office building of Irrawaddy Flotilla Company in their golden colonial days. Enjoy a walk among the faded pastel shutters of colonial buildings in downtown Yangon. After that, drive to Mawtin Jetty to have a short Burmese style trickshaw ride. Overnight in Yangon.

Day 2: Yangon – Heho – Kalaw (1/2 day hiking) (B)

Take a morning flight to Heho. On arrival, drive to Kalaw (appr. 1 hour), a beautiful pine-clad hill station. In Kalaw, visit the market and downtown area. In the afternoon drive about 15 minutes to the north-west of the town. At a certain place, the car will stop and time to hike. The road and trail goes through beautiful scenery, as well as, orange and tea plantations. After 1½ to 2 hours you arrive Pane Hne Pin, a Palaung Tribal Village with a population of 600 people. These people make their living from agriculture and occasionally from hunting, and live in long houses, with 4-5 families sharing the single storied structures. From Pane Hne Pin you have to walk for 1 hr to reach another place on the highway to meet the car. Drive back to Kalaw (appr. 20 min.). Overnight in Kalaw.

Day 3: Kalaw – Pindaya – Inle Lake (B)

In the morning, drive to Pindaya (appr. 1½ hours drive), a charming village with its paper umbrella cottage industry. Visit the Pindaya cave, famous for its thousands of Buddha images and the paper umbrella cottage industry. Continue to Nyaung Shwe (appr. 3 hrs. drive), and have a photo stop at the Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, which is more than 150 years old. This monastery is a favourite spot for photographers because of its unusual oval shaped windows. Don’t miss the Shwe Yan Pyay Pagoda just next to the monastery.. Overnight at Inle Lake or in Nyaunghswe.

Day 4: Inle Lake (B)

Full day excursion on Inle Lake (25 km) famous for its unique one-leg rowers, typical floating gardens, local methods of fishing and village life and the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda housing five sacred and almost shapeless Buddha images, contorted because of the quantity of applied gold leaf, gifts from the believers. The Buddha images are reported to have come here in the 12th Century. In the afternoon, proceed to the silk weaving village of In Phaw Khon and visit Nga Phe Chaung (the biggest and oldest monastery around Inle Lake). Overnight at Inle Lake or in Nyaunghswe.

Day 5: Inle Lake – Heho – Amarapura – Mandalay (B)

After breakfast transfer to Heho airport for the flight to Mandalay. Upon arrival drive to Amarapura, the “City of Immortals”, and visit the 150 year old Mahagandayon monastery, the famous Buddhist learning center. It is home to a thousand monks, who will form a procession as they go to take their noon and final meal of the day. Amarapura was the capital of upper Burma until 1850. As was the custom, most of the important wooden palaces and monasteries were taken down and transported to the new capital in Mandalay. Apart from Pagodas that have survived, the ancient art of silk and cotton weaving, using handlooms, is very much alive. Visit the over 150 year old U Bein teak wood bridge. Overnight in Mandalay.

Day 6: Mandalay – Mingun – Mandalay (B)

After breakfast, drive up to Mandalay Hill, a vantage-point for panoramic view of the city. One famous song in Myanmar said “if you want to live long, you have to go Mandalay Hill”. Then visit the Shwenandaw Monastery, noted for its exquisite wood carvings, Atumashi Monastery, the “Incomparable Monastery”, and the Kuthodaw Pagoda, known as the world’s Biggest Book for its stone slabs of Buddhist scriptures. Then proceed to Mahamuni Pagoda, with its spectacular Buddha image covered in thick layers of gold leaf. In the afternoon, drive to Kywezon jetty to watch the busy riverside activity and take a local riverboat to the ancient capital of Mingun (appr. 1 hour per way). Visit the Settawya Pagoda, with a footprint of the Buddha, walk to the huge Mingun Bell, see the nearby unfinished Mingun Pagoda, built to be the world’s biggest pagoda and visit the Hsinbyume Pagoda, a reproduction of the mythological Mt. Meru. Then come back to Mandalay.
Overnight in Mandalay.

Day 7: Mandalay – Sagaing – Monywa (B)

After breakfast, drive to Sagaing, 21 km southwest of Mandalay. Visit Kaunghmudaw, an enormous dome shape Pagoda and after a short visit to the silversmith home industry proceed to Sagaing Hills, a retreat for Buddhist devotees with numerous Pagodas, monasteries and nunneries. Continue to Monywa (appr. 3 hrs. drive), a typical Myanmar town located on the bank of the Chindwin River. In the afternoon visit the Hindu style Than Buddhay Temple, unique in all of Myanmar, beautifully decorated with the most beautiful stucco work in the country. Finally go for sunset to the Alantayar Pagoda, sight of the largest reclining Buddha image in all of South East Asia, over 600 feet in length. Overnight in Monywa.

Day 8: Monywa – Pakokku – Bagan (B)

In the morning, drive to Pakokku, a bustling tobacco trading town. On the way, stop at the town of Yesagyo, where some home industries produce incense sticks, which are used all over Myanmar for offering Buddha and “nats” images. On arrival at Pakokku, also visit to some houses where they are making papier-mâché. Take a private boat and cross the mighty Ayeyarwaddy River to Bagan (appr. 1 ½ hours). Thousands of decaying pagodas rise majestically from the plain to create a timeless scene, saluting a glorious past. Overnight in Bagan.

Day 9: Bagan (B)

Full day sightseeing tour of Bagan with a diverse selection of the most important pagodas and temples, such as Shwezigon Pagoda, built by King Anawrahta in the early 11th century as a religious shrine; the Gu Byauk Gyi Temple (Wetkyi-in), a temple with exquisite murals of Jataka scenes; the Ananda Temple, with four huge standing Buddha images and numerous seated figures in niches around the galleried interior and the Shwe Gu Gyi Temple, noted for its fine stucco carvings and panoramic views of the area’s many monuments… and continue sightseeing of Bagan including Manuha Temple built in Mon style from 1059; Nanphaya Temple, said to have once been the residence of King Manuha; Enjoy sunset over the terraces of the Shwesandaw Pagoda.
Overnight in Bagan.

Day 10: Bagan – Sale – MT. Popa – Bagan (B)

After breakfast visit the colourful Nyaung OIo market and then drive to Sale (appr. 1 ½ hours), a religious centre with many more working monasteries than found in Bagan today. Visit the Payathonzu, with three shrines containing mural paintings, Nan Paya, the largest lacquer Buddha image in Myanmar, said to date to the 13th century and the Yoke Sone Monastery, the oldest surviving wooden monastery in Bagan area.) Continue to Mt. Popa and visit the great extinct volcano. Rising out of the shimmering heat, the solitary volcanic crag of Mt. Popa is home to Myanmar’s most powerful “nats”. Visit the Nat Museum with its life-sized statues of the 37 Nat Gods. Walk up the steps to the stupas and shrines that top the hill above the museum, seeing many pilgrims along the way. In the afternoon, drive back to Bagan (appr. 1 hr). On the way visit some villages and watch the collection of juice from the palm trees, and its conversion into palm sugar. Overnight in Bagan.

Day 11: Bagan – Yangon (B)

After breakfast transfer to the airport for the flight to Yangon. Afternoon sightseeing starts with the Chaukhtatkyi Pagoda (a huge reclining Buddha), Karaweik Hall, a Royal floating barge on the Royal Lake for a photo stop. Late in the afternoon, visit the Shwedagon Pagoda described by Somerset Maugham: “The Shwedagon rose superb, glistening with its gold, like a sudden hope in the dark night of the soul of which the mystics write, glistening against the fog and smoke of the thriving city.” This massive bell-shaped stupa rises nearly 100 meters above its hill-top surroundings. Wander through this magnificent structure and its courtyards, stupas, bells, Temples, and Buddha images, and see religious and secular visitors from all parts of the globe. Shwedagon has become the symbol of Myanmar. Enjoy the sunset over the Pagoda. Overnight in Yangon.

Day 12: Yangon – Departure (B)

After breakfast continue sightseeing of Yangon: the splendid National Museum, including the gem-studded royal regalia and the Lion Throne of King Mindon and King Thibaw, the last kings of the Myanmar Kingdom. In the afternoon you have enough time to wander around the sprawling Bogyoke Market through fascinating local neighborhoods. Transfer to the Yangon International Airport for the departure flight.

Prices until 31.12.2024

The price can change according to the very unstable exchange rate from the local currency Kyats to the USD
Price is nett per person in US$, twin shared basis, tax, service charge included in the party of

Price inclusive

• Breakfast and accommodation sharing a double/twin room.
• Domestic flights with with Air Mandalay, Air Bagan, Asian Wings, Yangon Air or Air Kanbawza
• Boats on Inle Lake, to Mingun and from Pakokku to Bagan
• Air-con car/van/bus throughout the tour
• English speaking guide throughout the tour (except on day 4 for the sightseeing on Inle Lake). (Please note: guides will be on hand from pick-up until guests’ return to their hotel or reaching their destination). Free days or part days will not include the services of a guide unless requested and included in the final itinerary.
• Entrance fees as indicated in the itinerary
• Porter fees at the airports and jetties..

Price exclusive

• International flight tickets and airport tax from/to Yangon
• Visas fees
• Early check-in and late check-out
• Porter fees at the hotels
• Camera fees (if any)
• Travel insurance
• Dinners, except as specified above
• Drinks, gratuities and personal expenses, bank handling fees, balloon over Bagan, etc…

Hotels used for superior class