CULTURAL TOURS

13-Day Myanmar Classic

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DAY 01          ARRIVE YANGON

Upon arrival at YANGON airport, you will be welcomed by your Asian Tour guide and transferred to your hotel. Your journey begins with an afternoon tour through Yangon’s colonial-style city center. Visit SULE PAGODA, dating back over 2,000 years ago, stroll through the BOGYOKE (SCOTTS) MARKET, a compound of hundreds of food, garment, handicraft and gem stores and the magnificent reclining Buddha CHAUK HTAT GYI. Complete your first day in Myanmar with a visit to one of the world’s most spectacular monuments, the SHWEDAGON PAGODA.
Overnight stay at in Yangon.

DAY 02          YANGON - KYAIKTIYO (GOLDEN ROCK)

After breakfast, drive to BAGO (84 km - 1½ hours). Sightseeing to a thousand years old SHWEMAWDAW PAGODA with its spire taller than the SHWEDAGON PAGODA, you will proceed to the KIN PUN 'base camp' (110 km - 3 ½ hours).
The tour will continue to one of Myanmar's landmarks, famous for its precarious position and religious importance, KYAIKTIYO the 'Golden Rock' is a huge boulder completely covered by gold leaf and delicately balanced on the edge of a cliff. To reach the pagoda from KIN PUN base camp a steep 11 km road leads to the upper staging point. The journey is made in open trucks. The 'upper area' must be traveled by foot, at present, and the walk is approximately 4 km (1 hour) up a steep path ascending some 500m to the GOLDEN ROCK on top of the mountain range. If you wish to take a more comfortable approach, you can sit back and be carried in sedan chairs by four porters. This will incur an extra cost of approx. On arrival you can enjoy great views over the surrounding jungle and a beautiful sunset.
Overnight stay at in Kyaikhtiyo.

DAY 03          YANGON - BAGO – KYAIKTIYO (GOLDEN ROCK)

After breakfast you will return to YANGON (194 km - 5 hours). En-route visit Bago including the 55-meter long reclining SHWE THA LYAUNG Buddha, which is among one of the country's most impressive images as well as the four giant Buddha images at KYAIK PUN PAGODA. After visiting a 'Mon' weaving and handicraft village producing woven bamboo wares continue to Yangon. Stop en-route by an Allied War Graves cemetery near HTAUK KYAN and a "Nat" tree shrine.
Overnight stay in Yangon.

DAY 04          YANGON - HEHO (BY FLIGHT) - INLE LAKE

After early breakfast, transfer to airport for domestic flight to HEHO. Upon arrival, drive to NYAUNG SHWE (25 km – 1 hour) and take the boat ride to Inle Lake. Day excursion by boat on the Inle Lake will include sights of the famous leg rowers, typical floating gardens, local methods of fishing, village life and magnificent scenery. You will visit the
PHAUNG DAW OO PAGODA, one of the most sacred shrines in Myanmar, dating back to the 18th century; SILVER SMITH, BLACK SMITH AND WEAVING WORKSHOPS in YWA-MA and INPAWKHON and the NGA PHE KYAUNG MONASTERY (JUMPING CAT MONASTERY), wonderfully carved wooden floating monastery and famous for its jumping cats trained by monks.
Overnight stay in Inle Lake.

DAY 05          INLE LAKE

After breakfast, enjoy the boat excursion the whole day. Visit the Market (Market day only) and proceed to the Western Shore of Inle Lake, where you will find the beginning of a stair path leading to the well hidden INN THEIN PAGODA complex. Enjoy the visits in hilltribe villages.
Overnight stay in Inle Lake.

DAY 06          INLE LAKE – PINDAYA – HEHO - MANDALAY

After breakfast, return by boat to NYAUNG SHWE and proceed by road to PINDAYA (110 km, 4 hours) through the Shan Hills. Visit to PINDAYA CAVE, a unique site housing thousands of Buddha images placed there by pilgrims and devotees over the centuries. After lunch, drive to HEHO airport (60 km – 2 ½ hour) for domestic flight to MANDALAY. Upon arrival, transfer directly to your hotel.
Overnight stay in Mandalay.

DAY 07          MANDALAY – AMARAPURA - MANDALAY

After breakfast, excursion to AMARAPURA, 15 km from Mandalay to visit MAHAGANDAYON MONASTERY where more than a thousand monks live and study. Time permitting you will have the opportunity to observe the monks having their last meal of the day in total silence. Then, visit also one of the most revered religious monuments of Myanmar, the MAHAMUNI PAGODA. Mandalay is also a major arts and crafts center. Visit a Kalaga tapestry craftsmen’s shop.
In the afternoon, experience the sights and sounds of Mandalay including the SHWE INBIN MONASTERY; the GOLDEN PALACE MONASTERY, a superb example of a traditional wooden building and KUTHODAW PAGODA the world’s largest book made of marble. Then proceed to MANDALAY HILL for sunset.
Overnight stay in Mandalay.

DAY 08          MANDALAY – MINGUN - AVA – SAGAING - MANDALAY

After breakfast, an excursion by boat on the Ayeyarwaddy River to MINGUN, about 11 km (1 hour) upriver from Mandalay. Visit the unfinished MINGUN PAYA, which was meant to become the largest stupa in Myanmar constructed by King Bodaw Paya one of the world’s largest bells; the 90 ton weighing MINGUN BELL and HSINBYUME PAYA. Return back to Mandalay.
In the afternoon, drive to SAGAING and visit KHAUNG MU DAW PAGDOA. Embark for a short boat ride over a river and explore the former Royal Capital INWA (AVA) by horse cart. Visit NANMYINT WATCH TOWER, the remains of the ancient palace building, also know as “the leaning tower of Ava“; MAHA AUNGMYE BONZAN MONASTERY, built of brick and stucco; BARGAYAR MONASTERY, famous for its impressive ornate woodcarvings and teak posts. Continue to 200-year-old U BEIN
teak bridge, built in 1782 during the era when Amarapura was the Royal capital for sunset viewing.
Overnight stay in Mandalay.

DAY 09          MANDALAY - MONYWA

After breakfast, proceed to MONYWA (150 km - 4 hours). Visit en route the THANBODDHAY PAGODA; where 845 small stupas surround and rise up to the richly decorated central stupa. The pagoda is built to remind of Mt Meru and has some similar characteristics to Borobudur of Java. Then check-in at your hotel.
Afternoon cross the CHINDWIN RIVER by ferry boat and proceed by pick-up or jeep (40 km - 1 hour) to PO WIN TAUNG, a network of impressive sandstone caves containing Buddha statues, wood carvings and fine mural paintings, some dating back to the 15th century. Dozens of large and small caves with about 450,000 images are hidden in the area of the Hpo Win Hills.
Overnight stay in Monywa.

DAY 10          MONYWA – PAKOKKU - BAGAN

After breakfast, drive to PAKOKKU (110 km – 4 hours), a port city set south of the CHINDWIN confluence. On the way you will stop in PAKHANGYI to visit one of the oldest ornate teak monasteries of the country. There is also a possibility to observe weaving process of typical Myanmar cotton blankets. Continue by boat, on the AYEYARWADDY RIVER, to BAGAN. This down river trip takes approximately 2 hours. (Please note: travel time is subject to change depending on the water level.) Upon arrival to Bagan, transfer to your hotel.
Overnight stay in Bagan.

DAY 11          BAGAN

After breakfast, stroll through the colorful local market and continue the day with visits to the most significant pagodas and temples of Bagan including SHWEZIGON PAGODA, built by King Anawrahta in the early 11th century
as a religious shrine; HTILOMINLO TEMPLE, noted for its plaster carvings and KHAY MIN GA TEMPLE, noted for its panoramic view of the area’s numerous monuments.
In the afternoon learn of manufacturing Myanmar’s most treasured handicrafts and visit a lacquer ware craftsmen’s workshop in nearby MYINKABA village. Later continue to MANUHA TEMPLE, built in Mon style in 1059 and explore the MYINGABA GU BYAUKGYI TEMPLE, a temple known for its famous UNESCO protected mural paintings. Finish the day of sightseeing by watching sunset over Myanmar’s longest river, Ayeyarwaddy from the SHWE SAN DAW PAGODA.
Overnight stay in Bagan.

DAY 12          BAGAN – YANGON (BY FLIGHT)

After breakfast, visit to TAYOKEPYAY TEMPLE in Min Nan Thu Village; PHAYA THONE ZU and NANDAMANYA TEMPLES noted for their exquisite murals of 13th century and KYAT KAN CAVE monastery, a famous meditation retreat in Bagan.
In the afternoon, visit ANANDA TEMPLE, with four standing Buddha images before transferred to Bagan Airport for domestic flight to YANGON.
Overnight stay in Yangon.

Optional : Experience the magic of Bagan and a thousand years of history from the enchanting platform of a hot air balloon, for the first time ever. ‘Balloons over Bagan’ offers visitors exclusive sunrise champagne flights over the ancient pagodas of Bagan from late October to April. Supplement : US$.250 nett per person

DAY 13          DEPART YANGON

Breakfast at hotel. Visit the fascinating YANGON GLASS FACTORY to watch the production of mouth-blown glass in the old-fashioned way and the KABA AYE (WORLD PEACE) PAGODA and the MAHAPASANA CAVE, Then, transfer to airport for International departure.

Itinerary is subject to changes depending on flights, road conditions and availability of rooms.