ITINERARY

ITINERARY AT A GLANCE

Day 1: Depart UK
Day 2: Arrive Yangon and transfer to hotel
Day 3: Yangon full day sightseeing
Day 4: Yangon – Mawlamyine by road
Day 5: Mawlamyine to Thanbyuzayatand visit WWII Cemetery
Day 6: Balu Island visit and Mawlamyine
Day 7: Mawlamyine – Kyiakhtiyo
Day 8: Kyiaktiyo - Bago- Yangon
Day 9: Yangon /Mandalay by morning flight and drive to PyinOo Lwin
Day 10: PyinOoLwin-Naung Pain (Train) - Hsipaw
Day 11: Trekking in Hsipaw
Day 12: Drive back to Mandalay and en-route visit Naung Cho Village
Day 13: Mandalay city and Amarapura
Day 14: Mingun and Inwa – Sagaing
Day 15: Mandalay to Bagan by local ferryboat
Day 16: Bagan sightseeing
Day 17: Cycling tour in Bagan
Day 18: Bagan to Kalaw by road
Day 19: Kalaw to Inle Lake and sightseeing
Day 20: Indain Sightseeing with guide
Day 21: Inle Lake-Heho/Yangon (flight) and Yangon shopping with guide
Day 22: Yangon Departure

D1: Depart UK

D2: Arrive Yangon and transfer to hotel(-/-/-)

Mingalabar! – And welcome to Myanmar. Upon arrival, your guide will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel. Free time at your own leisure.
Overnight at the hotel.

D3: Yangon full day sightseeing (B/-/-)

After breakfast, visit beautiful Kandawgyi Lake with the enormous mythical birds of the Karaweik Barge in prominent view. Continue to the Botataung Pagoda located on the Yangon harbour, which has many ancient Buddhist relics and artefacts. Then visit the downtown district filled with many old colonial buildings still in use. There is also the Independence Monument in Mahabandoola Gardens, dedicated to Burma’s independence from Great Britain in 1948. The streets are filled with colourful sidewalk markets selling various items both old and new. After your downtown ‘walkabout’, if time allows, you may go to Wahdan jetty on Yangon Harbour to see the local boats from the delta and the hustle and bustle of harbour life.
Lunchtime break.
Afternoon sightseeing includes the colossal reclining Buddha Chaukhtatkyi, and the National Museum (it is closed on every Monday and gazette holidays), filled with cultural exhibits of Myanmar. We end the day with a visit to the inspiring Shwedagon Pagoda, perhaps the most beautiful pagoda complex in Asia.

D4: Yangon – Hpa An by road (B/-/-)

Breakfast at the hotel. This morning you will drive to Mawlamyine (approximately 8-9 hours’ drive). On the way, you will visit the Kawtgoon Cave which is a shallow cave where you can see many small intricate Buddha images carved on the cave walls. (In rainy season this may not be accessible due to muddy road condition), then continue to Kyauk Kalat Pagoda which is situated on a small rock hill formed like a wine glass. Then proceed to Mawlamyine for overnight.

D5: Hpa An - Mawlamyine to Thanbyizayat and visit WWII Cemetery (B/-/-)

Morning drive to visit the Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery. This large and well-kept war cemetery is about 65 km (40 miles) south of Mawlamyine, near the town of Thanbyuzayat. Allied prisoners-of-war were buried here including Dutch, who died constructing the World War II railway to Thailand for the Japanese.
Afternoon drives back to Mawlamyine and overnight.

D6: Balu Island visit and Mawlamyine (B/-/-)

The morning after breakfast, transfer to the jetty and continue to charming Balu Island by ferry. After a short trip across the Bay of Martebanwe, make village visits on Balu Island where you can see villages that specialize in make rubber bands from rubber, slate-board making for schools, carved walking canes and smoking pipes. It is a quiet island not very frequented by tourists and full of charm and old Burma feeling. The afternoon continues Mawlamyine city tour.

D7: Mawlamyine – Kyaikhtiyo (B/-/-)

Morning drive to Kyaikhtiyo (Golden Rock). After taking 3-hour drive you will get to the base camp and from there take an open-air mountain truck to the beginning of the trail. Then walk up about 45-minutes to the Golden Rock, a large boulder gilded in gold, which appears delicately balanced on the edge of a cliff near the top of the mountain. It is one of the most revered Buddhist shrines and hosts a steady stream of Buddhist pilgrims. In addition to the unique Golden Rock, there are also spectacular mountain views to be enjoyed. If you want, buy some gold leaf about $2 each and rub the rock and hang out till the sunset. Women are not allowed to touch the Rock.
Overnight at Kyaikhtiyo.

D8: Kyaiktiyo – Bago – Yangon (B/-/-)

Enjoy the beautiful morning sunrise at Kyaikhtiyo before descending the mountain and transport back to base camp. Return back to Yangon by the afternoon and en-route visit Bago (formerly Pegu), which was an important capital of the Mon kingdom for many centuries. At Bago, there are interesting monasteries and also the tallest pagoda of Myanmar, the Shwemawdaw, as well as Shwetelyaung, the most life-like of all reclining Buddha’s.

D9: Yangon/Mandalay by morning flight and drive to Pyin Oo Lwin (B/-/-)

Early morning fly to Mandalay and drive to Pyin Oo Lwin, former British Hill Station located up in the Shan hills and with its cool comfortable temperature. On the way stop at 21 miles, viewpoint, and Aung Chan Thar village where you can see many residence-cum-shops selling fresh fruits and vegetables from their own gardens. If you wish you can study their vegetable gardens near the houses. Sightseeing in PyinOoLwin, BE waterfall and take a local carriage pulled by horses to historic Candraig hotel which was popular in the British colonial time.
Lunchtime break.
Then visit the huge 237-acre Botanical Garden and return back to your hotel.

D10: Pyin Oo Lwin – Naung Pain (Train) – Hsipaw (B/-/-)

Early morning transfer to the station for a colourful scenic local train ride over the deep and famous Goitek Viaduct. The bridge was built in 1901 by the Pennsylvania Steel company under contract for the British. To save time you will disembark the train at Naung Pain Village and continue to drive to Hsipaw by car. Enjoy afternoon sightseeing in the town, Bawgyo Pagoda and watch the panorama from the top of Theintaung hill.

D11: Trekking in Hsipaw (B/-/-)

You can choose either boat or walking tour on your own preference.
Boat trekking (half day)
Morning transfer to the jetty to take one hour boat ride the upstream river and enjoy the nice scenery of mountain, valley, orange orchard along the river sight. And then 30 minutes’ walk to old Shan monastery from the river bank. On the way to the monastery, you can see the plantations of pineapple, papaya, orange which are widely grown. And then re-board and cruise back to Hsipaw. En-route visits a Shan Village with typical houses and small gardens.
Walking tour (half day)
And then start your 4 hrs walking (round trip)
Farmer’s villages, the panoramic scenery of paddy, seasonal crops, mountain, river, living style of Shan villages. Housewife home business (hand fan, basket with bamboo, weaving, cheroot rolling).

D12: Drive back to Mandalay and en-route visit Naung Cho Village (B/-/-)

Morning drive back to Mandalay (about 5-hour drive) and stopover at Naung Cho village and visit a home industry where they make pounding sticky rice. Arrive Mandalay and transfer to the hotel.

D13: Mandalay City and Amarapura (B/-/-)

Enjoy Mandalay city tour. Visit highlights such as Kuthotaw Pagoda, Shwenantaw Monastery and stone carving craft shops where marble Buddha’s are carved. Next bustling Zaycho market. Try local tea at a sidewalk teashop among the locals and see their way of life. In the late afternoon drive to Amarapura and take the boat ride along the Taung Thaman Lake and enjoy the sunset behind U Bein’s Bridge.

D14: Mingun – Inwa – Sagaing (B/-/-)

After breakfast you will go to Mandalay jetty where we take a short and pleasant ride upriver to Mingun, the site which should have been the world's largest pagoda if King Bodawpaya had not died in 1819 thus halting all further work. Later an earthquake in 1838 split the monument and reduced it to partial rubble. Nonetheless, the mammoth base of the unfinished pagoda is still a very impressive sight as we approach from the river. Nearby we can also visit the Mingun Bell, moved from the zedi after the earthquake and now hung in a new shrine building. It is said to be the largest hanging un-cracked bell in the world. Return to Mandalay. Afternoon visit Sagaing, a former capital of the Shan kingdom in the 14th century, lies across and slightly downriver from Mandalay and there are many interesting stupas scattered over Sagaing Hill.
Later you will visit another former royal capital, Inwa which was founded in 1364 and which lasted nearly 400 years as a royal capital. Highlights include the ' leaning tower of Ava', MahaAungmye Bonzan, a brick-and-stucco monastery, and the elegant teakwood monastery BagayaKyaung.

D15: Mandalay to Bagan by local ferry boat (B/-/-)

After a very early breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the river jetty for a fascinating journey on the local Bagan- Mandalay ferryboat. You will take a relaxing journey (about 6- 7 hours) along the fabled Ayeyarwaddy River enjoying the sights and sounds of the river life. Arrive at Bagan and transfer to the hotel.
Day Cruises don’t operate in the raining season (April-Aug ), in this case, road transportation will be used.

D16: Bagan Sightseeing (B/-/-)

Enjoy Bagan sightseeing.
Visit the Nyaung Oo morning market to see the colourful interaction of sellers and buyers, then visit some famous temples and Pagodas. Later we will visit a local home and enjoy their home-made tea and snacks.
Continue to some local home industries of making Myanmar traditional food including Mohingar (rice noodles) in Taungbi Village and Bagan famous product, PoneYayGyi( bean paste). Visit the Thanakha Museum (Thanakha is kind of tree the bark and root of which are used in making a fragrant paste for cosmetic purposes and widely used in Myanmar by women.)
Take a pony cart ride among temples, villages, and monasteries for a sunset view from the top of the temple.

D17: Cycling Tour in Bagan (B/-/-)

Enjoy cycling tour among the temples.
This morning ride among the villages named Thahtay Kan Village, next to Phya Saw Village - where you can see the traditional ways of life still carried on such as weaving cotton by hand, grinding peanut oil with oxen, the care of various farm animals etc. And then continue the ride to more temple and Pagodas as your tour leader suggested.
Lunchtime break at one of the local restaurant.
Ride back to your hotel for refreshment and enjoy hotel swimming pool or amenities. In the evening, take a ride to one of the temples (a different one from the first day) and enjoy viewing the sunset over the Bagan plain. And then return back to your hotel.

D18: Bagan to Kalaw by road (B/-/-)

Breakfast at the hotel then drives to Kalaw passing through Meikhtila with several photos stops en- route. The trip may take about 9-10 driving hours (about 170 miles).
Overnight at the hotel.

D19: Kalaw to Inle Lake Sightseeing (B/-/-)

After breakfast drive to Inle Lake, about 1-hour drive and enjoy Inle Lake sightseeing. See the fisherman rowing in one-legged style. Visit cottage industries on the lake including silk weaving by handloom, boat making, silversmith and cheroot making. You also visit floating gardens and have the explanation of how these floating piles of dirt and grass become gardens! Enjoy plain tea at a gardener’s farmhouse and chatting with them. Later go to famous Phaungdaw U Pagoda and return back to the hotel.

D20: Indain Sightseeing (B/-/-)

Morning visit 5 day Market if it coincides with market open day. Next, continue our Inle Lake sightseeing with a visit to Indle lake and its enchanting 17th-century pagodas. To reach Indle and the nearby village we will take a boat ride to a small scenic creek that runs into Inle Lake. In the afternoon return back to your hotel and the rest of the day is free and relax.

D21: Inle Lake-Heho/Yangon (flight) and Yangon shopping (B/-/-)

Fly back to Yangon and continue sightseeing and shopping at the famous Scott Market built in 1926 and with a wide variety of crafts and goods. (Note: The market closes on Monday and public holiday). Return to your hotel or continue optional night market in Chinatown and enjoy dinner there (pay on your own).

D22: Yangon Departure (B/-/-)

Breakfast at hotel. Today you will be transferred for your return flight to the UK.

- END OF PROGRAMME -

TOUR PRICE: From January to March 2020

TOUR PRICE INCLUDES:

- International flights and Domestic flights
- 20… nights’ shared Accommodation in twin/double room with daily breakfast at the below-indicated room types (see hotel category list below) (check in and check out around noontime)
- All transfers and transportation with air-con vehicles (types of vehicles depending on the number of pax):
- Local English speaking stationed guides
- All entrance fees as program
- Meals (B/L/D) (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner) as indicated in the program (Local food):
o Daily breakfasts at hotels
- 02 bottles of mineral water per person per day on the bus on days of transfer and sightseeing only
- Golden Rock Local Truck
- Mingun Boat
- Boat riding in U Bein
- Mandalay to Bagan Day Cruise
- Bagan Horse Cart
- Bike in Bagan
- Inle Lake Boat
- Hsipaw Boat

TOUR PRICE EXCLUDES:

- Meals (other than mentioned in the program)
- Drinks
- Visas to Myanmar
- Mineral water beyond that supplied
- Tips
- Early check-in or late checkout
- Insurances
- Optional excursions and activities
- Additional transfer required due to an emergency situation
- Items of a personal nature (Phone calls, laundry, beverages…)
- Peak season surcharges if any
- All not mentioned above