Magical Myanmar 8 Days, 7 Nights

Being isolated for so many years, Myanmar remains a land of less-touched highlights. Today you will arrive in Yangon Mingaladon Airport and be greeted by your private tour guide and driver.

Transfer to your hotel then check in and relax at your own leisure in Yangon.

Overnight in Yangon.

(Check in time is 14.00 – Early check in is upon availability)

Today you will take a city tour to explore quiet and charming Yangon city. Its impressive colonial and spiritual heritage makes it one of the most fascinating cities in Southeast Asia.
The first stop is the iconic Shwedagon Pagoda, one of the most famous attraction of Yangon. The professional English speaking local guide will show you around of the hidden messages of the Pagoda and tell you more about the history. Please note that you need to take off your shoes if you enter the pagoda and walk around.

Lunch at local restaurant. Then continue to the central area of Yangon, where most of the colonial buildings are standing. Walk around this area to explore Yangon City Hall, Independence Monument, former High Court Buildings, Telegraph Office and along the way you will see some street book stalls that sell the oldest books here.

You will visit Nanthida Jetty, where you can watch the busy life on the Yangon river and to see the daily communication of people from the suburbs of Yangon.

The last stop of the tour is a visit to Saint Mary’s Cathedral, an old Colonial building built in 1899. You will be transported back to your hotel safely after the tour.

Take an early flight from Yangon to Mandalay today. Upon arrival, begin a sightseeing tour of Mandalay with a visit to Mahamuni Pagoda. This pagoda is home to one of the country’s most revered Buddha images which, over the years, has been covered with so much gold leaf by revelers that it has attained a unique and iconic ‘lumpy’ texture. Get a good look at this famous Buddha image and walk around the temple grounds for a feel of its unique spiritual vibes.

Lunch at local restaurant. Followed by Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda, known for its impressive large Buddha image carved out of a single block of marble.

Continue to the Shwenandaw Monastery, or Golden Palace Monastery, noted for its exquisite wood carvings—an amazing photo opportunity. See Kuthodaw Pagoda, home of the world’s largest book and stone slabs with Buddhist scriptures, before viewing Mandalay Palace. Watch the sunset from Mandalay Hill, 787 feet (240 m) tall, and admire a panoramic view of the city and the Irrawaddy River.

After breakfast at hotel. Free time until your guide and drive arrive to take you from Mandalay to Bagan. Upon arival in Bagan, check in to your hotel then free time afterwards.

Your next morning in Bagan will start off with an exciting hot-air balloon ride above the panoramic view of the city. (Today your tour will start early.)

Climb aboard and take off, you will observe one-of-a-kind views! Rise slowly above the tree line and see the pagodas come into view. Be enchanted by the site of the temples being illuminated by the sun’s early morning rays. Enjoy panoramic views from the balloon’s basket, getting a stunning view of the plains and the glimmering waters of the Irrawaddy River. The knowledgeable pilot will point out famous sites and share interesting stories about the temples and Myanmar culture as the balloon drifts over Bagan.

Then travel to the village of Kyunkalay, an undeveloped town beyond Bagan you won’t find mentioned in any guidebooks. From the meeting point, you’ll drive to reach Pakkoku. Here, you’ll spend roughly an hour at the biggest thanakha market in Myanmar, and a local wet market. Thanakha is a cosmetic paste made from ground bark and is an ancient beauty treatment in Myanmar, said to treat wrinkles, sun damage, and acne, and is even believed to help with fevers and headaches.

From the markets, you’ll head to a local tea shop and sample some tea and local street foods. Try some treats and get a literal taste for local life here. Then drive another 45 minutes to reach a small village, called Kyunkalay. This is a tiny place you won’t find in any guidebooks or on Wikipedia. It’s entirely undeveloped with no electricity, no school for the local children, and not even a monastery. The main form of transportation is by oxen cart and bicycle. You’ll get to walk around the village and learn about important tasks locals do, such as harvesting beans and vegetables, or growing flowers. You will then join a local family for lunch in their home, where you’ll be able to learn more about what life is like in this part of Myanmar.

Finish off the tour with a ride on an ox-driven cart to reach the nearest jetty, where you’ll cross the Ayeyarwady River, the largest and most important waterway in Myanmar. You’ll reach Nyaung U Jetty on the other side, and from here your guide will help you arrange local transportation back to your hotel, or into the city to explore more on your own.

After breakfast, transfer to Nyaung Oo Airport for a flight to Heho. From Heho, a scenic one-hour drive leads to Nyaung Shwe, the gateway village to Inle Lake. Along the way, stop at the wooden Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, which features beautiful carvings and a collection of Buddha images. Also, stop in Nyaung Shwe for a trishaw tour around town, winding through quiet streets past nunneries, monasteries and local houses. Visit the ‘Tomato House’ where the lake’s freshly picked produce is sorted and then distributed throughout the country. If the local market is being held in town, stop there for a visit as well.

Upon reaching the edges of Inle Lake, board a private motorboat to head out to Inle Lake, one of Myanmar’s most spectacular sights.

Pass villages built on stilts over the lake, inhabited by the local Intha people. Observe the iconic leg-rowing fishermen and see their floating gardens built up from strips of water hyacinth and mud and anchored to the bottom with bamboo poles.

Continue to Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the lake’s main sanctuary, which contains five sacred Buddha images covered in gold leaf. Explore the local crafts of Inle Lake with a stop at the weaving village of Inpawkhone and a cheroot factory, where traditional Burmese cigars are made by hand.

If time permits, there may be time to enjoy a short walk through one of the lakeside villages.

This morning the sightseeing begins with a visit to the lake’s morning market. The market rotates its location around the lake’s villages in a 5-day rhythm and is visited by lake inhabitants and surrounding hill tribes who come to sell and trade their wares. (Note: market is daily except on dark-moon day and full-moon days).

Then, continue to the western banks of the lake and travel down a small canal to Indein. Indein is a Pa-Oh village known for its stupa-covered hill at Alaung Sitthou. Spend time exploring Indein on foot, and head to the top of Alaung Sitthou. Here, wander around the weather-beaten stupas and enjoy magnificent views of the lake below.

This afternoon, transfer to Heho Airport for the flight to Yangon. On arrival, transfer to the hotel for a good night’s rest.

Free time until your driver come to your hotel to pick you up for your departure flight.