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BURMESE TREASURES
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Code: |
MAD 01 |
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Routes: |
Yangon -
Mandalay - Pyin U Lwin - famous Bagan -
Mount Popa - Pindaya Cave - wonder of
Inle Lake. |
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Duration: |
12 Days |
Itinerary in brief
Day 1 : ARRIVAL - YANGON
Day 2 : YANGON - MANDALAY
Day 3 : MANDALAY - MINGUN
Day 4 : MANDALAY - AMARAPURA - SAGAING - AVA
Day 5 : MANDALAY - PYIN U LWIN - MANDALAY
Day 6 : MANDALAY - BAGAN
Day 7 : BAGAN
Day 8 : INLE LAKE - YANGON
Day 9 : KALAW - PINDAYA - INLE LAKE
Day 10 : INLE LAKE
Day 11 : INLE LAKE - YANGON
Day
12 : YANGON - DEPARTURE
Capture the spirit of Myanmar in this fast-paced
adventure. With some longer journeys covered by plane
and train this is a wonderful trip for those who want to
experience the very best of Myanmar but only have a
limited time. The intimate encounters with the gentle
and gracious people-everyDAY weavers, blacksmiths,
silversmiths, drummers-bring you closer to this land
than you could ever imagine.
Detail Itinerary
DAY 1: ARRIVAL - YANGON
Arrive at Yangon International Airport. Meet and
transfer to Hotel. After check-in hotel, lunch at a
restaurant. After lunch, start orientation tour of
Yangon City including visits to: Sule Pagoda - the heart
of the Yangon City surrounded by various colonial style
buildings, Botataung Pagoda - the land mark of Yangon's
river-front, Chaukhtatgyi Reclining Buddha Image - a
colossal reclining Buddha Image, and end of the tour at
Shwedagon Pagoda - over 2500 years old the world famous
stupa. Dinner and your first night of stay in capital of
Myanmar.
DAY 2: YANGON - MANDALAY
Today we spend a half day exploring Yangon. The gilded
Sule Pagoda, the impressive Karaweik Hall on the Royal
Lake and the National Museum with a display of treasures
and artefacts reflecting the richness of Burmese
culture, are not to be missed. We visit these sights
before continuing on the enormous reclining Buddha of
Chaukhtatgyi in a quiet, open air pavilion. We also have
also time wandering around the lively Bogyoke Aung San
Market, formerly Scott’s market. Here everything and
anything is for sale. In the late afternoon, we board a
night train ( apr. 15 hours) to Mandalay. The train
conditions are basic but this journey is in keeping with
the adventurous nature of our trips and allows you to
experience a taste of the 'real Myanmar'. O/N on board.
(B)
DAY 3: MANDALAY - MINGUN
This morning our train journey arrives in Mandalay.
After breakfast we transfer to the jetty for a boat trip
on the mighty Irrawaddy River. The lively waterfront
with working buffaloes offers a spectacular backdrop as
we cruise upriver to Mingun, home to the
unfinished huge pagoda, the world’s largest bell
and the beautiful white Hsinbyume Pagoda are a highlight
of our visit towards Mingun. After exploring this site,
we drive back to Mandalay City. Here is plenty to see,
some of which are the Mahamuni Pagoda, the fabulous
Kuthodaw Pagoda often called "the world's largest book"
and the wooden monastery of Shwenandaw Kyaung. This
strcuture is still standing over centuries, despite of
all vicissitudes of the city. We include these sights in
a half DAY city tour which also gives us a chance to
ascend Mandalay hill for a beautiful sunset view of the
surrounding areas. O/N in Mandalay. (B)
DAY 4: MANDALAY - AMARAPURA - SAGAING - AVA
The great cultural city of Mandalay was a former capital
of Burma; however many outlaying towns could lay claim
to the same title at some stages in the past. Today we
head out of the town to one of these ancient cities,
Amarapura. The spectacular teak bridge of U Bein and the
famous Mahaganda Monastery a highlight of our visit to
Amarapura. We then cross over the mighty Irrawaddy River
to the picturesque Sagaing Hill. This lush area is
covered in 600 white painted pagodas and monasteries,
and is therefore regarded as the religious centre of
Myanmar. After seeing Sagaing, we transfer to the ruin
of Ava and embark on a horse and carriage to explore the
old wooden Bagaya Monastery and the remains of the Royal
Palace. O/N in Mandalay. (B)
DAY 5: MANDALAY - PYIN U LWIN - MANDALAY
The famous hill station of Pyin u Lwin, formerly called
Maymyo, was established during colonial era, and is now
a crossroad for traders coming over from China. After
breakfast we make our way by a winding road to Pyin u
Lwin. A pleasant way to get around this hill station is
on a horse carriage. This local transport will take us
to the national garden of Kandawgyi and the botanical
garden where vegetables as well as "English" fruits
still flourish. We spend our time to walk around the
downtown seeing numerous colonial buildings and a
colourful local market. Close to the town is the
picturesque Pwekauk Waterfalls. We also visit this sight
before we setting off on our return trip. O/N in
Mandalay. (B)
DAY 6: MANDALAY - BAGAN
An early morning transfer to the jetty for a leisurely
trip the mighty Irrawaddy River north towards Bagan, one
of Asia's most impressive archeological wonders. The
river trip can take anything from 7 or 9 hours depending
on water conditions. No matter how long it takes us,
this is still a wonderfull experience as we pass by the
spectacular landscape and see the rural life close up.
Along the way our boat makes several stops allowing
passenger to stretch their legs and buy local snack. We
arrive in Bagan late afternoon and take a wander to
catch our first glimpse of the town. O/N in Bagan. (B)
DAY 7: BAGAN
The charming town of Bagan flourished from the 11th
till 13th century when religious fervors
launched a 200 year building of thousands huge stupas
and temples, many of which are still standing today on
the banks of the Irrawaddy River. We visit the vibrant
market of Nyaung U before taking a short drive to the
archeological zone. The sightseeing tour enables us to
explore many magnificent landmarks including Shwezigon,
Gubyaukgyi, Htilominlo, Ananda, Thatbyinnyu, Sulamani,
Dhammyangyi. These temples and pagodas bear statement to
a glorious past. After seeing these sights, we visit a
lacquerware workshop near Myinkaba village and enjoy a
spectacular sunset from the upper terrace of Myaukguni
Temple. O/N in Bagan. (B)
DAY 8: BAGAN - MOUNT POPA - KALAW
Heading out of the town we commence our overland trip to
Kalaw with the first stop being the imposing Mount Popa.
This extinct volcano boasts the region’s highest peak,
but the main attraction in this place is the smaller
one, Popa Taungkalar, which is dedicated to the local
legendary "nat" spirits. After a two hour drive, we
ascend the Popa Taungkalar for a beautiful panoramic
view of the surrounding area. There are 777 steps which
wind around the outcrop, leading to the gilled stupa and
monastery at the summit. We continue our journey to the
Shan Plateau, travelling through the stunning
countryside and rolling hills to Kalaw, a pleasant hill
station. O/N in Kalaw. (B)
DAY 9: KALAW - PINDAYA - INLE LAKE
This morning we can soak up the fresh climate as much as
we want by spending our time strolling around the hill
station of Kalaw and seeing the colorful rural market.
Upon leaving Kalaw we drive to Pindaya. This magnificent
cave in a tranquil setting of limestone outcrops and
scenic lakes, houses thousand Buddha images of various
shapes and sizes, all brought there by devoted pilgrims
over centuries. On arrival we enjoy a walk exploring the
sacred cave of Pindaya and seeing the traditional
production of local paper and parasols at nearby
village. The final destination of today is Inle Lake, a
famous wonder of Myanmar. O/N in Inle Lake. (B)
DAY 10: INLE LAKE
The picturesque scenery blending with the sky and
floating gardens rising from the clear water of the lake
is nothing short of spectacular. We board our boat for a
leisurely trip on the lake which also gives us a chance
to visit some gardens and catch a glimpse of the local
Intha fishmen famous for their rowing technique. These
people power their narrow boats by twisting their legs
around their oars, a remarkable feat of agility and
control. Along the way, we anchor to visit the Phaung
Daw Oo Pagoda, the Jumping Cat Monastery with a
beautiful collection of antique Buddha statues and the
local market. This colourful congregation is held in
different villages every five DAYs, and also attracts
numerous ethnic minorities who converge from the
surrounding villages to trade their goods. O/N in Inle
Lake. (B)
DAY 11: INLE LAKE - YANGON
Today we take a motor boat through the main water body
of the lake to In Dein village, a recently opened area
in Shan state. Here our boat start venturing into a
small canal and pass through the beautiful scenery on
the way to a Pa O hill tribe village. After seeing the
local market, we enjoy a walk to the very impressive
ruins containing hundred ancient pagodas, some of which
are hidden in the lush vegetation. The main stupa in
this place offers an interesting view over the
surrounding mountains to the valley and the quite water
of the lake in the far distance. In the late afternoon,
we board a short flight back to the capital city. O/N in
Yangon. (B)
DAY 12: YANGON - DEPARTURE
There is a free time for your own visit
to Bogyoke Market, formerly Scott’s Market or walk along
the bustling streets of Indian town and Chinatown. The
trip ends after transfer to Mingaladon airport for
departure. (B)
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HOTELS USED ON THIS TRIP |
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CITY/ AREA
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Standard Class
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First Class
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Superior Class
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Yangon
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Panorama hotel, Yuzana Garden hotel or
similar one
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Summit Park View hotel or similar one
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Grand Plaza Park Royal
, Kandawgyi Palace or Nikko hotel
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Bagan
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Thirimarlar hotel or similar one
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Thazin Garden hotel or similar one
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Bagan Golf Resort , Bagan hotel
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Mandalay |
Wood Land Hotel or similar one
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Swan hotel or similar one
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Mandalay Hill Resort, Sedona hotel
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Inle Lake
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Paradise Ny. Shwe hotel, Royal Orchid hotel
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Shweinntha hotel or similar one
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Paradise Inle Resort, Golden Island Cottages
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Kalaw
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New Shine hotel or
similar one
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Hill top Villa,
Pine Hill Resort |
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HOTEL NOTES
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+ The higher hotel category in Yangon, Bagan
, Madanlay and Inle Lake can be
arranged upon request. + The hotels in
Inle Lake and Bagan do not match tour
classification since some of them may be
simple but remember that Myanmar is a
developing country.
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