15 Days Myanmar – A glimpse of the old Burma

Day 01 (Friday / Monday) YANGON / Arrival

Upon arrival at Yangon International Airport: welcome by our local tour guide and transfer to hotel. On your first walk through the city centre of Yangon and to the riverbank, you will see many notable sites from the colonial and religious past of this garden city. Old Rangoon was built based on designs by Dr William Montgomerie. He was a senior military physician who learnt about construction planning from Sir Stanford Raffles in Singapore. All culturally significant buildings in Yangon are listed as historic monuments. You’ll then enjoy ‘high tea’ at the Strand Hotel which was built in 1896 and was formerly known as the ‘the finest hostelry East of Suez’. Afterwards, you’ll go to the Botataung Pagoda where a sacred hair relic of Buddha is kept. You will spend the night in Yangon.

Day 02 (Saturday / Tuesday) YANGON (B)

After breakfast, you’ll travel through rural areas on the City Circular Train, with the opportunity to see cigarette sellers, betel nut traders, fortune tellers and much more at the various stops. Back in the city, you’ll visit the National Museum with the Lion Throne, which belonged to the last king of Myanmar, and the royal regalia from the Burmese kingdom of the 19th century. In the afternoon, you’ll visit the Kyaukhtatgyi Pagoda which features a 70-metre long reclining Buddha, the Kandawgyi Lake and its royal barge (with an opportunity to take pictures), and in the late afternoon, the world-famous Shwedagon Pagoda which Somerset Maugham described as follows: ‘The Shwedagon rises majestically, 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 100 metres above the surrounding mountains. You’ll wander through this magnificent building and its courtyards, stupas, bells, temples and statues of Buddha, and observe religious and secular visitors from all over the world. Shwedagon is the symbol of Myanmar. You can enjoy the sunset over the pagoda. You will spend the night in Yangon.

Day 03 (Sunday / Wednesday) YANGON – BAGAN (B)

ransfer to airport for your early morning flight to Bagan (departure time between 06:00 and 07:00), once the most important temple and pagoda city in Southeast Asia, on the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwady. Upon arrival, traditional breakfast in a local teahouse. 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, 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. In the afternoon, travel by horse-drawn carriage to Myinkaba, which is located two kilometres south of Bagan. This village is known for its lacquerware and also has a number of interesting temples, such as the Nanphaya Temple, which is reputed to have been the residence of King Manuha at one time, and the Gu Byauk Gyi Temple, with its extremely beautiful interior frescos. From the top of one of the higher pagodas, you can round off the day by enjoying the sunset view of the pagoda fields and the Ayeyarwady River. You will stay overnight in Bagan.

Day 04 (Monday / Thursday) BAGAN (B)

After breakfast, you will have enough time to go for a stroll around the picturesque market at Nyaung Oo. Then take a boat ride up the Ayeyarwady and visit the Kyauk Gu U Min Temple, a so-called ‘rock cave tunnel’ with interesting stone reliefs. On the way back down the river, the boat stops off at the Bupaya Pagoda, which, due to its cylindrical shape, is considered to be one of Bagan’s oldest pagodas. From there, it is just a short walk to the Mahabodhi Temple. You will have the afternoon free. Overnight stay in Bagan.

Day 05 (Tuesday / Friday) BAGAN – RV PAUKAN 2007 (B, L, D)

After breakfast, transfer to jetty and boarding of the RV Paukan. The delightful Paukan is a boutique hotel on the river. The ship is furnished with a unique combination of modern and traditional themes. The wood-panelled cabins are fitted with colonial-style cupboards, wardrobes and doors. The ceilings, however, are traditional Myanmar. Departure time is 12:00 noon. Lunch is served at 13:00. In the afternoon, you will arrive at Thein Gone, a charming little village just 10 kilometres south of Pakokku. You will have enough time here for a visit. Dinner and overnight stay on board the RV Paukan.

Day 06 (Wednesday / Saturday) RV PAUKAN 2007 (B, L, D)

Arrival in Yandabo, a rarely visited village that can only be reached by riverboat. You will take a walk through the potters’ village and watch the craftspeople perform their traditional work. Walk to the approx. 400 year-old monastery. Journey onward to the country’s lifeline, the Ayeyarwady River, en route to Mandalay. Dinner and overnight stay on board the RV Paukan.

Day 07 (Thursday / Sunday) RV PAUKAN 2007 – MANDALAY (B)

Upon arrival in Mandalay (approx. 10:00 a.m.), visit the Mahamuni Pagoda--with its gilded Mahamuni Buddha, the oldest Buddhist statue in Myanmar--and some of the famous craft workshops (wood carvings, marble workshops or gold leaf production). In the afternoon, visit the Shwenandaw Monastery, which is famous for its exquisite wooden carvings, and the Kuthodaw Pagoda, which, owing to its stone tablets with Buddhist inscriptions, is famous for containing the world's largest book. Later on, enjoy the sunset from Mandalay Hill, a vantage point offering panoramic views of the city. You will spend the night in Mandalay. You will spend the night in Mandalay.

Day 08 (Friday / Monday) MANDALAY – AMARAPURA – SAGAING – MANDALAY (B, L)

After breakfast, travel to Amarapura. The ‘City of Immortality’, located around eleven kilometres south of Mandalay, was the capital of Upper Burma until 1850. Along with the surviving pagodas, the ancient silk- and cotton-weaving tradition using handlooms is very much alive there. You will take a rowing boat across Taungthaman Lake to the picturesque village of Taungthaman; return to Amarapura via the U Bein bridge, which, at 1,200 metres in length, is one of the world’s longest teakwood bridges; and visit a mill where the art of weaving is still performed using handlooms.
Then cross the Ava Bridge towards Sagaing, located 21 kilometres south-west of Mandalay, a place of refuge for devout Buddhists, with its various pagodas, monasteries and convents. After lunch with the monks or nuns, who will provide you with a glimpse of everyday life in a monastery, visit the village of Sagaing at the foot of Sagaing Mountain, with its markets, shops and restaurants; the Tilawkaguru Cave Monastery, with its murals; and the Soon U Ponya Shin Pagoda, which was built in 1312. This location offers outstanding views of Sagaing. You will spend the night in Mandalay.

Day 09 (Saturday / Tuesday) MANDALAY – HEHO – NYAUNG SHWE – INLE LAKE (F)

Transfer to airport for your morning flight to Heho, in Shan State. Upon arrival, travel to Nyaung Shwe (about a one-hour journey), a small town located at the northern end of Inle Lake. This is the starting point for boat trips along Inle Lake (25 kilometres in length), which is known for its unique one-leg rowers, typical floating gardens, local methods of fishing and village life out on the water. Visit the silk weaving village of In Phaw Khon, have a look at a small family business that produces home-grown cigars (‘cheerots’) and take a canoe trip through the floating gardens. The floating flowerbeds are tied together in shallow water, which is mostly only around three metres deep, and produce abundant fruits which can be harvested several times a year. You will spend the night on Inle Lake.

Day 10 (Sunday / Wednesday) INLE LAKE (B, L)

A two-and-a-half-hour boat ride will take you to the area of Sangha and Hmawbi. Here, you will have the opportunity to experience the original culture and traditional lifestyle of the Pao and Intha people. Visit Kyauktaing, a small Shan village known for its pottery-making, and the village of Kyainkhan, where both monks’ robes (made from thousands of lotus stems) and strong alcohol (CS-Country Spirit) are produced. Lunch at the Thakong Pagoda. You will return to your hotel in the afternoon. Overnight stay on Inle Lake.

Day 11 (Monday / Thursday) INLE LAKE – NYAUNG SHWE – HEHO – THANDWE – NGAPALI BEACH (B)

After breakfast: transfer to Heho Airport and flight to Thandwe. Upon arrival in Thandwe, transfer to beach hotel/resort and check-in. The lush green coconut trees and the beachside terrain create a peaceful, luxurious and exotic atmosphere. Overnight stay at Ngapali Beach.

Day 12 (Tuesday / Friday) – 13 (Wednesday / Saturday) NGAPALI BEACH (B)

Enjoy your stay at Ngapali Beach. The area of Ngapali is a good place to relax underneath swaying palm trees and casuarina trees. The beach stretches for 3 kilometres. You can visit the neighbouring fishing villages, where the fishermen cast and reel in their drift nets in the early morning before loading their baskets with their daily catch in the late afternoon. The women then take away these fishing baskets on foot and come back with lunch for their husbands. Overnight stay at Ngapali Beach.

Day 14 (Thursday / Sunday) NGAPALI BEACH – THANDWE – YANGON (B)

Your day is free up until the airport transfer and return flight to Yangon. Upon arrival in Yangon, transfer to hotel and check-in. Rest of the day free at your own leisure. You will spend the night in Yangon.

Day 15 (Friday / Monday) YANGON / Departure (B)

Transfer to airport for your return flight.