Magical Myanmar

Day 1

Arrive Yangon

On arrival at Yangon International Airport you will be met and welcomed by our English speaking guide and transferred to your Hotel. Depending on your time, visit around Yangon:
Visit Chauk-htat-gyi Buddha, the 230 ft long reclining Buddha statue and its monastic compounds. Drive around the Sule pagoda, which is the landmark of downtown.
Yangon and then through the colonial style bulidings.
Drive around scenic Royal Lake to Karaweik Hall, have a look at the lake with the world famous Shwe Dagon Pagoda in the background.

Overnight in your hotel.

Day 2

Yangon / Kyaiktiyo (B)

Today drive to Kyaikhto. Travel through the delta and over the Sittaung River to Mt. Kyaiktiyo. From Kinpun, the pilgrimage road leads to the high pagoda on the famous Golden Rock.
You will be transported on a open truck to a camp from which it is only approximately one hour on foot to the Golden Rock – the incredible balancing boulder stupa called Kyaiktiyo Paya, one of the most scared Buddhist sites.

(Note: for guests who are older or weaker there are carriers who, for a fee, will bring them to their destination in bamboo chairs). At the summit, a simple but romantic and beautifully located hotel awaits you. (Important note: not all rooms have hot running water.) Visit the Golden Rock in the late afternoon, the best time for taking pictures.

Overnight in your hotel.

Day 3

Kyaiktioy / Bago / Yangon (B)

Start the return hike early morning and then truck transport to Kinpun and overland back to Yangon, where you will arrive in the late afternoon. At noon stop in Bago, an ancient capital of Myanmar and visit most important sights of this old capital of the Mon people: visit Kyaikpun Pagoda with four high sitting Buddhas facing the cardinal points of Earth.

Next, visit the eastern bank of the river – with three of the largest monasteries in the country and one of the most important schools of Buddha teachings, Kya Khat Wain Kyaung. You will see Shwethalyaung Pagoda, the huge Reclining Buddha which was originally built of brick and stucco in AD 994 by the Mon King Migadepa II. Stroll through the Bago and Pottery market with a photo stop at the foot of the huge golden pagoda- Shwemawdaw. Return to Yangon in late afternoon.

Overnight in your hotel.

Day 4

Yangon / Bagan (B)

Today, take a 80 minute morning flight to Bagan, the first and most beautiful capital of the Burmese, founded in the eleventh century by a great king. Along with Angkor in Cambodia, this is the most important temple and pagoda complex in Asia. An all-day visit to this huge area – a day full of culture when you will see the most beautiful temples and pagodas, leisurely but in detail:

Shwezigon Paya: One of the oldest stupas in Bagan area built by the great two kings Anawrahta and Kyanzittha. The Stupa’s graceful bell shape became a prototype for virtually all later stupas over Myanmar. It is known as the site where the 37 pre-Buddhist nat were first officially endorsed Burma monarchy.

Wetkyi-in Gubyaukgyi Temple: a perfect Indian-style temple with hundreds of frescoes illustrating the jataka-stories of the previous lifes of Lord Buddha.

Htinlominlo Pahto: built by King Nantaungmya in 1218. Inside the temple there are four Buddhas on the lower and upper floors. Traces of old murals are also still visible. In the afternoon tour Ananda Pahto, whose interior seems almost Gothic and is considered to be the most beautiful among all the temples of Bagan. Facing outward from the centre of the cube are four 31 ft standing Buddhas.

Ananda Ok Kyaung: Ananda brick monastery, one of the few surviving monastery buildings from the early Bagan era. The interior of the building is lined with well-preserved murals which depict everyday scenes from the Bagan period.

Manuha Paya: erected over a huge Buddha-image, was named after the Mon King from Thaton who was held captive in Bagan by Anawrahta. Inside, three seated Buddhas face the front of the buildings. All seem too large for their enclosures and their cramped, uncomfortable positions are said to represent his captive period.

Nanpaya: this shrine is said to have been used as Manuha’s prison although there is little evidence supporting the legend.

Lacquerware: visit traditional manufacture of unique Bagan lacquerware.
Enjoy sunset by horse-cart ride among the ruins of temples and pagodas.

Overnight at your hotel

Day 5

Bagan / Mount Popa / Bagan (B)

In the morning, stroll through the marketplace of Nyaung U, and get a glimpse into the lifestyle of Burmese people.
Later on drive through the sun-parched plain with Palmyra palms to the Mountain of Deities, Popa (2 hours) and climb the huge volcanic rock on a staircase to see shrines for nats (celestial spirits of Burmese mythology) and small temples for Lord Buddha. It will take you about 20 minutes to reach the top of Mount Popa. Back in Bagan in time for sunset; enjoy the scenic beauty of Bagan plains with 1000 years old red brick temples and white-washed pagodas.

Overnight in your hotel.

Day 6

Bagan /Pakokku / Monywa (B)

Board a small river vessel for a 3 hour upriver boat trip to Pakokku. The Ayearwady river offers some scenic views from Bagan panorama. From Pakokku visit the famous teakwood monastery from Phakanggyi. Continue to Monywa on the Chindwin River, the second largest river in the country for your overnight at the hotel.

Day 7

Monywa / Powindaung / Sagaing /Mandalay (B)

Early morning in Monywa – after crossing Chindwin River by a small boat, start the tour by pick-up to Powindaung Caves (1 hour). This cave temple complex is the largest in Southeast Asia and marks a highlight of Burmese medieval arts. Return drive to Mandalay where the Konbaung kings resided and eventually capitulated to the British more than 100 years ago. Stop at Sagaing hills meditation centre. From a hilltop pagoda you will be fascinated by the view over temples and pagodas in Sagaing and over Ayeyarwaddy River.

Overnight in your hotel.

Day 8

Mandalay / Amarapura / Mandalay (B)

Sightseeing program this morning will start with a short drive to the temples and small pagodas of the former ancient capital Amarapura (Sanscrit for “Beautiful town”). There you can take a walk over the world’s longest teakwood U-Bein Bridge. Continue drive to Mandalay and visit the Mahamuni Pagoda, home to Mandalay’s holiest Buddha statue. Stop at the stone carving and, later, to see gold leaf being beaten into wafer thin pieces.

Check into your hotel late morning. In the afternoon, visit Shwenandaw Monastery, an ancient wooden building with intricate carvings, which was once King Mindon’s home. Continue to see the ‘world’s largest book’, being the Buddhist Scriptures inscribed on marble slabs, at Kuthodaw Pagoda.

Visit Kyaukdawgyi Pagoda, a large Buddha statue carved out of a single block of local marble. Enjoy spectacular views at sunset from Mandalay Hill, where there are interesting glass-studded temples.

Overnight in your hotel.

Day 9

Mandalay / Mingun / Mindalay (B)

Take a boat trip to Mingun this morning, site of a brick pagoda towering above the Ayeyarwady River and home to the world’s largest intact bell. The boat trip is interesting because you see all types of wooden boats and bamboo rafts, carrying goods up and down the river. Return to Mandalay. Afternoon sightseeing includes a visit to Zegyo market (if open) and some of Mandalay’s cottage industries, such as weaving and tapestry making.

Overnight at your hotel.

Day 10

Mandalay / Heho / Pindaya (B)

Take a morning flight from the plain of Ayeyarwaddy to the Shan Plateau – 30 minutes. Then drive to Nyaunshwe – the biggest village and former capital of local Shan kings at Inle Lake. Transfer to Pindaya. Enroute you will see Pao people, the friendly “dragon people” with turquoise turbans and black native dress and also a different style of Buddhist pagodas. Visit the Buddhist cult caves of Pindaya in which pilgrims have been placing Buddha images as offerings for centuries.

A rapturous experience in the circles of lights. Visit an umbrella making home industry before transferring to your hotel for overnight stay.

Day 11

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. You will also pass local villages and see traditions of the people who live on the hill. 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 for overnight stay.

Day 12

Inle Lake / Inndein /Inle Lake (B)

Today, 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, etc. See traditional handicrafts, silk weaving on wooden handlooms and a blacksmith shop. Walk through the small creek to enjoy a boat tour to Inndein, 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 13

Inle / Heho / Yangon (B)

Enjoy a boat trip on Inle Lake – a photographer’s dream, its calm waters are dotted with floating vegetation and fishing canoes, to which scenic high hills provide the perfect backdrop. In the afternoon, take a flight back to Yangon and transfer to your hotel for overnight stay.

Day 14

Yangon / Departure (B)

If your flight is in the afternoon, you will have the opportunity to visit Bogyoke (Scott) Market (closed on Mondays), where you can buy souvenirs to take home.

In the afternoon, transfer to the Yangon Airport for your departure flight.

Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon
Yangon (Rangoon)

Strand Hotel
Yangon (Rangoon)

Mountain Top Hotel
Kyaiktiyo

Tharabar Gate Hotel
Bagan

Aureum Palace Hotel
Bagan

Win Unity Resort
Monywa

Pristine Lotus Resort
Inle Lake

Inle Princess Resort
Inle Lake

Mandalay Hill Resort
Mandalay

Rupar Mandalar Resort
Mandalay

Pindaya Inle Inn
Pindaya