10 Days, 9 Nights: The Best of Myanmar

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Arrival in Yangon

  Upon your arrival in Yangon, our guide will welcome you at the airport and take you to the hotel for your check-in.

• day 2

  Yangon: full day of sightseeing

  Enjoy a private tour and drive through the city center to explore its fabulous mix of architecture and sites. The streets are filled with historic buildings, many of which have a faded colonial charm that cannot be found anywhere else in Asia. You will start at the post office, a lovely historic building, then pass by the Strand Hotel, Mahabandoola Garden, and the Independence Monument. Next, visit the famous Chauk Htat Kyi, which houses a 70-meter-long reclining Buddha. The feet of the statue are carved with traditional symbols and, often, many locals gather to pay homage and pray. Photo stop at the royal floating barge Karaweik Hall. Nothing will prepare you for the Shwedagon Pagoda, with its glittering golden stupa. At the pagoda, observe the pilgrims and local monks offering their devotions and enjoy the sunset at the Shwedagon Pagoda.

• day 3

  Yangon - Sightseeing tour of Bagan

  Early morning flight to Bagan. Start your exploration by discovering the lively atmosphere of Bagan's market. You will spend the day exploring the architectural masterpieces of this amazing city by visiting a diverse selection of the most important pagodas and temples. Learn more about the local culture by visiting two workshops that make Bagan's most famous products: lacquerware and woodcraft. Observe skilled artisans using techniques passed down from generation to generation to create beautiful objects. In the late afternoon, visit the sunset hill. Relax and be amazed by the beauty of Bagan as you watch the sun slowly set behind the ancient pagodas.

• day 4

  Sightseeing tours of Bagan and its villages.

  More than just temples, our visit offers you a glimpse into the history, culture, and local ways of life in Bagan. Today, discover the real lifestyle of most people in Myanmar by visiting the villages near Bagan to see the local way of life. Then, you will explore Bagan from a different perspective by traveling through the area in a pony cart. The cart can explore areas where cars are unable to enter, giving a different impression of Bagan. In the late afternoon, transfer to the jetty where a private wooden boat awaits you. Sitting in the shade or on the open deck, you will enjoy fabulous views as you cruise down the Irrawaddy River towards the Shwezigon Pagoda. A private boat ride on the river at sunset will hopefully offer you a spectacular show. Relax and enjoy the scenery.

• day 5

  Bagan - Mandalay - Amarapura Sightseeing

  Transfer to the airport for your flight to legendary Mandalay, a city of great cultural importance. In the morning, visit the second most sacred image in Myanmar after the Shwedagon Pagoda, the Mahamuni Pagoda. Visit local artisan workshops specializing in gold leaf making, wood carving, and marble carving. Then, discover the Golden Palace Monastery, famous for its intricate wood carvings. Continue to the Kuthodaw Pagoda, known as the world's largest book due to the Buddhist scriptures engraved on 729 marble slabs. Before sunset, visit a 200-year-old teak bridge, the most photographed site in Myanmar.

• day 6

  Mandalay - Ayeyarwaddy River - Mingun sightseeing tour

  After breakfast, you will board a local private boat to travel up the Irrawaddy to Mingun (45 minutes each way). Visit the Mingun Bell, which weighs over 87 tons and is the largest intact bronze bell in the world, as well as the unfinished Mingun Paya (built with the intention of being the largest pagoda in the world). Another highlight of Mingun is the Hsinbyume Pagoda, a whitewashed temple built to resemble Mount Meru. Throughout Mingun, there are small neighborhoods that make traditional basketry and other artistic objects. You will have plenty of time to stop and interact with the artisans and friendly locals. In the evening, enjoy an overview of the city from Mandalay Hill.

• day 7

  Mandalay - Heho - Sightseeing tour of Inle Lake

  After breakfast, take a flight to Heho, the gateway to Inle Lake. From Heho, drive to Nyaung Shwe where we take our boat and transfer to your hotel for check-in. Enjoy a full-day excursion by private boat on Inle Lake. Visit the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the most sacred religious site in southern Shan State. Be amazed by the local crafts: silk weaving, woodworking, and traditional blacksmithing methods. Visiting Inle Lake is not just about being on the water, it's also about discovering the Shan and Intha villages on the riverbanks. Pass by endless floating gardens, houses, and monasteries built on stilts on the lake. Stop at Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery, then continue to the village of Nampan and visit the local cheroot factory (where Burmese cigars are made) and canoe carving.

• day 8

  Inle Lake - Tourist visit of Indein

  Start your day with a visit to the market, which takes place every five days and where members of the hill tribes dress in traditional and colorful clothing, bartering goods and products. We continue our visit of Inle Lake, sailing by boat through long picturesque canals. We will visit the fascinating village of Indein, with its complex of ancient shrines and stupas, and walk through exotic colonnades of stairs and shops. We will meet the "long-necked" tribal women, as well as the weaving and craft villages perched on stilts. Discover the unique "rowers" of the lake: the Intha row standing up, one leg wrapped around an oar. It is a treat for the senses and a photographer's dream.

• day 9

  Inle Lake - Heho - Yangon

  In the morning, return flight to Yangon. Then, enjoy a visit to Scott Market, the sprawling 75-year-old market. At the market, you will find a whole variety of interesting Burmese souvenirs, from lacquerware to jewelry, including precious stones and jewels. It's a good deal in the shops to fully enjoy the atmosphere of the Burmese market! Drive through the city and observe the influences of other cultures in the region. Among the religious sites, there is St. Mary's Cathedral, built in 1899, as well as the Buddhist monuments of Sule Paya and the beautiful Rangoon synagogue, over 100 years old, which are located within the circuit. There, you will have the opportunity to meet the synagogue administrator to learn more about Jewish life in the land of the pagoda. Next, visit Little India and Chinatown: stop to greet the vendors and let them introduce you to their products, some familiar, others exotic.

• day 10

  Departure from Yangon

  After breakfast, free day until transfer to the airport for the international departure flight.