THE GOLDEN LAND
10 days / 9 nights
Yangon, Bagan, 2-Night Cruise, Mandalay, Inle Lake, Yangon
Day 1 Yangon
Arrive Yangon where you will meet your guide and transfer to your hotel.
Day 2 Yangon Explore the downtown area of Yangon. Starting at Sule Pagoda. Stroll the bazaar at Scott Market (Bogyoke Market amid shops filled with antiques, old coins, Burmese jade and handicrafts. Visit the Reclining Buddha at Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda, a 213-footlong statue with an expressive enamel face. View the story of the Buddha’s life embossed on the soles of the statue’s staggered feet. At sunset, visit Shwedagon Pagoda, the most sacred Buddhist site in Myanmar. Tradition holds it has stood for 2,600 years, making it the oldest historical pagoda in the world. Marvel as its round, gilded stupa captures the rays of the warm afternoon sun, lending a crowning moment to your Burmese adventure.
Day 3 Bagan
Fly to Bagan. Bagan known as the city of “four million pagodas” is one of the richest and greatest sites in Asia. The temples at Bagan can only be described as amazing and enchanting, you will explore the temples and the surrounding area, visit local artisans known for their lacquerware famous for using techniques handed down for generations. The only way to truly appreciate the beauty of Bagan is at sunset from the top of a Pagoda to see the panoramic view of the temples surrounding you.
Day 4 Bagan
Ballooning over Bagan You may wish to rise early for a wondrous balloon ride over Bagan as the rising sun illuminates the gold and sand colored stupas.
Continue to visit the temples to explore some of the lesser visited areas which cannot be reached by today’s vehicle by bicycle or by Horse Cart
Day 5 & 6 2 nights cruise Bagan to Mandalay
Spend the next 2 nights on a boat cruising the Irrawaddy River, watching the Irrawaddy River from the promenade deck or from the air conditioned comfort of your stateroom. Pass magical scenes of old Asia, women pounding their laundry on rocks, old paddle steamers churning the muddy waters, ox carts inching down rutted roads and small children waving gaily at passing vessels.
Day 7 Mandalay
Disembark in Mandalay and visit Mahamuni Pagoda. Stop at Shwenandaw Monastery and at Kuthodaw Pagoda to marvel at more than 700 marble slabs inscribed with Buddhist religious texts, referred to by some as the biggest book in the world. Later, drive to the top of Mandalay Hill for a spectacular sunset
Day 8 Mandalay - Inle Lake
Fly to Heho and continue to Inle Lake. While sightseeing by boat you will visit the five Buddha images of Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the holiest in Inle Lake and market. Visit the grand monastery of Nga Phe Kyaung and floating garden where you can see the magic of the unique one-legged rowers of Inle Lake.
Day 9 Inle Lake
This morning explore the villages by boat. Visit Nampan village to see local cigar (cheroot) making and canoe making and the silk weaving village, Inn Paw Khone to see how intricate the design and manufacture of silk products. Optional visit to hill tribes’ villages along the lake.
Day 10 Inle Lake/Heho/Yangon
Morning transfer to Heho for the return flight to Yangon. Arrive Yangon and transfer to the city to visit the vibrant fresh fruit market and the Chinatown.