from 3 reviews
9 Days 8 Nights
Daily Tour
20 people
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A perfect opportunity to get an interesting insight of the most stunning and remarkable must-see sites in Myanmar.
In this tour, you will visit the most important places in Yangon (The Commercial City) in South Myanmar, Bagan (The first Capital of the Myanmar Kingdom as well as the World’s Heritage Site), Mandalay (the last Royal Capital of Myanmar Kingdom) in Central Myanmar, Pindaya Cave and Inle Lake (the 2nd largest Lake above 880 m above sea level) in the Eastern Myanmar, Shan State.
In addition, observe the pilgrims devout in prayer or applying gold leaf to the boulder and enjoy a spectacular view of the valley below. The visit up to the Golden Rock is particularly nice at sunset or sunrise.
You will be fully satisfied as your experienced guides will share not only the history but also the culture and religion of the city and its people.
Arrive Yangon International Airport by morning flight. Upon arrival at Yangon Airport, you will be welcomed by our guide and transferred to your hotel (Hotel check-in time is 1400 hrs). On the way to hotel start your sightseeing with the magnificent Reclining Buddha Image at Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda. Take a photo stop at the Karaweik Hall, a ‘Hamsa-bird’ shaped floating barge on Kandawgyi (Royal) Lake.
After check in, start your afternoon sightseeing by driving through the colonial style building downtown, as well as Chinatown, the Indian quarter and photo stop at City Hall & the Sule Pagoda with its golden chedi – a useful landmark in downtown Yangon. In the afternoon visit Bogyoke (Scott) Market (closed on Public Holidays) to see Myanmar's wide range of handicrafts. Conclude your day with the most worthwhile visit to one of the world’s most spectacular monument, the Shwedagon Pagoda. The golden dome of the Shwedagon Pagoda rises 98 meters above its base and is covered with 60 tons of pure gold. After enjoying sunset from the pagoda, transfer back to your hotel. Both lunch and dinner are your own account. Accommodation at Hotel in Yangon.
After breakfast, transfer to Yangon Airport. Domestic flight to Bagan (0630/0750 – direct). From the airport, drive to visit the colorful local market in Nyaung Oo to learn the local people ways of trading. Then proceed sightseeing to the golden stupa of Shwezigon Pagoda, which is Bagan's most important reliquary shrine – look out for images of the 37 'nats' housed in a small hall. See 13th Century frescoes adorning the corridors of Kyansittha 'Cave' Temple. Continue to Gubyaukgyi (Wetkyi In village), another 'cave' temple with fine frescoes of the 'Jataka Tales'. Next stop is Htilominlo, the last Bamar style temple built in Bagan, with old murals and friezes, Shwe Gu Gyi. Then, pass through Tharaba Gateway where in the niches on the eastern side you will see two statues representing Nat shrines before entering into Old Bagan. After lunch (by own account) check into your hotel. Relax Time.
In the afternoon continue to Ananda Temple, a whitewashed masterpiece of Mon architecture with four standing Buddhas, and the adjacent brick monastery from the early Bagan era with well-preserved murals. Make a photo stop at the tallest temple measuring 61 meters - Thatbyinnyu known as 'temple of omniscience' and dating from 1144. Take a break from temples and wander through the village of Minnanthu to see how the local people live. Enjoy sunset at one of the top of the temple. Both lunch and dinner are your own account. Accommodation at Hotel in Bagan.
Optional morning program (operate from 07 October 2019 to 10 April 2020):
Early this morning, enjoy a balloon flight over the Bagan temples. Around 0530 hours the Balloon over Bagan shuttle bus will pick you up at your hotel. You will drive to the departure ground of the Balloons. While the team makes the Balloon ready to go, you enjoy some refreshments, but you can also take great pictures of this event. Then, depending on the wind, you will over fly Bagan for about one hour, and enjoy spectacular views of the ancient Kingdom of Bagan in your hot air balloon! The tour ends…..where ever the wind has brought you. A glass of sparkling wine ends this fantastic event….and the shuttle bus then brings you back to your hotel.
Breakfast at hotel. This morning explore the Myinkaba village area by horse cart. First we visit Gubyaukgyi Temple admiring the fine stuccowork. We continue to Nanpaya temple, built in the Mon style with intricate stone carvings, and said once to have been Manuha's residence. See the four Buddha images in Manuha Pagoda and later, visit Pyatsashwegu, built in 11th century showing frescoes with ancient Mon captions on the interior walls. Stop at Myazedi stupa to see Myanmar's "Rosetta Stone", bearing inscriptions written in four languages.
In the afternoon, visit to one of the Lacquer ware factories to watch craftsmen skilfully making this most famous of Bagan handicrafts. After that visit to Abeyadana Temple with frescoes representing Bodhisattvas and the gods of Indian mythology. Continue to Damayangyi, a massive-looking temple dating from 1170 that is famous for its interlocking mortar less brickwork. Next, visit Sulamani, one of Bagan’s great two-storied Bamar style temples, which has 4-seated Buddha images. Late afternoon, transfer to jetty to board the local boat and enjoy the Sunset Boat trip on the legendary Ayeyarwaddy River. Both lunch and dinner are your own account. Accommodation at Hotel in Bagan.
After early breakfast, transfer to Airport for domestic flight to Mandalay.
Upon arrival , drive directly to Amarapura, the penultimate Royal Capital and lying 11 km south of Mandalay. Here we visit one of the famous Buddhist monastery, where many monks live and study and then proceed to 150-year-old U Bein teak bridge, built in 1851 at the time when Amarapura was the royal capital by staking 1060 teak posts over the wide Taungthaman Lake to connect two villages. One of the most photographed spots in Myanmar and well worth spending time walking across the bridge. Afterwards visit Bagaya Monastery, with a superb collection of Buddha statues.
In the afternoon, a comprehensive sightseeing tour of Mandalay includes Mahamuni Pagoda with its spectacular Buddha image covered with thick layers of gold leaves, a visit to a craftsman’s workshop to see Kalaga tapestries being created, Shwe Nan Daw Kyaung (Golden Monastery), a superb example of a traditional wooden building and Kuthodaw Pagoda (known as the world’s largest book), consisting of 729 marble slabs engraved with Buddhist scriptures. Enjoy the sunset from Mandalay Hill. Both lunch and dinner are your own account. Accommodation at Hotel in Mandalay.
After the breakfast, transfer to Airport for the domestic flight to Heho. Upon arrival in Heho, proceed by road to Pindaya (65 km - 1½ hours). Lunch at local Restaurant by own account. After lunch, visit magnificent Pindaya Caves, set in a limestone ridge overlooking a picturesque lake, where thousands of different types of Buddha images are on display in the various cave chambers. Visit some local houses where families produce Shan paper and parasols. Then, proceed a scenic drive takes you to Nyaung Shwe (the jetty town of Inle Lake) (90 km - 2½ hours). Both lunch and dinner are your own account. Accommodation at Hotel in Nyaung Shwe.
Breakfast at hotel. This morning, excursion by boat in Inle Lake where you will have a chance to see the unique leg-rowers and scenic beauty, fishing canoes using special methods for fishing and collecting seaweed, lakebed mud etc to make floating gardens. We visit Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the holiest religious site in southern Shan State and the boat construction workshop at Nampan village as well stopping to see some traditional handicrafts - silk weaving on wooden handlooms in Inpawkon village, a cheroot workshop and a blacksmith shop.
In the afternoon, board a boat to the western shore of Inle Lake, where you will find the beginning of a stair path leading to the well hidden Inndein Pagoda complex. Continue by boat to visit Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery one of the oldest monasteries on the lake and where inside its large wooden meditation hall and are over 200 year old ancient Buddha statues. Returning back to the hotel the beauty of sunset over Inle Lake enchants all visitors. Both lunch and dinner are your own account. Accommodation at Hotel in Nyaung Shwe.
After breakfast, leave your hotel and transfer to Heho Airport. Domestic flight to Yangon (approx. 1030/1140 – direct). You will be welcomed by our guide in the arrival lounge and proceed your overland journey to Kyaikhto (Approx: 275 miles). Continue to Kin Pun "base camp" and onward to Kyaiktiyo (the "Golden Rock"), a huge boulder completely covered by gold leaves and delicately balanced on the edge of a cliff. From Kin Pun, a steep and rough 11-km dirt road leads to the upper staging point, a journey made in open trucks, which can be very crowded. On arrival, watch the beauty of a sunset at this important pilgrimage site. Both lunch and dinner are your own account. Accommodation at Hotel near Kyaikhtiyo (Golden Rock).
Remark: The open trucks operating from the base camp to the mountain top starts from 06:00 A.M. and terminates on 18:00 P.M.
After breakfast, at 0800 check out from the hotel and return back to Yangon via Bago. Lunch can be taken at a local restaurant in Bago (own account). Continue with sightseeing in Bago including the Shwemawdaw Pagoda, which is over a thousand years old. Repaired after an earthquake in the 1930’s, the pagoda has an impressive spire, one that is even taller than that of Yangon’s Shwedagon Pagoda. Visit the 55-meter-long reclining Shwe Tha Lyaung Buddha image, one of the country's most revered objects. Then, continue drive to Yangon, with a brief stop at Kyaik Pun Pagoda, famous for its four giant Buddha figures. Proceed to Yangon and en-route visit the Allied War Graves cemetery near Htauk Kyant (Closed at 0400 PM). Upon arrival in Yangon transfer to your hotel. Both lunch and dinner are your own account. Accommodation at Hotel in Yangon.
Breakfast at hotel. This morning, visit Bogyoke (Scott) Market (closed on Public Holidays) to see Myanmar's wide range of handicrafts. On the way to Airport, visit Kaba Aye (World Peace) Pagoda and Mahapasana Guha Cave, where the Sixth Buddhist Council took place. Transfer to Yangon International Airport for your departure flight in the late afternoon.
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