Absolute Exotic Myanmar (17 days / 16 nights)
YANGON – KYAIKTHIYO – BAGO – KYAING TONG – PINDAYA – INLE LAKE – MANDALAY – BAGAN – YANGON
Day 1: Yangon
Arrive in Yangon International Airport. Welcome by the local guide and drive to the city. An orientation tour is arranged in the city of Yangon which is known as garden city with colonial buildings. In the afternoon, visit the magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda and enjoy the time at the pagoda platform until the sunset.
Overnight in Yangon
Day 2: Yangon – Bago – Kyaikthiyo
After breakfast, drive to Bago (85 km, ~1½ hrs). Continue to Kyaiktiyo (the Golden Rock) ( 120 km, ~ 3 hrs ) and in the afternoon, take a local truck up a bumpy track about half way up the mountain. From the "upper area" travellers must walk the final stage ( ~ 4 kilometres) up steep paths, which ascend some 500 meters to the Golden Rock. As an easier alternative to walking, visitors can be carried in sedan chairs by four porters. On arrival, watch the beauty of a sunset at this important pilgrimage site.
Overnight in Kyaikhtiyo
Day 3: Kyaiktiyo – Bago – Yangon
Breakfast at hotel. Return to Bago (120 km, ~3 hours). . In Bago, visit the main market, Shwemawdaw Pagoda, Mahazedi Pagoda and Shwetharlyaung reclining Buddha. Then visit a village for traditional cotton weaving and cheroot-making (Burmese cigars). Enroute visit the Htauk Kyant War Cemetery.
Overnight in Yangon
Day 4: Yangon – Kyaing Tong
Breakfast at hotel. Morning at leisure until transfer to Yangon Airport for domestic flight to Kyaing Tong ( via Heho, Mandalay and often Tachileik). Arrival at Kyaing Tong (Keng Tung) Airport and transfer to the hotel. A short drive through Kyaing Tong takes us to Lake Naung Tong, the centre of the city. A nice path goes around the lake and we can walk along. Make a photo stop towards the huge standing Buddha.
Overnight in Kyaing Tong
Day 5: Kyaing Tong & surrounding villages
Breakfast at hotel. After breakfast drive out of Kyaing Tong in northwest direction. The road takes us through Kattauk Village and then to Pin Tauk Village, about 1½ hour by car. In Pin Tauk village, Akha and Lahu people. The Akha are the largest minority in the Kyaing Tong area. Start trekking tour at Wan Ping village. After about 15 minutes walk and arrive at the first Akha village, where people still dress in their traditional costumes. Next village, Wanlar, is only about 20 minutes walk away and the path is not very steep. A steep path leads us up to the first Ann village, Nam Lin Kaung, the walk takes about 30 minutes. Ann people are dressed in their traditional black costumes. Continuation of trekking to another Ann Village, another 30 minutes walk and 1½ hour walk back to the carpark through rice and vegetable fields. Drive back to Kyaing Tong.
Overnight in Kyaing Tong
Day 6: Kyaing Tong & surrounding villages
Breakfast at hotel. An active day in the hills. We drive out of Kyaing Tong in direction to Tachilek (approx. 1 hour). Then drive high into the hills, to the top of Hokyin Mountain. Walk up, which takes 2 hours. Reach the top, we see 4 different Akha villages. Between each village is a valley and the path leads down approx. 15 minutes and up again approx. 30 minutes. Make the tour from village to village and return back to the car.
Return in the direction of Kyaing Tong and drive to the top of Lone Tree Hill for views over the surrounding countryside and Kyaing Tong. Return to the hotel.
Overnight in Kyaing Tong
Day 7: Kyaing Tong – Heho – Pindaya
This early morning we visit Kyaing Tong Market - a fascinating place to soak up the local atmosphere, minority people come to town to sell their goods all kinds of vegetables, rice, fruits, meat and fish. Visit at WAT IN – a Khun-style Maha-Myat Muni temple. Also a pottery and a blacksmith shop can be visited.
Transfer to Kyaing Tong Airport for domestic flight to Heho. Transfer from Heho airport to Pindaya, an interesting drive up into the hills and across the Shan Plateau, through fields of mountain rice.
Overnight in Pindaya
Day 8: Pindaya – Inle Lake
After breakfast visit magnificent Pindaya Caves, well-known for its thousands of Buddha statues from various kinds of materials and visit some local houses where families produce Shan paper. Drive from Pindaya down into the valley to Nyaungshwe on the edge of Inle Lake, and board on private boat to take to the hotel on the Lake.
In the afternoon, enjoy a boat trip on Inle Lake and visit to various arts and craft workshops on the way; such as a silk and lotus fiber weaving workshop, a “cheroot” cigars manufactory, as well as a silver and black smith. Visit to the Phaung Daw U Pagoda with its five famous Buddha statues.
Overnight at Inle Lake
Day 9: Maing Thauk – Indein
After breakfast, visit to a 5-days market where inhabitants of the surrounding mountain villages with different ethnical backgrounds meet for their weekly shopping. Then to Maing Thauk Village which is located on the edge of Inle Lake. Walk up a dirt track through the village and continue up the hill to a stupa which has fantastic views out over the lake and surrounding hills. The walk takes around 2 hours round trip and, although uphill, the route is not steep. In the afternoon, enjoy another boat tour to Indein, where thousands of Shan style stupas exist.
Overnight at Inle Lake
Day 10: Inle Lake – Heho – Mandalay
After breakfast depart from hotel by boat, bus transfer to Heho Airport, and flight to Mandalay. Drive to Mandalay and begin sightseeing tour with a visit to Mahamuni Pagoda, one of the most venerable Buddha images in Myanmar. Stop to see stone carving and, later, gold leaf workshop.
In the afternoon, visit Shwenandaw Monastery, an ancient wooden building with intricate carvings, which was once King Mindon's home. Continue to "the world’s biggest book", being the Buddhist Scriptures inscribed on marble slabs, at "Kuthodaw Pagoda". Visit Kyaukdawgyi Pagoda to admire a large Buddha statue carved out of a single block of local marble. Enjoy the sunset from Mandalay Hill.
Overnight in Mandalay
Day 11: Mandalay – Mingun – Mandalay
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning boat trip to Mingun: site of a brick pagoda towering 50 metres above the Ayeyarwady River, and home to the world's largest intact bell. The boat trip is interesting because you see all types of wooden boats and bamboo rafts, carrying goods up and down the river. Return to Mandalay.
Afternoon sightseeing includes a visit to central market and some of Mandalay’s local handicrafts such as bronze casting, cotton-weaving and tapestry.
Overnight in Mandalay
Day 12: Mandalay – Sagaing – Ava - Amarapura – Mandalay
After breakfast, excursion by bus to the beautiful Sagaing Hill with its over thousand of hermitages and sanctuaries. Sagaing is an important place for Buddhist devotees and a centre for meditation in Myanmar. Visit to the Sun-U-Ponnya-Shin Pagoda on the hill top to enjoy the view and stop at a nunnery.
And then take the local ferry to visit Innwa (Ava), located on an island between the Ayeyarwady and the Myitnge rivers. Visit Innwa by horse cart and pass through the ancient city walls to visit a brick and stucco monastery called Maha Aungmye Bonzan. Continue to Nanmyin Watch Tower – the climb to the top offers pleasant view over the river. See also the impressive wooden monastery of Bagaya Kyaung.
Return to Amarapura via the Ava Bridge. Walk over U-Bein Bridge, which is over a kilometre long and made entirely of teak.
Overnight in Mandalay
Day 13: Mandalay – Bagan (by public ferry)
Early morning transfer to the jetty and catch the public ferry boat to Bagan. The trip normally takes a full day (about 10 hrs).
The scenery along the Ayeyarwady River is picturesque, e.g. oxen-working on the fields, water buffalo wallowing in the mud, golden pagoda, fishermen, villagers bathing in the river and, of course, every type of boat and river craft that you can imagine. Arrive in Bagan in the late afternoon. Transfer to hotel.
Overnight in Bagan
Day 14: Bagan
Sightseeing in Bagan by bus; Bagan is the former royal capital and, with more than 2229 religious monuments. It is one of the major archaeological zones in South East Asia. Full day visit to the most important temples and pagodas.
Overnight in Bagan
Day 15: Bagan
Breakfast at hotel. Full day car and guide at disposal.
Overnight in Bagan
Day 16: Bagan – Yangon
Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to Nyaung Oo Airport for flight back to Yangon. Afternoon further visits by bus in the former capital with a stop at the famous Scott Market with uncountable shopping possibilities.
Overnight in Yangon
Day 17: Yangon – Departure
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Yangon International Airport for departure.