Myanmar in Winter From golden pagodas to the Mergui Archipelago

Imagine young girls with cheeks powdered with thanaka, elderly women smoking cheroots or chewing betel leaves, and regal looking men, dressed in long skirts tied at the waist. Imagine ancient pagodas where women and men of all ages count prayer beads among hundreds of Buddhas, coming and going, praying and meditating. Imagine the slender spires of the stupas and golden sunsets. Imagine canoes gliding across the vast waters of Inle Lake. And imagine a far-flung dot in the Andaman Sea, the white sand and crystal-clear water of the Mergui Archipelago.
As your journey unfolds, you visit the former capitals. Mandalay comes first, the last wooden capital, home to the country’s most well-known monasteries and still its main centre of learning. Legend has it that its construction was predicted by the Buddha himself, who stopped on the hill some 2,500 years ago. Mingun and its unfinished pagoda is next, followed by Ava and Sagaing, where there are still 600 pagodas and monasteries, home to some 3,000 monks. Amarapura comes last, where you watch processions of monks crossing the iconic U Bein Bridge during a cruise on the Irrawaddy. On the way to Bagan, you stop in the villages scattered among cotton fields and rice paddies to visit farmers’ markets or cheroot factories. Bagan, less crowded than Angkor yet just as magnificent, displays its glorious monuments across a vast plain covering 80 km² (31 square miles). The rural, unspoiled landscape is dotted with temples and stupas. From Ananda to Thabyinnyu and Gawdawpalin, you spend one day visiting the most famous temples. Another is spent exploring the dirt paths of the vast plain by scooter. Then it's a flight to Inle Lake, where you spend three days exploring its pagodas and monasteries, floating gardens, and sunken stupas. From there you fly to Yangon, where you discover its rich history and vibrant new energy, meditating in pagodas and visiting art galleries. When night falls, explore clubs and rooftop bars, with an expat, who takes you to their favourite local spots. Next, you head to the Andaman Sea and an island that feels like paradise in the Mergui Archipelago. The string of islands dropped in the deep blue water is a constellation of brown rocks crowned with tall trees and fringed with dazzling beaches. On these white sandy beaches you can enjoy doing nothing right by the sea. You can chill out on the sandy beach. You can swim in the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. You can explore the reefs and the mangroves. Or you can choose to turn inland, to immerse yourself in the intense green of the forest. The island is three hours from the Burmese coast, and you reach it by private speedboat, for the exclusive experience of connecting with nature. It’s a secret paradise.

YOUR JOURNEY

Everywhere, we have selected the finest accommodation, chosen for its charm and exceptional location. In Mandalay, at the foot of the Royal Fort, you stay in a marble and teak hotel, nestled in a lush garden. In Bagan, you have a beautiful hotel in the heart of a vast park, looking out over the thousands of temples. There are two ancient pagodas within the park itself. At Inle Lake, it’s a hotel inspired by the Shan and Intha cultures, at the foot of the blue mountains, bordered by rice paddies. In Yangon, your hotel is the former residence of the governor of the southern states of Myanmar, which has lost none of its 1920s splendour, with its teak wood and rich silks. And on the untouched island of Lampi, in the Mergui Archipelago, you stay in an eco-lodge (the only one permitted on the island). There are 14 bungalows hidden between the sea and the mangroves. Yours is a treetop villa.
For all your private tours, throughout your journey, you will have a guide. And you have the contact details of our on site Concierge, available at any time. It’s their job to deal with the unexpected.