Experience Myanmar

Myanmar visa now can be obtained online! After completing immigration and customs formalities, meet your guide at the arrival gate! You may want to change some money at the counter by the gate before you leave the airport. Following introductions with your guide and driver transfer to the hotel for check-in.

You will have time to settle into your room before your guide leads you on a walking tour of the downtown or the Central Business District. Explore the city center and its fabulous mix of colonial architecture and sites. Yangon- the former British colonial capital, has the highest number of colonial period buildings in Southeast Asia. We will take a trishaw along the strand road and visit the famous Strand Hotel- one of the most beautiful examples of colonial buildings of the bygone era! If you wish, you will have time to enjoy the high tea and snacks in the elegant Strand Café (Pay on your own). 

Late afternoon when it's cooler, we proceed to Shwedagon Pagoda, which is the highlight of many trips to Myanmar. Three hundred feet tall, the gold-gilded bell-shaped pagoda is the landmark of Myanmar. It is also among the most sacred temples of Myanmar as it enshrines the hair relics of Buddha! We learn about the 2600 years old history of the pagoda and join the devout pilgrims walking in the clockwise direction around the pagoda. There are several other small chapels and temples around with devotees busy in performing rituals and prayers. If you wait till after sunset, you will get the opportunity to see the lighting ceremony.

We will also take a chance to meet a monk and learn about the monkhood and monastic lifestyle.

After leisurely morning breakfast, check out hotel around 10 a.m. We start the day with a visit to Kyaukhtatgyi Pagoda (Pronounced as Chauk Htat Gyi), known for a 65m or 213 feet long and 16 m or 52.5 ft high, reclining Buddha statue with murals depicting the life Buddha and the feet contains the traditional symbols. There are eight smaller images around the main image, and each represents a day of the week of Asian astrology. Do not be surprised as Wednesday is split into two days! Burmese people pray to the image that represents the day of their birth!

Nearby is the Kandawgyi Lake, where we can see the glittering Karaweik Barge, a replica of Royal Barge. We can also see the views of vast Lake and Shwe Dagon Pagoda in the background.  

After lunch, visit the famous Bogyoke Market, formerly Scott's Market-known for its colonial architecture and inner cobblestone streets. There are more than 2000 shops and stalls, dominated by antique, Burmese handicraft and jewelry shops, art galleries, and clothing stores. (Note: The market remains closed on Monday).

Around 4 pm, your guide will transfer you to the train station. We take an exciting overnight train journey to Mandalay. (Current departure time is 5 pm, arriving Mandalay at 8 am). The slow 404 miles journey on a colonial railway line will give you a lot of memorable experiences! You can see different sceneries of the countryside such as green fields, villages, small towns, the struggling lives of the majority of the people. On the stops at the train stations, you will see a lot of street snack sellers. The cities, towns, and villages sleep quietly under the dim lights.

The train journey is long and a bit bumpy, but you will go "behind-the-scenes" and get a closer look at the real lives of local people. You will miss this if you take flight.

A packed box of dinner will be provided to eat on board. 

Upon arrival, meet your Mandalay guide at the train station. Proceed with him to a local tea-shop for breakfast. The main culinary dish of the city is “Nan Gyi Tok,“ an exceptional noodle salad. You will experience the lively and active atmosphere and authentic local food that you will miss in tourist restaurants.

Now, transfer to the hotel for check-in. After wash up and change, proceed for the exploration of Mandalay and the former capitals. We first visit the Mahamuni Pagoda- a highly revered temple of Myanmar. This 13 ft high image is believed to be the exact likeness of Buddha as it was cast during Buddha's lifetime. And also, Buddha himself is believed to have breathed life upon it!

Now, we drive up the Sagaing Hill and visit U Min Thonzeh Pagoda. This pagoda contains 45 beautiful gilded Buddha images in a crescent-shaped colonnade, partly built into the side of the Sagaing Hill. Each statue is different in size and facial expression! The number 45 relates to the number of years Gautam Buddha lived after getting enlightened!

Today, we possibly visit a nunnery and meet the nuns, an opportunity to learn about monastic life.

Our next destination is the former royal capital of Innwa (Ava), located on an island between the Ayeyarwady and the Myitnge Rivers. It was the capital of Burma from the 14th century until 1839 A.D. We explore the remains of the ancient city that includes the old watchtowers, city walls, monasteries, and temples.

The final stop of the day will be at Amarapura- a former capital. We tour the ancient city, and when it's sunset time, we visit the U Bein Bridge- Burma's one of the most photographed attractions! U Bein- a teak bridge stretches close to 3936 ft. or 1200 m across Taungthaman Lake. While the bridge remains busy throughout the day, it creates the most captivating scenery at dusk. Some sights to see are fishermen in the still waters, monks streaming crimson from one end to the other. And also the locals biking from shore to shore on their way home from work. You will love standing at the side and watching the world go by, leaving you awe-stricken, wide-eyed and smiling.

A small canoe will be at your disposal if you wish to watch the sun fade over the water.

Optional: Mandalay by Nights

Not a part of the tour but if you wish, you can experience the night in the city by motorbike! You will ride through the busy streets of Mandalay, as you experience what its nightlife has to offer. Enjoy the warm breeze as you journey back seat with your local driver.

With prior arrangement, your motorbike driver will pick you up at your hotel. You will then speed off into the frantic streets of Mandalay until you reach the vibrant vegetable market. After exploring the colorful vendor spreads, hop back onto your private motorbike to grab some of Mandalay's most infamous street food. Savor some of the best crispy duck the city has to offer and wash it down with a chilled Myanmar beer or soft drink.

After satisfying your appetite, head off to enjoy a performance, a traditional Daw Ma Ma Naing Marionette show. Finally, before being transferred back to your hotel, stop at a district beer station to sip on some cold drinks, enjoy snacks, and dance to the roaring music.

An opportunity to experience Myanmar from a different perspective! Some villages are accessible only by boat, and so they are away from the tourist crowds! This cruising trip offers you an opportunity to experience the rural life of Myanmar and meet the innocent and friendliest people of Myanmar.

We check out the hotel early morning and transfer to the jetty in time for breakfast on board with a beautiful sunrise view from the deck. Today, we cruise downstream Ayerawaddy River, enjoying the natural scenery and life along the river. You will enjoy Myanmar cuisine at lunch.

Onboard, the crews demonstrate how to wear Longyi- the national costume and Thanatkha paste that Burmese women apply on their cheeks as protection against the sun! We will take a side excursion of a typical village on the way.

Enjoy the sunset view over the river, and by now, it's time to dock. Meet your local guide and transfer to the hotel.

Following breakfast, your guide will take you for the exploration of the ancient city of Bagan. We ride an electric bike- clearly, the best way to explore the temples! We first visit the Thagyar Pone Temple that offers spectacular views over the surrounding plains. This tour gives a perfect introduction to the grandeur and scope of Bagan’s architecture.

Next, we ride to Myinkaba Village and visit Gubyaukgyi Temple, renowned for its gorgeous mural paintings on its inner walls and well-preserved plaster carvings on its exterior. Nearby is Manuha Temple and Nan Paya Temple, two smaller temples with beautiful Buddha statues and stonework.

Without learning about Bagan's lacquerware and wood crafts, the trip will be incomplete! So, we stop in the craft workshops and watch the skilled craftsmen using techniques passed down through generations to create beautiful items. You will get the opportunity to sit with the craftsmen and start producing your lacquerware, a unique moment where you may share great feelings with locals.

We take a break with lunch at a local restaurant and then return to the hotel for a short rest and escape the extreme heat of the midday sun.

Re-energized, we begin our trip from Ananda Temple-one of the most revered temples in Bagan. We take horse-carriage and meander through the temples and finally end up in a high temple where we climb to the top for a panoramic sunset view over the Bagan horizon!

Experience Bagan By Night!

Bagan is different at night. Pagodas under dim light give a different perspective view, and the atmosphere is peaceful, charming, and you feel relaxed to walk escaping from intensive day heat. You’ll see a temple well-lit, and you will get the chance to live an exclusive and mystical experience, a moment that you will set apart in your memory.

After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport. A 30-minutes long flight whisks you to Heho in the northern Shan state. Meet your local guide and then proceed on an hour and 15-minutes long scenic drive to Kalaw (25 miles).

Check into your room ( immediate check-in upon arrival is subject to availability). You will have some time to settle into your room before we proceed to visit the Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp in Magwe village (17 miles, 1 hour). The camp is a shelter for retired elephants from the logging industry. Upon arrival, you are met by an in-house guide and escorted to the main camp. We will attend a briefing session about the camp's schedule for the day and the history and activities of the camp. Now, we leave for a short walk to the river. Thi river passes through a reforestation project set up by the camp and local villagers. Here you will be amazed to see the elephants greet the visitors! You will get to learn about each elephant in the camp. Join the staff feeding the elephants bananas and sugarcane.

Next, try something exciting! Get dressed in traditional Shan costumes and join the caretakers as they lead the elephants to a natural pool for bathing! Elephant bathing is a fun activity. You will have the opportunity to wash and bathe the elephants as they splash and play in their bathing lake, one of their favorite rituals of the day. The camp discourages riding atop the elephant back!

Now, we return to the reforestation area to plant a tree before heading to the main camp for lunch. There is the time in the afternoon to explore more on foot with the local trekking guide or interact with the elephants or visit the dwellings of elephant caretakers.

Late afternoon, bid farewell to the elephants and their caretakers and retrace drive back to the hotel.

From Kalaw, a scenic two-hour drive leads to Nyaung Shwe, through a beautiful road across the Shan Mountains. Nyaung Shwe is the gateway village to Inle Lake. Spend time exploring Nyaung Shwe, traveling through this quaint town past local houses, small nunneries, and monasteries. A stop will be made at the ‘tomato house,’ where the lake’s produce is gathered, sorted, and distributed throughout the country.

On the way to the jetty, we will stop at a vineyard, perched on a hill overlooking the lake. Shan state has a cold climate and fertile soil and so it's not surprising to see a vineyard here. It's a perfect place to put your feet up and enjoy a glass of locally made wine with the views!

Afterward, continue to Maing Thauk Jetty and board a private motorboat to our resort in the lakeshore. We pass villages built on stilts over the lake, inhabited by local Intha people. Observe the famous leg-rowing fishermen and see their floating gardens built up from strips of water hyacinth and mud and anchored to the bottom with bamboo poles. Visit Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the lake’s main sanctuary, which contains five sacred Buddha images covered in gold leaf.

We will also have stops in the local crafts of Inle Lake, such as the weaving village of Inpawkhone and a cheroot factory. In this factory, you will see women making traditional Burmese cigars.

Check in to your accommodation by the lake and if time permits, later you can enjoy a short walk to a nearby lakeside village.

After breakfast, we take a relaxing boat trip to Sagar- a quaint village but rarely visited by tourists. On the way, we take a tea-break in Inthar Village and witness the local life. The boat trip takes about two hours or a little more. But the views of blue mountains, scattered floating vegetation, fishers with their leg-rowing boats, etc. will keep your eyes always busy.

The Sagar Village, once a thriving princely town, boasts rustic beauty, pristine nature, and authentic culture. Here, you will meet the innocent-looking Pa-O tribe people with their blushing faces and welcoming smiles. We will meander through the village dotted with pagodas and monasteries.

After lunch at the gorgeous "A Little Lodge of Samkar," we take a boat ride back to our resort in Inle Lake. Enjoy the poetic beauty of the lake at dusk, the busy life of people in the lakeshore and stilt houses, and admire sunset view over the lake.

After breakfast at the hotel, your guide will transfer you to the airport for the journey back to Yangon. It's one hour 10 minutes long flight.

Upon arrival at Yangon airport, meet your local guide and proceed to Kyaiktiyo (125 miles, 4 hours)- renowned for a pagoda built on the top of a granite boulder covered with gold leaves pasted on by its male devotees and so the temple is better known as Golden Rock Pagoda! After nearly a three and a half an hour drive, we arrive in Kinpun village at the foot of the mountain. Here we switch to an open-air truck, shared with locals, for an adventurous ride along a winding road (45 minutes). From the drop off point, the actual Pagoda is a 5-minute walk. The huge boulder is delicately balanced on the edge of a cliff, perhaps ignoring the law of gravity! Golden Rock Pagoda is believed to enshrine a hair relief Buddha, and hence it makes Myanmar's one of the most important pilgrimage destinations. You will be amazed to see the extraordinary structure of Golden Rock and the faith of people in this temple.

Useful Tip: This morning, you have an option to revisit the Golden Rock to see the rising sun casting its rays upon the rock. Starting before dawn, local pilgrims gather here to make the offerings in the solitude of the morning. It’s a unique and memorable experience that you shouldn’t miss.

After breakfast, we take the open-air truck ride down to the base camp and meet our transport and then proceed for a two-hour drive to Hpa-An-a small town surrounded by beautiful limestone rock formations. Hpa-An is also the capital of Karen state.

You will have time to settle into your accommodations before we set out to explore the town and its attractions. We visit the unusual pagoda of Kyauk Kalap, on top of a karst outcropping in the middle of a lake. It is truly a unique, surreal aesthetic place.

Spend the balance of the day at a relaxed pace. Take your own free time to enjoy biking, walking and swimming or as you wish.

After breakfast, proceed to visit Kawgone Cave, eight miles south of Hpa-An, the hidden gallery of 7th Century artwork within the cave. Thousands of Buddha images and carvings line the walls and roof of the cavern. Archaeological Survey of India Report first recorded this pagoda in 1893.

One headless carving of an elegant torso is believed to represent a queen who donated some images to the cave pagoda. Saddan Cave; this breathtakingly vast cavern contains a pagoda near the entrance with many Buddha images.

Afterward, take a leisurely walk on the road along the Thanlyin River for a beautiful photographic backdrop of mountains and boats.

After breakfast, we retrace our drive back to Yangon (170 miles, 6 hours). Depending on your flight time, you may proceed to the airport directly. If you need a hotel room by the airport, please budget about $ 80.