Navigating the Corners of Myanmar

16 days visiting

• Yangon
• Pindaya
• Inle Lake
• Mandalay
• Bagan
• Kyaikhto
• Mawlamyine

From $3818 AUD pp (2 pax)

Day 1 Yangon (Dinner: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) )
Arrival in Yangon
Upon clearing Customs and Immigration, your guide will present you with a welcome packet including all necessary documentation and vouchers and all contact information of your guide and local offices.
Transfer
Transfer to/from Restaurant
– Overnight in Yangon

Day 2 Yangon (Breakfast: Hotel / Lunch: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) / Dinner: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) )
Sightseeing in Yangon
Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar, lies in the fertile delta of southern Myanmar, on the wide Yangon River. The city is filled with tree-shaded boulevards, while shimmering stupas float above the treetops. The city became the capital in 1885, when the British completed the conquest of Upper Myanmar
ending Mandalay’s brief period as capital of the last Burmese kingdom. It served as the capital until 2006.
Visit the Fascinating Railway Market by Train
Let’s take the circle line! Riding the Yangon circular train beats the buses and the metros any day. As the train rumbles along the bumpy track we can look out onto the passing landscape and enjoy the commotion at each station as the food hawkers hop on and off. It’s a great way to see how the locals go about their daily lives. We’ll disembark at the lively and colourful Danyingone Market, also known as the Railway Market. Some of the vendors sell their produce on the train tracks. When they hear an approaching train, they quickly pack up, only to come back as soon as the train leaves the station
this is a unique video opportunity! Today’s Highlights: Ride on the circular train, Danyingone Market
Walking tour around Colonial buildings nearby Sule Pagoda
Start your exploration of colonial Yangon from the Heart of Yangon, where you will see Sule Pagoda from the outside, the City Hall with amazing architecture of Myanmar, Emmanuel Baptist Church, High Court (formerly known as the Parliament for Justice) and Mahabandoola Park. And continue to the Secretariat Building, a Victorian building, which housed the parliament from 1948-1962, was the place, where Aung San, father of Aung San Suu Kyi, was assassinated in 1947. Afterwards, walk down to Strand Road, on the way you will explore Gandhi Hall, where the National League for Democracy drafted the Gandhi Hall Declaration, issued on July 29, 1990 and the Armenian Church. Explore the Post Office, The Strand Hotel, Port Authority building and Accountant General’s Office & Currency Department. Then as a final stop, walk to Yangon Heritage Trust (YHT) office, a non-profit organization that works to preserve and protect the city’s rich urban heritage and display the past and present photos of Yangon are displayed and learn more about Yangon.
Visit Shwedagon Pagoda at sunset
The highlight of any trip to Yangon is a visit to the spectacular Shwedagon Pagoda, which dates back about 2500 years and was built to house eight sacred hairs of the Buddha. Its bell-shaped superstructure, resting on a terraced base, is covered in about 60 tonnes of gold-leaf, which is constantly being replaced.
Transfer to/from Restaurant
– Overnight in Yangon

Day 3 Yangon – Heho – Pindaya (Breakfast: Hotel / Lunch: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) / Dinner: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) )
Transfer
Flight from Yangon to Heho
By vehicle from Heho to Pindaya
Visit local market and paper umbrella factory
Visit Pindaya Caves
Pindaya Caves are ensconced in a limestone ridge overlooking the lake. Inside the cavern there are more than 8000 Buddha images made from alabaster, teak, marble, brick, lacquer and cement, and they are arranged in such a way as to form a labyrinth throughout the various cave chambers. See the Shwe U Min Paya, a cluster of low stupas just below the ridge near the Pindaya Caves. Beginning on the full moon of Tabaung (February/March), Pindaya hosts a colourful pagoda festival at Shwe U Min.
Transfer to/from Restaurant
– Overnight in Pindaya

Day 4 Pindaya – Inle Lake (Breakfast: Hotel / Lunch: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) / Dinner: Meals at Hotel (Myanmar) )
By vehicle from Pindaya to Inle Lake
Transfer by boat
Excursion by boat on Inle Lake
Today we get to see the famous one-legged rowers on Inle Lake! This is no ordinary lake though. Inle is an enchanting world of villages on stilts and gardens that float on the surface of the lake (seriously!). One of the most photographed sights is the skilled Intha fishermen who balance on one leg, while using the other to manoeuvre the oar. We’ll take a relaxing boat ride across Inle Lake, stopping to see these sights along with some pagodas and lakeside villages. Today’s Highlights: Boat trip on Inle Lake, local market, villages, Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, Nga Phe Kyaung Monaster – Overnight in Inle Lake

Day 5 Inle Lake (Breakfast: Hotel / Lunch: Meals incl. in itinerary (Myanmar) / Dinner: Meals at Hotel (Myanmar) )
Pa O Trek with Wine Tasting
Transfer from hotel to Nyaung Shwe jetty by boat, proceed to the outskirt of Nyaung Shwe by car from the jetty which is the starting point of the trekking. You will be arriving to Hta Yin Cave, a beautiful natural limestone cave. Then proceed to Lwe Kin village and Kone Sone village, where Pa O tribes live and perform their daily works. After Kone Sone, walk to Red Mountain Winery to enjoy the wine tasting and scenic view around Nyaung Shwe, afterwards back to Nyaung Shwe by Tuk Tuk or Bicycle – Overnight in Inle Lake

Day 6 Inle Lake – Heho – Mandalay (Breakfast: Hotel / Lunch: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) / Dinner: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) )
Transfer by boat
By vehicle from Inle Lake to Heho
Flight from Heho to Mandalay
Transfer by air conditioned vehicle
Trishaw Excursion around Mandalay Hill
Mandalay – the name alone evokes the romance of old colonial Burma. So let’s explore the city in the style of the colonialists in a trishaw! We’ll visit Shwenandaw Kyaung, made entirely out of teak (even though it’s also known as the Golden Teak Monastery) and see the beautifully intricate carvings. There’s a lot more to be enjoyed here, including other ornate temples and wooden monasteries. At sunset we’ll head up to the top of Mandalay Hill to watch the sun setting over the palace, the city, the Irrawaddy River and the vast surrounding plain. Today’s Highlights: Shwenandaw Kyaung, Kuthodaw Paya, Kyauktawgyi Paya, sunset from Mandalay Hill.
Transfer to/from restaurant
– Overnight in Mandalay

Day 7 Mandalay (Breakfast: Hotel / Lunch: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) / Dinner: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) )
A Typical and Spiritual Burmese Morning (Tour will start early morning)
Let’s get spiritual with some sacred ceremonies and rituals! While its torture when the alarm rings before dawn, it’s worth it to witness the unique face washing ceremony. At 4am, we’ll join crowds of monks, nuns and locals at the Mahamuni Paya where the chief monk will wash the gleaming face of the golden Buddha. After the ceremony, we can hear monks chanting, and observe the locals making offerings and praying. Breakfast will be Myanmar-style at the most famous tea shop in Mandalay. We can try Myanmar tea and Nan Gyi Thoke, the famous Mandalay noodle salad. We also have the unique chance to offer food to the monks as they queue up to collect their morning alms. Today’s Highlights: Face washing ceremony at Mahamuni Paya, breakfast, alms offering.
A Day to remember in Sagaing and Amarapura
Just outside Mandalay we’ll discover two ancient royal capitals. Sagaing is said to be the spiritual centre of Myanmar. Also known as a -‘living Bagan’, it is home to many ancient, religious buildings. On Sagaing Hill hundreds of white, silver and gold pagodas and monasteries dot the hilly landscape. And then there’s Amarapura, home to U Bein Bridge which extends over one kilometre across Taungthaman Lake, making it the longest teak bridge in the world. At sunset we’ll take a walk across this iconic bridge alongside monks and locals. We’ll visit artisanal workshops and learn tonnes of history about the old kings of Myanmar. Today’s Highlights: Sagaing (U Min Thoe Se Pagodas, Kaung Hmu Daw Pagoda, Sun U Pon Nya Shin Pagoda, Sagaing Hill), Amarapura (U Bein Bridge), artisanal villages and workshops.
Transfer to/from restaurant
– Overnight in Mandalay

Day 8 Mandalay (Breakfast: Hotel / Lunch: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) / Dinner: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) )
Excursion to Mingun with boat trip
Just a boat ride away along the Ayeyarwaddy River is the little town of Mingun, which boasts some of the most impressive pagodas in Myanmar. We’ll be amazed by the ruins of the enormous Mingun Paya – never finished, its size would have dwarfed all contemporary pagodas. Equally as grand is the Mingun Bell, a 13-foot tall bronze bell weighing 90-tonnes. Today’s Highlights: Boat to Mingun, Mingun Paya, Mingun Bell, Hsinbyume Paya
Afternoon at leisure
Transfer to/from restaurant
– Overnight in Mandalay

Day 9 Mandalay – Bagan (Breakfast: Hotel / Lunch: Meals incl. in itinerary (Myanmar) / Dinner: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) )
Transfer to Gewein Jetty
Cruise aboard RV Panorama from Mandalay to Bagan (Shuttle)
Enjoy the cruise from Mandalay to Bagan. Cast off from Mandalay at 6am. Safety briefing and have Breakfast. Visit a typical village on the Ayerawaddy river Bank. Cast off from the village. After lunch, Demonstration and discussion on Myanmar Culture and Tradition. Arrive to Bagan at 5pm.
Transfer from Ayar jetty or Nyaung Oo jetty to Hotel
Transfer to/from restaurant
– Overnight in Bagan

Day 10 Bagan (Breakfast: Hotel / Lunch: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) / Dinner: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) )
Visit Shwezigon Pagoda
The Shwezigon Pagoda’s graceful bell shape became a prototype for virtually all later stupas all-over Myanmar, and the pagoda originally marked the northern end of the city of Bagan.
Visit Ananda Pahto
Ananda Pahto is one of the finest, largest, best preserved and most revered of the Bagan temples. Thought to have been built around 1105 by King Kyanzittha, this perfectly proportioned temple heralds the stylistic end of the Early Bagan period and the beginning of the Middle period.
Visit Sulamani Temple
Sulamani Temple was built in 1181 by King Narapatisithu and is one of the best examples of the later, more sophisticated temple styles. Carved stucco on mouldings, pediments and pilasters represents some of Bagan’s finest ornamental work and is in fairly good condition.
Excursion to Mount Popa
Watch out for the monkeys at Mount Popa! An iconic sight, Mount Popa is an extinct sheer-sided volcano that rises out of the plain. Topped by golden stupas, it is a famous pilgrimage site for locals who come to worship at the Nat temples. We’ll walk to the top via the winding staircase watched by mischievous monkeys hoping to be fed. Today’s Highlights: Mount Popa
Burmese Style Afternoon Tea at Shwe Hlaing Village
Setting along the way to Mount Popa and Salay, a family business in Shwe Hlaing Village offers local tea leaf salad and tea shop. Stop to explore how locals climb Palm tree and making products such as palm sugar and liquor.
Transfer to/from restaurant
– Overnight in Bagan

Day 11 Bagan (Breakfast: Hotel / Lunch: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) / Dinner: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) )
Excursion to Tant Kyi Taung with a boat ride on the Irrawaddy River
Tant Kyi Taung’s Glass Monastery is simply stunning. Perched on a hilltop, it offers beautiful views of the Ayeyarwaddy River and Bagan. We’ll take a boat over to explore the pagoda, and we may even get the chance to talk with some of the resident monks. We’ll then carry on drifting up the river to explore some of the sandbanks and local farms. Today’s Highlights: Boat to Tant Kyi Taung
Visit Minnanthu village
Visit Minnanthu Village, an agricultural village which specialises in the production of sesame and peanut oil. Have a look around the village and see the cow-driven seed grinders.
Visit Gubyaukgyi Temple in Myinkaba
Gubyaukgyi Temple in Myinkaba was built in 1113 by Kyanzittha’s son Rajakumar, and is famous for its well-preserved stuccos from the 12th century on the outside walls. The magnificent paintings date from the original construction of the temple and are considered to be the oldest original paintings in Bagan.
Visit Lacquerware workshop in Myin Kabar Village
Visit Shwesandaw Pagoda
Shwesandaw Pagoda was built in 1057 by King Anawrahta following his conquest of Thaton. This is the first monument in Bagan, which features stairways leading up from the square bottom terraces to the round base of the Stupa.
(Shwesandaw Pagoda is not allowed to climb up until further notice due to some old bricks was fallen down)
Visit Manuha Temple
The Manuha Temple was built in 1059 by King Manuha, the King of Thaton, who was brought captive to Bagan by King Anawrahta. It enshrines the unusual combination of 3 seated and one reclining image Buddha. It is said that this temple was built by Manuha to express his displeasure about his captivity in Bagan.
Transfer to/from restaurant
– Overnight in Bagan

Day 12 Bagan – Yangon – Kyaikhto (Breakfast: Hotel / Lunch: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) / Dinner: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) )

Transfer by air conditioned vehicle
Flight from Bagan to Yangon
By vehicle from Yangon to Kyaikhto with sightseeing in Bago
On the way to Kyaikhto we’ll visit the ancient capital city of Bago. It’s little visited by tourists yet has some remarkable sights – remarkable in both history and size! The 116-metre-high Shwemawdaw Paya is the highest pagoda in Myanmar and is visible from miles away. We’ll see four 30-metre-high seated Buddha images, and one of Burma’s largest reclining Buddha images with a length of 55 metres. Today’s Highlights: Kyaik Pun Paya, Shwethalyaung Buddha, Hintha Gon Paya, Shwemawdaw Paya.
Transfer to/from Restaurant
– Overnight in Kyaikhto

Day 13 Kyaikhto – Mawlamyine (Breakfast: Hotel / Lunch: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) / Dinner: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) )
Visit Kyaikhtiyo (the Golden Rock)
One of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in Myanmar, the shrine at the top of Mt. Kyaikto seems to defy gravity. Perched on the edge of a sheer cliff is a giant golden boulder topped with a gleaming stupa. Particularly stunning at sunset and sunrise, when a magical atmosphere envelops the shrine
By vehicle from Kyaikhto to Mawlawmyine with sightseeing at Kawgun Cave and Kyauk Ka Latt Pagoda
In the lovely limestone karst mountains surrounding Hpa-An there are some fascinating caves to explore. We’ll break our journey to venture into one of these caves intricately adorned with Buddha images. We’ll also be able to take some great photos of Mount Zwekabin from a picturesque lakeside pagoda. Today’s Highlights: Kawgun Cave, Kyauk Ka Latt Pagoda
Transfer to/from Restaurant
– Overnight in Mawlamyine

Day 14 Mawlamyine (Breakfast: Hotel / Lunch: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) / Dinner: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) )
Excursion to Bilu Kyun (Ogre Island)
Luckily Bilu Kyun, also known as Ogre Island, is not inhabited by ogres! In fact, it’s a lovely island covered in rice fields and fruit plantations. In the local villages and home industries we’ll get a feel for the traditional Mon lifestyle. Today’s Highlights: Bilu Kyun (Ogre Island).
Sightseeing in Mawlamyine
Both George Orwell and Rudyard Kipling were inspired by Mawlamyine and its picturesque pagodas. It probably hasn’t changed much since those days. A leafy, tropical town with a ridge of stupa-capped hills on one side and the sea on the other, Mawlamyine served as the capital of British Burma from 1827 to 1852. We’ll get to see some of the most impressive temples and monasteries, and admire the views of the river from the top of a nearby hill. Today’s Highlights: Mahamuni Paya, Kyaikthanlan Paya, Seindon Mibaya Monastery.
Transfer to/from Restaurant
– Overnight in Mawlamyine

Day 15 Mawlamyine – Yangon (Breakfast: Hotel / Lunch: Meals at Local Restaurant (Myanmar) / Dinner: Local Restaurant (Myanmar) )
Excursion by boat to Gaungse Kyun (Shampoo Island)
Fun fact
Guangse Kyun is also known as Shampoo Island, as during the Ava period, the annual royal hair washing ceremony used water taken from a spring on the island. We’ll take a boat over to this tranquil island, home to many nuns, a meditation centre, a collection of shrines and stupas, and of course, the famous spring. Today’s Highlights: Boat trip to Guangse Kyun
By vehicle from Mawlamyine to Yangon with sightseeing at Thaton
Today we’ll head out on the highway (Highway 8, that is) to Yangon. We’ll stop to stretch our legs in Thaton, full of colonial mansions and thatched-roof homes. Today’s Highlights: Thaton
Transfer to/from Restaurant
– Overnight in Yangon

Day 16 Yangon (Breakfast: Hotel )
Transfer