Overview
Step off the main tourist trail and cruise the Chindwin, perhaps Myanmar's loveliest of rivers. Aboard this luxurious 7 night cruise you'll carve your way north through mountains and forests past delightfully unspoilt riverside towns all the way to Homalin, the capital of Nagaland close to the India border. This adventurous exploration of Myanmar is bookended with a couple of days in Mandalay and Yangon. Best enjoyed in October and November when the river is at its highest. Beach can be added.
Day 1: Depart on a choice of flights to Mandalay, Myanmar
Day 2: On arrival private transfer to your choice of hotel for 2 nights in Mandalay
Day 3: Private guided tour of Mandalay city
Day 4: Transfer to Monywa. Board luxury small boat for 7 nights cruise up Chindwin River
Day 5: Phowin Taung Caves, home to beautiful mural paintings & richly decorated Buddha statues
Day 6: Enter the Upper Chindwin where river narrows and landscape dotted with farming villages
Day 7: Visit Mingkin, one of Myanmar’s most atmospheric and historically interesting towns
Day 8: Mawlaik - hard to reach by car & was centre of British teak industry. Town full of history
Day 9: Cruise to Sitthaung where in WWII the majority of Irrawaddy Flotilla ships were scuppered
Day 10: Finish in beautiful outpost of Toungdoot that during British rule had own palace and court
Day 11: Leave cruise and fly to Yangon for 2 nights
Day 12: Private guided city tour incl. evening at Shwedagon Pagoda
Day 13: Private transfer to airport in time for your flight home
Day 14: Arrive home
Full Itinerary
Day 1: UK Airport / Mandalay
Depart on a choice of overnight flights to Mandalay. There are no direct flights and so there is the chance to perhaps break your journey in Bangkok, Singapore or Dubai.
Day 2: Arrive Mandalay
On arrival you’ll be met by your private guide and transferred to the city centre where you check in to your choice of hotel for 2 nights.
The rest of the day’s free to recover from the journey and explore the city under your own steam.
Day 3: Mandalay (B) - Private City Tour
This morning your guide will collect you for a full tour of the city. Mandalay was the last of the royal cities and is encompassed by smaller capital cities dotted around its edges. The centre piece of the city is the reconstructed palace that’s surrounded by a large moat. Visit Mahamuni Pagoda with its statues created in Buddha’s true likeness. Lunch will be in a local restaurant at own expense. You then visit a marble stone carving and an artisanal gold leaf workshop. See the largest book in the world at Kuthodaw Pagoda, where stories are etched on 729 stone tablets. End the day watching the sunset from high up on Mandalay Hill.
Day 4: Mandalay - Transfer to Monywa. 7 nights cruise up Chindwin River (B / D)
After breakfast you leave Mandalay and head out into the countryside towards Monywa. As you enter the Lower Chindwin the river widens and forested hills fall away to reveal farmland dotted with timeless rural villages. Time to explore Thanbodi Temple with its million Buddha images and Monywa town before boarding the Pandaw boat . Designed to take you back to the 1880’s when these beautiful craft made use of their shallow draft to take produce and passengers up and down Myanmar's rivers, they now offer a fantastically atmospheric way to explore this beautiful country. This evening join your fellow passengers for a Welcome Dinner looking out over the riverscape. Moor overnight.
Day 5: Monywa - Phowin Taung Caves - Enter the Upper Chintwin (B / L / D)
Before the cruising starts in earnest, this morning you take the chance to visit the Phowin Taung Caves, one of the region’s most important religious sites. Made up of 947 Buddhist caves that house almost 450,000 Buddha images and highly decorative wall murals from the 14th – 18th centuries you will get a taste of the highlights such as the Hpo Win Daung Buddha Statue Cave Temple and iconic sandstone sculptures such as the Myanmar lion. Back on board it's time to start your exploration of the Upper Chindwin.
Day 6: Day Cruising (B / L / D)
Today get into the rythum of the river as you spend the day slowly cruising north watching life pass by and stopping occasionally to visit one or two of the small villages you'll pass by along the way.
Day 7: Mingkin & Kalewa Tour (B / L / D)
Mingkin is one of Myanmar’s most atmospheric and historically interesting towns and as it's well off the beaten track visited by relatively few tourists. Often described as the Luang Prabang of the Chindwin your guide will show you round the town, paying particular attention to the highly decorated teak monasteries, one of which is Myanmar's oldest wooden religious complex. Back on the boat for lunch, relax as you curve your way up to Kalewa, the entry town to Chin State with its markets and quaint wooden architecture. Moor overnight.
Day 8: Kalewa to Mawlaik (B / L / D)
Mawlaik is the region's administrative capital but like other towns of the Upper Chindwin it's hard to reach by road, so has maintained a dreamy otherworldly quality that could lead one to believe that one has travelled there in the Pandaw time machine. It was mainly settled with the company houses of the Scottish owned and run Bombay Myanmarh Trading Corporation in the 1920s and 1930s and this is reflected in the splendid ‘Dak Bungalows’ set around a verdant golf course. This morning you'll enjoy a tour of the town and immediate countryside before returning to the boat for lunch.
This afternoon the cruise continues past the mouth of the Yu River that drains the Kubu Valley. For the historians amongst us, this provided the route for Lieutenant Grant to march to the relief of the Manipur garrison when the chief commissioner of Assam was massacred in a local rebellion.
Day 9: Cruise to Sitthaung (B / L / D)
Located close to the Indian border at Tamu start the morning in Sitthaung a tiny Chindwin settlement. During World War II, Sitthaung was where the vast majority of Irrawaddy Flotilla Company ships were scuppered in 1942 by the retreating British so that this precious fleet did not fall into Japanese hands who were a matter of hours behind. You may be able to spot the remains of these ships as you cruise by.
Day 10: Toungdoot & Homalin - Cruise Ends (B / L / D)
This morning arrive at the remote outpost of Toungdoot, which during British rule had its own palace and court. Its beautiful setting is the ideal place to fully experience traditional rural Myanmar. Continue on to Homalin, the furthest navigable point on the Chindwin for vessels of this size and where if anything the pace drops further and you spend the last evening afloat relaxing in the far north of this beautiful country.
Days 11: Homalin (B) - Fly To Yangon
After breakfast you’ll be transferred to the airport for the short flight to Yangon. On arrival met and transferred to your choice of hotel for 2 nights. Evening free.
Day 12: Yangon (B) - Private Guided City Tour
Morning free the this afternoon you'll be collected for a private city tour. Although the city is no longer the official capital of the country it’s the most dynamic and forward facing city in the country. There are many cultural and historical highlights to be found in between the hustle and bustle of city life here. Visit Botahtaung Pagoda, the colossal reclining Buddha Chaukhtatkyi and Kandawgyi Lake. Lunch will be in a local restaurant at own expense. Walk through old streets lined with colonial buildings and do some shopping at Scott Market. In the evening take in the spectacular view of Shwedagon Pagoda all lit up. This is the most important Buddhist site in the country and is said to hold strands of Buddha’s hair and other relics. The spire reaches up to 99m and is encrusted with diamonds and covered by gold plate. Join the hundreds of locals who pray here as the sun sets and you get an indication of how Buddhism is the keystone of Burmese life.
Day 13: Yangon (B) / UK Airport
Day free until your airport transfer a flight home. Arrive back in UK the following morning.
Inclusions
What's Included
Each featured itinerary is really a starting point from which to create your ideal holiday.
We can include as much or as little as you like, mix and match hotels, excursions and experiences, add extra nights and change the destinations you'd like to visit.
The common thread is that each is a privately guided holiday, allowing you to travel where and when you want, with your own private transport and dedicated guide.
General Inclusions:
- Return scheduled international flights (optional if you would like to arrange your own)
- English speaking, local guide & driver
- Choice of hotel accommodation with breakfast
- First class river cruise on full board
- Transport in private air-conditioned vehicles
- Domestic flights detailed in itinerary
- Admission fees to all attractions, temples and activities as mentioned in the itinerary
- All meals as detailed (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)
General Exclusions:
- Entry visas (if applicable)
- Optional Tours / Excursions
- Any meals not listed in the itinerary
- Drinks
- Personal expenses
- Tips for Guides / Drivers (discretionary)
- Travel insurance
- Any camera or video fees charged at sites
Where You'll Stay
Hotels
The hotels below are there as examples, designed to act as a starting point from which to create your holiday. There are plenty of alternatives to choose from and when we quote we will include other suggestions so we get to understand your likes and dislikes. Quite often clients mix and match hotel categories throughout their holiday.
Myanmar
Hotels in Mandalay
Hotels in Yangon