Myanmar Discovery Tour 12 Days

ITINERARY

DAY 1: YANGON ARRIVAL (MEALS: NO)

Upon your arrival at the airport, our driver and guide will pick you up and depart for your hotel in the city center. You stay overnight at the hotel!

DAY 2: YANGON CITY TOUR (MEALS: B)

You enjoy breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, our guide picks you up to visit some famous attractions:

Mahanbandola Road – where the Immanuel Baptist Church was built in 1830. Next, you will pass by alleys lined with local eateries and markets. You visit Pansoda Street – famous for its old bookstores and photocopy stores. You pass by the Supreme Building – where the High Court Building, the grand Inland Water Transport offices and Myanmar port authority buildings are located to reach the Strand Road.

You visit the majestic Strand Hotel and walk along the Strand to visit Customs and the Law Court – an impressive-looking colonnade. You turn into bustling Bank Street and go up Sule Pagoda Street. You stop to take photos of Sule Pagoda and catch a glimpse of the Independence Monument and Mahabandoola Garden. Next you see the rebuilt City Hall twice and visit the busy areas of Indian and Chinese people. You explore the gold shops on Shwe Bontha and see from the outside at the Moseh Yeshua Synagogue on 26th Street. You visit Theingyi Zei market – you will see pickled-snake hunting. You go to Anawratha Street to go to Sri Kali Temple – the colorful Hindu temple of Yangon.

You visit Kyaukhtatgyi Pagoda to enjoy the 70m-long Buddha statue with the size of a blue whale. After that, you will visit the Royal Lake located on Kandawgyi Park – popular with locals. You look at the Karaweik hall – a beautiful construction and enjoy the breathtaking view of the Golden Shwedagon Pagoda. The best time to visit Shwedagon Pagoda is in the afternoon when the gilded stupa blends with the fading sun’s rays and shines magically. You pass by shops selling various religious items. The guide will explain Myanmar Buddhist rituals. Then you return to the hotel to rest. You stay overnight at a hotel in Yangon.

DAY 3: YANGON – GOLDEN ROCK (MEALS: B)

You enjoy breakfast at the hotel. You embark for a 5-hour journey to the famous Buddhist pilgrimage site in Mon State: Golden Rock – built on a mountaintop of a granite rock covered with gold leaf.

Along the way, you will visit Kyakhat Wine Monastery – where many monks live while studying the literature of the Buddha. You will have the opportunity to learn a lot of interesting information about the life of a monk.

To get to Golden Rock, you will travel by a local outdoor van and walk about 45 minutes on foot. You can use sedan seats for an extra fee.

DAY 4: GOLDEN ROCK – BAGO – YANGON (MEALS: B)

In the morning, you return to Yangon. On the way, you stop at Bago (or Pegu) to discover Shwemawdaw Pagoda – the tallest temple in Myanmar – a beautiful and large-scale architectural work. You visit Kanbawzathardi Palace – a reconstruction of the original Royal Palace from the second half of the 16th century and Shwethalyaung – one of the largest Buddha statues in Myanmar and Kyaik Pun Pagoda, known for its four images The lofty heights of the Buddha can be seen from a great distance. You visit the town market and Mon neighborhood – where local people produce woven goods.

Before returning to Yangon, you will also visit the World War 2 Cemetery and the handmade pots factory. You stay overnight at a hotel in Yangon.

DAY 5: YANGON – BAGAN (MEALS: B)

You enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Then, our driver will take you to the airport for your flight to Bagan. Upon arrival at Bagan airport, our driver and guide will pick you up to see the best of Bagan and visit Bagan’s most splendid temples and learn about Myanmar culture.

The first destination you will visit is the elevated temple with a panoramic view of the Bagan plain – you will enjoy the beauty of the surrounding temples such as Ananda temple – the most magnificent temple in Bagan. Next, you visit other temples with different unique architecture built from the 9-14 century.
Visiting the famous temples in Bagan, you will learn a lot of interesting information about the history, culture as well as the idyllic rural life of the locals. You visit two workshops producing lacquer products and wooden crafts. You will learn a lot of interesting information about these skilled craftsmen.

DAY 6: BAGAN DISCOVERY (MEALS: B)

You enjoy breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, your guide will pick you up to visit Bagan. You visit the vibrant Nyaung Oo market – where locals trade fresh products and everyday goods. Next you visit the famous Shwezigon Pagoda built in the early 11th century by King Anawrahta. You visit small temples and monasteries in a small village and participate in traditional Buddhist ceremonies here. Next, you take a horse-drawn carriage to visit Thatbyinnyu – the tallest temple in Bagan. Then you visit the huge Dhammayangyi temple with its beautiful brick construction. You enjoy the beautiful sunset view from the rooftop of the temple.

DAY 7: BAGAN – MANDALAY – AMARAPURA (MEALS: B)

You enjoy breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, you take a short flight to Mandalay. Upon arrival at Mandalay airport, our driver and guide will pick you up and depart for Amarapura – the penultimate royal capital of Myanmar.

Amarapura means “immortal city”, although its period as the capital was very short. You visit Mahagandayon Monastery – home to more than a thousand young monks and famous as a center of strict religious discipline and study. Then you visit Mahamuni Temple – This temple houses one of the country’s most honored Buddha statues, completely inlaid with gold leaf. You visit ThenKyauktawgyi Pagoda – you will enjoy a giant Buddha statue carved from a block of marble. Next, you visit the Kuthodaw Pagoda – dubbed the “World’s Largest Book” with a collection of 729 marble slabs engraved with Buddhist teachings. Then, you visit Shwenandaw Monastery, Golden Monastery – a beautiful unique architectural work.

Late afternoon, you visit the legendary U Bein Bridge – built-in 1782 when Amarapura was the center of the Royal Family. You enjoy the wonderful beauty of the sunset on U Bein Bridge.

DAY 8: MANDALAY – MINGUN – SAGAING – AVA – MANDALAY (MEALS: B)

You enjoy breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, you go to Madalay pier to board a relaxing boat on the Irrawaddy River to Mingun. You visit MingunPaya. From the top, you will enjoy the amazing beauty of HsinbyumePaya, Mingun village and the river. You visit Hsinbyume Temple with its ancient beauty. You will learn a lot of information about the history and culture of the temple here.

You return to Mandalay by boat. You visit more small neighborhoods in Mingun with traditional basket weaving villages, interact with craftsmen and friendly sellers.

Next, you visit Sagaing – famous for 600 temples and monasteries. Sagaing Hill is often considered the spiritual center of Myanmar and is home to about 3,000 monks and nearly 100 temples. You visit temples such as: Swan Oo PonNya Shin, U Min ThoneSae and Shin Pin Nan Gyaing. Then you visit the local market Sagaing.Next, you visit the small traditional pottery village here.

Then you move to Ava and take a traditional horse-drawn carriage to the wooden Bagaya Monastery, famous for its extremely elaborate wood carvings. You visit Nanmyint Watchtower – also known as “the leaning tower of Ava” – which is what remains from the ruins of the ancient palace and MahaAungmyeBonzan Monastery.

DAY 9: MANDALAY – HEHO – INLE LAKE (MEALS: B)

You have breakfast at the hotel and then depart to Mandalay airport for a flight to Heho. Upon arrival at Heho airport, our driver and guide will pick you up for a tour of Nyaung Shwe village. Along the way, you visit rural workshops specializing in the production of traditional Shan paper and unique handmade umbrellas. Next, you visit the Shweyanpyay monastery to see the exquisite artworks and ingenuity of the monks there.

Then, you get on a motorboat and head out to Inle Lake – one of the most beautiful sceneries in Myanmar. You will enjoy the romantic scenery with hills, attractive vegetation. Along the way, you will enjoy the villages built on the lake, inhabited by the Intha people. You will learn about the daily life of local people here. Next, you visit Nga Hpe Chaung monastery – where many Shan Buddha statues are kept. Then, you visit Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda – where there are 5 sacred statues of Buddha decorated with gold leaf.

In addition, you also have the opportunity to visit many craft villages such as weaving village, cigar factory, blacksmith workshop, boatyard… You return to the hotel to rest.

DAY 10: INLE LAKE – INDEIN VILLAGE (MEALS: B)

You enjoy breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, you visit the lake’s morning market. After that, you take a boat for about 1 hour to visit the small canal to reach Pa-oh village. You walk around the village before climbing the moss-covered stairs to the top of the hill. From the top of the hill, you will admire the beauty of the surrounding scenery. You stay overnight at the hotel.

DAY 11: INLE LAKE – YANGON (MEALS: B)

You enjoy breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, you are free to rest until our driver picks you up from the airport to return to Yangon. You check in the hotel and rest at the hotel in Yangon.

DAY 12: YANGON DEPARTURE (MEALS: B)

You enjoy breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, you go to Yangon international airport for a flight back home. End of services! See you again!