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 to Bagan 4 night Pandaw Irrawaddy Cruise (B / D)

Morning free, then check out early afternoon in time for your guide to take you to the Irrawaddy jetty where you board the intimate Pandaw cruise ship with just 16 cabins. 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 the river this a fantastic addition to any holiday. Settle into your cabin then join fellow guests for a welcome dinner looking out over the river. Moor overnight at Sagaing.

Day 5: Mandalay - Cruise to Yandabo  (B / L / D)

The morning the cruise starts over breakfast. Leave Mandalay behind and enter the rural heart of the country stopping at the pottery village at Yandabo. Disembark with your guide who will take you through the hand-made, labour intensive processes that seem to involve the whole village from the moulding of clay blocks through to the firing of pots that line the riverbank waiting to be transported to market. You’ll see these drinking water pots throughout your holiday that hold the fresh water for villagers and passers-by. This is a hands-on experience and you're invited to have a go.

The village is also well-known as the place where the first Anglo-Burmese war ended when the peace treaty was signed here in 1826. You’ll also have the chance to explore the village and get a sense of the culture and lifestyle of rural Myanmar, including a visit to the Pandaw School that was built with donations from past Pandaw passengers. Back on the boat in time for lunch, then relax as the cruise continues. Moor overnight at Shwe Tan Tit village.

Day 6: Cruise to Pakokku & Ayardaw (B / L / D)

This morning continue down the Irrawaddy to Pakokku a quiet, traditional country town best known for tobacco trading, but also important for cotton, peanuts, Thanatkha (traditional make-up and sun lotion) and textiles. Tour the town and market by Tuk Tuk. Stop at a cheroot workshop and discover how traditional cheroot cigars are made.

Return to the boat for lunch and then sail on to Ayardaw. The main reason to visit is to be shown round the charity clinic supported by Pandaw, but also to explore the village with your guide. 

Return to the ship for dinner and moor overnight at Tant Chi village.

Day 7: Cruise to Tant-Chi-Taung & Salay (B / L / D)

Enjoy breakfast then it's time to switch to four wheels as you're driven up the winding road of the Tant-Chi-Taung mountain to visit the hill top stupa and enjoy the view. On the way back watch a traditional paper-mache elephant dance performed by the villagers from Tant-Chi.

Lunch back on board then sail to Salay (just 20 miles from Bagan), a small town which was once a bustling trading port, but is now a sleepy village filled with colonial architectural treasures (reminder of the Burma Oil Company) and timeless teak monasteries. As an active religious centre there are approximately 50 monasteries and fewer than 10,000 residents. Walk to Yoke-Sone Kyaung, the best-known teak carved monastery in Burma. 

From here visit the Salay House that was originally a trading company warehouse built in 1906, but has now been carefully restored to serve as a museum that offers an educational experience looking at the area's past and present day culture. Chance for a drink on the outdoor deck overlooking the river before returning to the ship for dinner. Moor overnight at Salay.

Day 8: Cruise to Bagan (B) - Private guided Pagoda Tour

Enjoy breakfast as the cruise comes to its conclusion at Bagan. Disembark at 9am and you’ll be transferred on to your choice of hotel for 3 nights. 

Bagan in is one of the world’s greatest archaeological sites, a sight to rival Angkor Wat. The setting is sublime, a verdant 26 square-mile plain, part-covered by palm and tamarind, caught in a bend of the Irrawaddy and framed by the hazy silver-grey of distant mountains. Today you will enjoy a tour of some of a selection of the 3,000 plus monuments and enjoy take a horse and cart to watch the sunset over this wondrous landscape from the Shwesandaw Pagoda. Lunch will be in a local restaurant at your own expense.

Day 9: Bagan (B) - Private guided tour to Mount Popa

This morning your guide will collect you for a day tour to Mt Popa, strikingly perched on the top of an extinct volcano and the highest landmark in the central zone of Myanmar. On arrival climb the 777 steps to reach the mountain top Taungkalat monastery where powerful nats (Burmese spirits) are said to live. From here you can enjoy a panoramic view of Bagan and the surrounding countryside. Watch out for the macaques that live here and are protected, as they may steal hats, sun glasses etc.

Lunch (own expense) will be at the stunningly located Popa Mountain Resort and then your guide will take you on an hour’s walk along Taung Ma Gyi (Burmese for ‘Mother Hill’). The plunging valleys around the peak are dramatic and on a clear day you can enjoy views stretching past Bagan and the Irrawaddy River. On your way up you’ll also find the best views of Popa Taungkalat Monastery, as well as an impressive array of flora and fauna, including many different species of birds and butterflies in a striking array of colours and sizes.

On the way back to the hotel break the journey with a stop at a local toddy palm farm. This day will also show you more of the Burmese countryside as you get to see a little more of rural life and villages along the way. Back the hotel late afternoon.

Day 10: Fly Bagan (B) to Inle Lake

Early morning airport transfer and short flight to Heho Airport. Flying in Myanmar is part of the adventure as outside Yangon the airports are still very simple and the service is more like a bus service with coloured stickers denoting which flight you’re on. The flights will be by prop-plane.

On arrival your private guide will meet you and transfer you to Inle Lake where you board you private longtail boat. After 20 minutes the channel starts to open up and you get a sense of lakes’s size and what life here is like before docking at your choice of hotel for 2 nights. The rest of the afternoon is free or an extra tour can be added.

Day 11: Inle Lake (B) - Full Day Private Guide Day Tour of Inle Lake

This morning your guide will collect you for a day exploring the lake by private longtailed boat. As you enter the lake keep your eye out for the iconic one-legged rowing style used by local fisherman and the many small floating gardens filled with vegetables and plants. The lake is also home to many species of bird that use the area as a breeding ground or a stop on their migration routes.

The morning starts with a visit to one of the local markets. It’s held daily but the location of the event rotates through five different sites around the lake area, thus each of them host a roaming market every fifth day. This is a great way of getting to understand tribal life and your guide will talk you through the wares on offer. The rest of the morning will be spent exploring local cottage industries that dot the area including craftsman at work building wooden boats, workers hand rolling Burmese cigars and silk and lotus weaving on traditional looms. The latter is used especially for ceremonial dress as the lotus is a divine symbol of their Buddhist faith. At an appropriate time lunch will be in a local restaurant at own expense.

This afternoon you’ll visit the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda that was believed to have be built by King Alaungsithu of Bagan, who reigned from 1112-1167AD, one of the longest rulers of Bagan Dynasty. The centre shrine in the main hall houses five small golden Buddha images that have been covered with so much gold leaf that it’s impossible to see their original structure. Back at the hotel late afternoon.

Day 12: Fly Inle Lake (B) / Ngapali Beach

Early morning your guide will pick you up for the 45 minute transfer by longtailed boat to the northern edge of the lake where the car will be waiting to take you to the airport.

On the way (time permitting) you’ll make a short stop at Shwe Yaunghwe Kyaung, a two hundred year old Shan style teak monastery. At first glance it may appear to be a slightly tumbledown structure but it’s a working monastery that’s worth exploring and great for photos. Across from the stilted ordination hall you’ll find a white building whose brick and stucco corridors contain thousands of small Buddha images and beautiful floor tiles.

On arrival at the airport check-in and take the short flight to Ngapali. On arrival met and transferred to your choice of beach hotel for 3 nights (or more). Afternoon to relax on the golden beach, take a swim or explore the surrounding area.

Days 13-14: Ngapali Beach (B) - Free days

Ngapali Beach is perfect place to conclude any holiday around Myanmar. A short flight from the country’s main destinations, even the airport overlooks a palm lined beach. Ngapali offers everything you could want from a beach destination: miles & miles of wide white sand beach, clear blue sea, discreet low rise upmarket beachside resorts and plenty of local restaurants. It seems to have reached the sweet spot, whereby the facilities mean you can relax in comfort but the development hasn’t ruined the reason you visit.

The most active part of the day will probably be watching the fisherman bringing back their catch, but if you want to explore more there are snorkelling trips to outlying islands, you can rent a bike or perhaps hire a car and driver to explore the largely undeveloped bays that form a ribbon down the coast.

Day 15: Ngapali (B) / Yangon - Private Guided City Tour

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 1 night.

Time to check-in then 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 16: 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

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