Discover Jewel
Day 1 : Arrive
Yangon
Arrive in Yangon and transfer to hotel.
Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon, is
still a relatively quiet and charming
city. Its impressive colonial and
spiritual heritage makes Yangon one of
the most fascinating and authentic
capitals of South-East Asia. Overnight
in Yangon.
Day 02 :
Yangon -
Kyaikhtiyo (
Golden Rock ). (B)
Leaving Yangon in the morning, enjoy a
scenic journey by road to Kyaiktiyo,
190km to the east. One of Myanmar’s
great pilgrimage sites is the Golden
Rock at Kyaiktiyo, one of Myanmar's
landmarks, which is famous for its
precarious position and religious
importance: KYAIKTIYO the 'Golden Rock',
a huge boulder completely covered by
gold leaf and delicately balanced on the
edge of a cliff. To reach the pagoda
from KIN PUN a steep 11 km road leads to
the upper staging point by truck. The
'upper area' must be traveled by foot,
at present, and the walk is
approximately 4 km (1 hour) up a steep
path which ascends some 500 m to the
GOLDEN ROCK. On arrival you can enjoy
the beautiful sunset. Dinner and
overnight in hotel.
Day 03 :
Kyaikhtiyo (Golden Rock)
-
Bago -
Yangon (B)
Breakfast at Hotel. Drive to Bago - 110
km from base camp. Visit Kyat Khet Wine
Monastery for adoring the receting of
Buddha preches by monks and Bago Market.
Sightseeing in Bago includes the
beautiful 55m long reclining Buddha
called Shwethalyaung and the Mon style
Shwemawdaw Pagoda, one of the most
venerated in Myanmar. Its spire stands
114m high and is taller even than the
Shwedagon Pagoda. Also visit the old
Palace of Kambozathadi and the huge four
sitting Buddhas. Return by road to
Yangon, visiting the Allied War Cemetery
near Htaukkyan, the final resting place
for over 27,000 allied soldiers, and a
local woven bamboo factory. Transfer
back to Yangon. Overnight in Yangon.
Day 4 :
Yangon -
Mandalay by night
train. (B)
After breakfast at hotel, morning
sightseeing at Myanmar’s holiest
monument, the Shwedagon Pagoda with its
gold covered stupa and Kyaukhtatgyi
Pagoda’s 70m long reclining Buddha.
After lunch, back to hotel. Transfer to
railway station for Myanmar. Overnight
on train.
Day 5 :
Mandalay -
Mingun Css. (B)
Upon arrival at Mandalay in the morning,
transfer to hotel. Free at leisure.
Visit the Kuthodaw Pagoda with its 729
marble stone slabs of Buddhist
scriptures (known as the world’s biggest
book), Shwenandaw Monastery, noted for
its exquisite woodcarving and the
impressive Kyauktawgyi Pagoda with its
huge sitting Buddha. In the afternoon,
transfer to the jetty and board a
private chartered boat for an excursion
over the Irrawaddy River towards the
former capital of Mingun. After a 45
minute cruise, arrive in Mingun famous
for its huge unfinished pagoda also home
to the Mingun Bell, considered as the
world’s largest uncracked ringing bell.
Also visit the beautiful white Hsinbyume
Pagoda. Return by boat to Mandalay.
Enjoy the sunset from Mandalay Hill for
panoramic view of city. Overnight in
Mandalay.
Day 6:
Mandalay -
Amarapura -
Ava
-
Sagaing -
Mandalay by car. (B)
After breakfast at the hotel depart for
full day trip to the former capitals of
Amarapua, Ava and Sagaing. The day
begins with a visit to the 18th century
capital, Amarapura. Attend the daily
meal of over a thousand monks at the
country’s largest monastery,
Mahagandayon. Visit a silk weaving
workshop, the craft speciality of
Amarapura. Proceed to Ava, the capital
from 14th to 18th centuries and visit by
horse and carriage the old wooden Bagaya
Monastery and the remains of the Royal
Palace and fort. In the afternoon cross
the bridge over the Irrawaddy River and
continue to Sagaing. Covered with 600
white-painted pagodas and monasteries,
Sagaing Hill is widely regarded as the
religious centre of Myanmar and is home
to 3,000 monks and 100 meditation
centres. Finish the day with a walk at
sunset over the 200 year-old U Bein
Bridge, constructed entirely from teak.
Overnight in Mandalay.
Day 7:
Mandalay -
Monywa -
Po Win Daung -
Monywa by boat/car. (B)
Leave Mandalay for a 3 hour drive to
Moniwa, a typical Burmese town on the
banks of the Chindwin River. On the way,
visit Thanboddhay Pagoda, where more
than 500,000 Buddha images cover every
wall and archway of this huge Buddhist
temple. Also visit Bodihtataung Pagoda
and the largest reclining Buddha image
in Myanmar, 100m long and 27m high.
Cross the Chindwin River by ferry and
proceed to Po Win Daung by local open
jeep. This extraordinary complex
consists of 947 sandstone caves dug out
of the hills and contains what is
considered by archaeologists to be the
richest collection of mural paintings
and Buddhist statues in South-East Asia.
Recently opened to foreigners, Po Win
Daung with its unique, precious
frescoes, some dating from the early
17th century, is a must to see for
anyone with an interest in Buddhist
Arts. A few hundred metres from the
caves is Shwe Ba Daung, another very
interesting site where monasteries and
temples are carved out of narrow cliffs.
Overnight in Monywa.
Day 8 :
Monywa -
Pakkoku by car /
Pakkokku -
Bagan by boat. (B)
After breakfast at the hotel, leave
Moniwa by passing traditional villages
where farmers climb the palm trees to
extract the juice from which they
produce palm tree sugar. Continue 20km
south to Pakokku. A lively, typical
Burmese city with a strong craftwork
tradition producing colourful woven
blankets, paper toys and traditional
sandals. Continue by boat across the
river to arrive in Bagan at the end of
the day with having a beautiful sun-set
into the hill. Overnight in Bagan.
Day 9 :
Bagan Css. (B)
After breakfast at the hotel morning
sightseeing of Bagan features the
colourful Nyaung Oo Market, the
Shwezigon Pagoda and its magnificent
golden stupa, Wetkyi-In Gubyaukgyi, a
cave temple with exquisite jatakas
murals paintings and the elegant
Htilominlo Temple noted for its fine
plaster carvings and glazed sandstone
decorations. In the afternoon, visit
Ananda, an architectural masterpiece of
the early-style temple with two original
standing Buddha images whose facial
expressions change depending on the
distance the statue is viewed from. The
Ananda Okkyaung is one of the few
surviving brick monasteries from the
early Bagan period and the next temple
to be visited, Thatbyinnyu, is the
highest in Bagan, rising to 61m. End the
day with a horse and carriage tour among
the temples passing by the traditional
village of Taungbi, Sulamani Temple and
the massive Dhammayangyi Temple noted
for its remarkable brickwork. Enjoy the
sunset over the site from the upper
terrace of Myauk Guni Temple. Overnight
in Bagan.
Day 10 :
Bagan -
Mt Popa -
Pindaya
by car. (B)
After breakfast at hotel, proceed to Mt.
Popa, a one hour drive from Bagan on the
road to Mandalay, rises 1520 metres into
the sky. Climbing to the summit takes
about 45 minutes and you can visit the
Mahagiri Shrine dedicated to the "Nats"
(spirits) at the top. There is a
wonderful panoramic view. This is an
easy day's journey from Bagan stopping
along the way at local villages and a
sugar cane plantation. Lunch on the way.
Proceed to Pindaya. Enjoy a scenic drive
to Pindaya by passing village & green
field. Overnight in Pindaya.
Day 11 :
Pindaya -
Yazagyi Hill
trekking. (B)
After breakfast at Hotel, hiking to
Yarsagyi Hill on foot about 4-5 hours.
Lunch on the way. Visit surrounding
villages. Observe Palaung, Danu and Pao
tribes and their way of living.
Particulars in their community work of
tea, thanatphat (cheroot making leaves),
Garlic, sunflower plantation. Observe
the traditions and customs. Dinner and
overnight at Yarsagyi Hill with the
villagers.
Day 12 :
Pindaya Sightseeing /
Pindaya -
Inle (B)
Trekking down to the Pindaya. Halfday
sightseeing at Pindaya’s limestone cave
with its maze of chambers displaying
more than 8,000 Buddha statues and local
handicraft workshops producing Shan
paper made from mulberry bark and
traditional umbrellas made from the same
paper that are used by monks all around
the country. Overnight in Pindaya.
Day 13 :
Pindaya -
Inle Lake by
car. (B)
After breakfast at hotel, Enjoy a scenic
drive to Inle Lake, one of Myanmar
best-known sights. The Intha people, a
tribe of Mon descent, mostly inhabit the
lakeshores and floating villages. On
arrival at Nyaung Shwe village, transfer
by boat to start a sightseeing tour of
Inle Lake including a chance to see the
leg-rowing fishermen. Continue to see
the floating gardens, built up from
strips of water hyacinth and mud and
anchored to the bottom with bamboo
poles. There are also floating villages
like Ywama, the lake’s downtown, where a
floating market is held every five days.
In the afternoon continue to Phaung Daw
Oo Pagoda, the weaving village of
Inpawkhon and the jumping cat monastery.
Check into hotel in the evening.
Overnight at Inle Lake.
Day 14 :
Inle Lake -
In Dein -
Inle
Lake (B)
After breakfast, transfer by motorboat
to In Dein, an off-the-beaten-track site
in the south of the lake. From Ywama,
the boat leaves the lake and enters a
narrow canal leading to a small Pa O
tribe village. From the market place of
the village, follow an old covered path
to a 13th century monastery and the very
impressive ruins of hundreds of ancient
pagodas, some hidden in the vegetation.
The main stupa-area on the top of the
hill offers breathtaking views over the
surrounding mountains and down to the
valley and the lake in the far distance.
Return to the lake and transfer back to
hotel in the afternoon. Overnight at
Inle Lake.
Day 15 :
Inle -
Yangon by morning
flight (B)
Depart Yangon (B)
After breakfast, transfer to airport for
Yangon. Upon arrival, finish the tour
with a visit to downtown Yangon with its
faded colonial atmosphere, Sule Pagoda,
Mahabandoola Park, India town and
bustling Chinatown. In the afternoon
there is free time for shopping at
Bogyoke Market, formerly Scott’s Market
before transferring to Mingaladon
Airport for onward flight.
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