Classical_Myanmar_Lead_Imag
Classical-Mym
Shwegadon

Classical Myanmar

Highlights

Shwedagon Pagoda:the golden Stupa of Shwe Dagon Paya.
See the Pao people, the friendly “dragon people” with turquoise turbans and black native dress, and the different style of Buddhist pagodas.
Visit to the Buddhist cult caves of Pindaya in which pilgrims have been placing Buddha images as offerings for centuries.
Boat ride in Pindaya.
Boat excursion at Inle Lake.
In Mandalay, visit the Mahamuni Temple which houses the country’s holiest Buddha image, century-old and legendary Arakan Buddha, made of pure gold.
Walk over the world’s longest teakwood bridge.

Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive Yangon

Met on arrival at Yangon International Airport by our local Englsih speaking representative and transferred to your Hotel.

Depending on the time of your arrival, we can plan a visit around Yangon, visiting Chauk-htat-gyi Buddha, the 70-meter long reclining Buddha statue and its monastic compounds. Drive around the Sule pagoda, which is the landmark of the downtown Yangon and then through the colonial style bulidings and around scenic Royal Lake to Karaweik Hall. Enjoy the glorious view of the world-famous Shwe Dagon Pagoda in the background.

Day 2

Yangon / Heho / Pindaya (B)

Today you will fly from Yangon to the Shan Plateau – 70 minutes duration. Drive to Nyaunshwe – the biggest village and former capital of the local Shan kings in Inle Lake. Transfer to Pindaya. The landscape is especially beautiful on the overland route. Visit the Buddhist cult caves of Pindaya. A rapturous experience in the “circles of lights”. Visit an umbrella making factory.

Transfer to your hotel for overnight stay.

Day 3

Pindaya / Kalaw / Inle Lake (B)

After breakfast drive to Kalaw and visit the Former British hill station. Kalaw is the starting point for various trekking tours. The town itself boasts a pagoda in the middle of town which is worth seeing because of its glass mosaics. In the afternoon, drive from Kalaw down into the valley to Nyaungshwe on the edge of Inle Lake and board your own local boat to take you to your hotel.

Day 4

Inle Lake / Inndein (B)

Visit the great Phaung Daw Oo pagoda with five holy Buddha images, floating villages with its garden, Nge Phe Chaung monastery with its Buddha images. See traditional handicrafts, silk weaving on wooden handlooms and a blacksmith shop.

Enjoy one of the boat tours to Inn dein, at the western end of the Lake. The boat takes you through a long channel where you watch the farmers cultivate their produce. This ride is one of the most scenic boat tours on Lake Inle.

Overnight in your hotel.

Day 5

Inle Lake /Heho / Mandalay (B)

This morning you will take a flight to Mandalay, where the Konbaung kings resided and eventually capitulated to the British, more than 100 years ago. The sightseeing program will start directly on arrival.

Drive to Mandalay to visit the Mahamuni Temple housing the country’s holiest Buddha image, century-old and legendary Arakan Buddha, made of pure gold, if you are interested, you could also visit gold, marble and bronze plate making places. In the afternoon, visit Shwe Nandaw, the famous Golden Monastery, stroll to Kuthodaw Pagoda with its 729 marble slabs showing the entire Buddhist canon and commemorating the Fifth Buddhist World Council at the end of last century. If you are up for an adventure, you might climb up to the top of Mandalay Hill for a bird’s eye view (or take the elevator).

Overnight at your hotel.

Day 6

Mingun / Amarapura / Sagaing (B)

Today you will travel the Ayeyarwaddy, the mighty “Elephant River”. The trip will be memorable with scenes of local villagers working and living on the river banks. It takes one hour upstream to reach Mingun where a mighty king once tried to build the world’s biggest pagoda and failed. Yet even the dimension of his failure is still impressive.

In the afternoon visit the temples and small pagodas of former ancient capital Amarapura (Sanscrit for “Beautiful Town”). There you can take a walk over the world’s longest teakwood bridge, U Bein. Visit the Mahagandayong monastery with its more than 1000 residing monks and Sagaing Hills meditation center. Close to a hilltop pagoda you will be fascinated by the view of the temples and pagodas in Sagaing and over the Ayeyarwaddy River. Return to Mandalay after sunset.

Overnight at your hotel.

Day 7

Mandalay / Bagan (B)

This morning take a 30-minute flight to Bagan, the first and most beautiful capital of the Burmese. Along with Angkor in Cambodia, this is the most important temple and pagoda complex in Asia. An all-day visit to this huge area will include a day full of culture.

You will be escorted to some of the most beautiful temples and pagodas, Shwezigon Paya: (one of the oldest stupas in Bagan built by the great two kings Anawrahta and Kyanzittha), Wetkyi-in Gubyaukgyi Temple (a perfect Indian-style temple with hundreds of frescoes illustrating the jataka-stories of the previous lifes of Lord Buddha) and Htinlominlo Pahto (four Buddhas and traces of old murals).

In the afternoon, tour Ananda Pahto, one of the most beautiful temples in Bagan which features Gothic influences. Ananda Ok Kyaung, another fascinating destination, is a brick monastery, one of the few surviving from the early Bagan era. Up next, Manuha Paya, a temple representing the Captive Period, was named after the Mon King from Thaton. A highlight is the 3-seated Buddhas, all disproportinately large for their enclosures depicting their confinement during this period in Burma’s history. The shrine, Nanpaya, is thought to have been Manuha’s prison. Your tour continues with a visit to a lacquerware factory.

Enjoy sunset by horse-cart ride among the ruins of the temples and pagodas. Overnight at your hotel.

Day 8

Mount Popa (B)

In the morning, stroll through the marketplace of Nyaung U, and get a glimpse into the lifestyle of Burmese people.

Later, drive through the sun-parched plain with Palmyra palms to the Mountain of Deities in Popa (2 hours). There you will climb the huge volcanic rock on a staircase to see shrines for nats (celestial spirits of Burmese mythology) and small temples for Lord Buddha.

Just in time for sunset, you will be back in Bagan: Enjoy the scenic beauty of Bagan plains with 1000 years old red brick temples and white-washed pagodas.

Overnight at your hotel.

Day 9

Bagan / Yangon (B)

In the morning, take a flight back to Yangon. Enjoy your last day in this city, then drive through the colonial style buildings downtown, the Chinatown area and the Indian quarter. Continue to Bogyoke (Scott) Market (closed on Monday), where you have the last chance to buy souvenirs.

Transfer to your hotel for overnight stay.

Day 10

Yangon / Departure (B)

Transfer to Yangon International airport to connect with your departure flight.

Inclusions

Meet and greet on arrival at Airport.
Accommodation and meals as indicated in the itinerary (B – Breakfast, L – Lunch, D – Dinner).
Entrance fees where applicable.
Tours as indicated in the itinerary.
Professional English-speaking guide/driver guide.
Transfers
Travel Protection is offered on all packages at an additional cost.