100% customisable travel idea
Mandalay, Bagan, Inle Lake and Yangon Discover Myanmar
Myanmar - Mandalay - Bagan - Inle Lake - Yangon
100% customisable travel idea
Myanmar - Mandalay - Bagan - Inle Lake - Yangon
100% customisable for you
Night on board, arrival the next day.
Meet your English-speaking guide. Transfer and check-in for a two nights in a pleasant city-centre accommodation. Mandalay is home to some of the country’s most renowned monasteries, and has a particularly large monastic community - 40,000 monks for a population of 500,000. Here, ancient culture is passed down in the shade of the pagodas.
Included - a tour of Mandalay: Mahamuni Buddha Temple - nearly seven tonnes of gilded bronze, four metres (13 feet) high, and said to come from the ancient kingdom of Arakan; Kuthodaw Pagoda, with its collection of 729 marble slabs inscribed with the teachings of Buddha; and Shwenandaw Pagoda, one of the most precious gems of Burmese wood art and the last remaining vestige of the 11th-century royal wooden palace.
Included - private day tour of the former capitals. On the western bank of the Irrawaddy River, Sagaing is the spiritual centre of the country. With nearly 600 Buddhist pagodas and monasteries, it is home to 3,000 monks. Golden rooftops rise above the trees all around. On the other side of the river, crossed by a famous bridge, lies Ava. Highlights include the palace watchtower and the Bagaya Monastery, built entirely of teak. Finally, Amarapura, with its Mahagandayon Monastery - a centre for monastic and religious study - and legendary U Bein Bridge. Built in 1782, it is the oldest and longest teakwood bridge in the world, spanning 1,200 metres (nearly 4,000 feet). Here, you can watch a magnificent procession of monks crossing Taungthaman Lake.
Drive to Bagan. Follow the east bank of the Irrawaddy past villages, sesame and cotton fields, and rice paddies. Cross the bridge to Pakokku, a large town that you’ll explore by tuk-tuk, visiting its thanaka market in an old monastery and a cheroot factory - the Burmese cigars for which Pakokku is known. Next, travel down the river by boat, past the small fishing villages lining the banks. Arrival in Pagan after two hours of sailing to stay three nights in a beautiful colonial building, delicately decorated with Burmese crafts. The rooms are spacious and bright, and the garden is planted with centuries-old trees that shade the lovely pool in this charming property.
Pagan is home to more than 2,724 temples, stupas and pagodas, built between the 11th and 13th centuries, scattered across 80 square kilometres (31 square miles). This is the world’s largest concentration of Buddhist monuments.
Included - full day exploring Pagan’s most significant temples and stupas, including a visit to Nyaung Oo market, Shwezigon Pagoda, the grand Ananda Temple (one of the largest Burmese pilgrimage sites), the mural paintings at Wetkyi-in Gubyaukgyi Temple, and Dhammayangyi. Pagan is also renowned for its lacquer workshops, which you won’t want to miss. The next day, electric bikes are provided so you can discover the charms of the city at your own pace.
Private transfer to the airport, then flight to Heho. Another private transfer to Inle Lake, then take a pirogue (traditional canoe) across the water to your hotel on the lakeshore, to stay for three nights. We love the absolute calm and delightful comfort; the heated outdoor pool is superb. The professional, warm welcome is also worth mentioning.
Included - board a pirogue to discover the floating gardens of Inle Lake and meet its market gardeners and fishermen as you glide over the water. Arriving on the eastern shore of the lake, set off on foot through villages to discover the Intha’s traditional gardening techniques. Then you will be welcomed by an Intha family for a home-cooked lunch in their home on stilts.
Inle Lake is a world apart. What makes it unique are its Intha villages on stilts, surrounded by floating gardens. Only the gentle sounds of fishermen’s boats disturb the quiet of the place.
Included - spend a day exploring the lake by traditional pirogue, discovering houses on stilts, floating gardens, markets and pagodas. Nga Hpe Chaung Monastery offers a chance to stretch your legs and admire its collection of ancient Shan Buddha images. Your guide will facilitate enriching and varied encounters with local people.
Optional - Walk the trails around the lake, linking village to village, and meet Shan farmers. Cycle to the Shwe Indein Pagoda complex.
Included - travel to the Sagar region by pirogue. Off the beaten track, at the far south of Inle Lake, this is one of the most beautiful places in Shan State, with mountains, small villages and rice paddies. As you explore, discover the 108 hollow stupas built in the 16th and 17th centuries. The region is also famous for its rice liquor - perhaps less spiritual than the Buddha’s doctrine, but just as Burmese.
Private transfer to Heho Airport and flight to Yangon. Another private transfer to stay one night in a beautiful property, pleasantly located beside Kandawgyi Park, not far from the lake of the same name. The rooms are modern and comfortable, with some offering views of the beautiful Shwedagon Pagoda. The hotel also features a splendid pool lined with palm trees.
There are two sides to the former Burmese capital. The first has the faded charm of the different periods of its history: golden pagodas and giant Buddhas, parasols and longyis, colonial facades overgrown with vegetation. Beneath the banyan trees, the British atmosphere still lingers. The second side is a creative, dynamic vibe that is reinvigorating Yangon. A rapidly developing urban landscape brings delightful surprises in many areas, from contemporary art to the food scene.
Included - private tour of Yangon’s pagodas, taking in Kyaukhtatgyi Pagoda and its famous, 70-metre (230 feet) long reclining Buddha, and Shwedagon Pagoda - the heart of Burmese devotion, where you can wander quietly, listening to the monks’ mantras, and visit as a neighbour. In the afternoon, a traditional high tea in the lounge of a grand colonial mansion will transport you to Kipling’s Myanmar.
For this final day, you have a car and driver to explore Yangon (formerly Rangoon) at your own pace.
What to see and do: the old colonial buildings, including the once-prestigious Balthazar Building - now home to dozens of families - the Department of Accounting, Central Post Office, and former Railway Company; visit the National Museum; shop for a longyi (traditional sarong) or canvas and bamboo sandals at Bogyoke Aung San Market; stroll through Chinatown.
Private transfer to the airport and international return flight.
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