Grand Myanmar adventure

Min-ga-la-ba and welcome to the former capital city of Myanmar, Yangon. Formerly known as Rangoon due to the influence of British colonialism, this former capital of Burma is still the most influential city in the country. Upon arrival to Yangon, our driver will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel. Enjoy your day free at leisure to explore Yangon on your own.

Meals: No meals

Accommodation: Rose Garden Hotel Yangon

Today experience one of Myanmar’s holiest and most spiritual sites, the Golden Rock, known in the local tongue as Kyaikhtiyo.

The drive from Yangon takes between 4-5 hours and will drop you at the base of mountain, where a local truck will take you the additional 45-min journey to the top of the mountain. A short 5-min walk brings you to the sight of a huge boulder covered in gold leaf and gleaming in the sunlight as it sits precariously on a cliff.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Mountain Top Hotel

Have a local breakfast, then the truck will return you to the base of the mountain to the village of Kinpun and discover the town. After that, taking a 2.5-hour drive to Bago, the 15^th century capital of the Mon Kingdom.

See the 55-metre long reclining Shwethalyaung Buddha, the old palace of Kanbawzathadi, and the gigantic Shwemawdaw Pagoda. Meet a 6-metre long resident Burmese python in the “Snake Monastery” if you dare and enjoy a local lunch in the town at your leisure.

Pass by the Allied War Cemetary where over 27,000 Allied soldiers from WWII are buried before having dinner and boarding an 11-hour sleeper train to Mandalay, the traditional and cultural heart of the country.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Eastern Palace Hotel

Arrive to Mandalay in the morning and begin your exploration of the past with a visit to the ancient capitals of Ava, Sagaing, and Amarapura on this full-day tour from Mandalay.

See the teak monastery Bagaya Kyaung and the former royal monastery of Maha Aungmye Bonzan in Ava. Learn more about the national religion in the living center of Buddhism, Sagaing, where there are over 600 white-coloured pagodas and monasteries housing over 3,000 monks and 100 meditation centers.

And finally, gaze at the beautiful handmade silk weavings at a local workshop in Amarapura before visiting Maha Aungmye Bonzan and the largest teak bridge in the entire world, the U-Bein Bridge. Enjoy a stroll across the bridge and observe the comings and goings of the local people, or perhaps sit yourself in a small rowboat to watch the glorious sunset from a different vantage point.

Return to Mandalay in the evening for some much needed rest and relaxation at the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Eastern Palace Hotel

Begin your exploration of Myanmar today with a 3-hour ride to Monywa, a valley area dotted with farms, glittering pagodas and small villages. Visit a local workshop in Kyuakkar specializing in the famous black and gold lacquer ware. At the Maha Bodhi Ta Htaung Monastery, catch a glimpse of some of the largest Buddha images in the world with a 90-metre reclining Buddha and a 116-metre standing Buddha.

Check-in to the hotel in the early afternoon and splash around in the heated-swimming pool while trying the delicious cocktails available at the swim-up bar by yourself.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Win Unity Hotel

Depart Monywa this morning and drive 2.5-hours to Pakkoku, a center of Buddhism during the 13^th and 14^th centuries. Visit the old pagodas of Shwegu and Thiho-Shin and browse the local arts and crafts on display and then admire the 332 teak pillars of the ruins of Pakhan-Gyi Kyaung, once the country’s largest wooden monastery.

With a final 1-hour drive, arrive to the impressive archaeological site of Bagan in the early afternoon. Built between the 11th and 12th centuries, this ancient city is a bucket-list destination, often compared to the impressive ruins of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat.

Check-in to your hotel and enjoy your afternoon at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort

Start your morning early before the heat of the day hits with a half-day cycle tour visiting the many important sites of Bagan, starting with Ananda and Dhamayangi Temple. Keep pedaling through small villages filled with local markets, simple shops, and people going about their business before returning to town to stop at the ancient Buddhist Shwezigone Pagoda and Gu Byauk Gi Pagoda with its beautiful mural paintings. Pause for lunch in a local restaurant and return to your hotel for a much-needed rest and cool down in some air-conditioning.

As the heat begins to fade, a guide will bring you to Shwe Sandaw Pagoda for awe-inspiring sunset views, ending a perfectly magical day of exploring Bagan.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort

Depart from the hotel this morning after breakfast and travel 1.5 hours south to the legendary Mount Popa, a monastery located at the top of an extinct volcano and revered by locals as the home to 37 spirits.

Upon arrival to Mount Popa, options include climbing the 777 stairs to the top of the hill to explore the monastery, complete with its beautiful flowers, plants, and butterflies, or admiring the view from another vantage point easily accessible by car. Enjoy an early lunch with a view before heading back to Bagan, where your afternoon is free for leisure.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort

This morning take a one-hour flight from Bagan’s Nyuang-U Airport to Heho in the Shan State. Upon arrival to Heho, our driver will transport you to Kalaw, a former British Hill Station. Walk through fields of ginger, chili peppers, mustard seeds, garlic and corn as you venture out into the hills of Kalaw. Pass by local displays of a typical day in the country as men and women work in the fields.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Royal Kalaw Hills Resort

Travel deeper into the Shan hills today through forests fringing blue-coloured mountains, small villages, and smiling locals.  Arrive to a local village where a simple wooden monastery hosts you for the evening. This is a wonderful opportunity to interact with Burmese monks to understand a bit more of their way of life.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Royal Kalaw Hills Resort

Meet elephants today at Green Hill Valley Elephant Sanctuary, a rescue and conservation center for timber elephants. Throughout the day, get up close with the elephants as you feed, bathe, and play with them after a short training course from a Mahout. Lunch will be provided at the camp before dropping you off at your hotel in Inle Lake in the late afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Villa Inle Resort & Spa

Visit the gorgeous Inle Lake today by boat and view the powerful image of fisherman gliding along the water with their unusual rowing techniques, casting glittering nets to find food. Pass by villages inhabited by local people with the houses built on stilts and floating gardens before reaching Indein Village, home to the Pa O minority tribe and also one of five villages who host the weekly morning market. This market is visited by all lake inhabitants and the surrounding hill tribes and gives us a first-hand look into daily life and work in the region.

Return to your boat and visit Nga Hpe Chaung Monastery, well-known for not only its Shan-style Buddha statues but also the resident cats who have been trained to do various tricks. Stop by Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the lake’s main shrine, before visiting a cheroot workshop where Burmese cigars are rolled out by hand and a workshop where the iconic Shan parasols are carefully created.

Spend the rest of your afternoon relaxing at your hotel and breathing in the fresh air of this lovely region.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Villa Inle Resort & Spa

Say good-bye to Inle Lake and transfer to Heho Airport for a short return flight to Yangon. An afternoon tour of Yangon’s famed cultural and historical attractions awaits you, with visits to Chaukhtatgyi Paya, home to a 70-meter-long reclining Buddha, as well as the beautiful Sule Pagoda, Kandawgyi Park, and the awe-inspiring Shwedagon Pagoda as the sun begins to set.

Enjoy an evening dinner at Karaweik Palace, a glittering replica of the Pyi Gyi Mon Royal Barge which was used by Burmese kings of old to travel around the kingdom. Feast on an international buffet as you watch a glamourous cultural show featuring traditional dances and elaborate costumes.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Rose Garden Hotel Yangon

Your day is free until your transfer to Yangon Airport for your onward booked travel arrangements.

Meals: Breakfast