We Love —
- Explore Myanmar on a nine-night guided tour to some of the nation’s most interesting landmarks.
- Enjoy unique accommodation in a stilt building that overlooks the spectacular Inle Lake.
- Choose to extend your trip with a two-night visit to the Golden Rock and/or an additional three nights relaxing at the beaches of Ngapali.
- This trip includes a range of unique transport options including a horse-drawn carriage, a motorised canoe, and a trishaw (a three-wheeled rickshaw).
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Your Destination —
Until fairly recently this country was closed to tourists and now visitors can finally explore its spectacular sites including the Bagan temples and the Shwedagon Pagoda, not to mention its glorious sandy beaches. From the ancient cities of Ava and Amarapura to the picturesque villages around Inle Lake, this unforgettable itinerary is full of hidden gems just waiting to be uncovered.
Our Offer —
Offer 1: With Optional Golden Rock
9 Nights: 9-night tour
11 Nights: 2 nights Golden Rock + 9-night tour
Offer 2: With Ngapali Extension & Optional Golden Rock
12 Nights: 9-night tour + 3 night Ngapali extension
14 Nights: 2 nights Golden Rock + 9-night tour + 3 night Ngapali extension
Your Itinerary In Brief —
9-Night Tour
Day 1: Arrival in Yangon
Day 2: Yangon / Heho (flight 1h15) - Inle Lake (night in Nyaung Shwe) (31km / 50mn)
Day 3: Inle Lake - Indein (night at Inle Lake)
Day 4: Inle Lake - Nyaung Shwe - Pindaya - Kalaw (65 km / 1h20)
Day 5: Kalaw - Mount Popa (191 km / 5h) - Bagan (68 km / 1h30)
Day 6: Bagan
Day 7: Bagan - Pakkoku (2h cruise) - Monywa (158km / 4h)
Day 8: Monywa - Mandalay (137 km / 3h45)
Day 9: Mandalay - Amarapura - Ava - Mingun
Day 10: Mandalay / Return
Beach Extension
Day 10: Mandalay - Thandwe - Ngapali (Without guide)
Days 11-12: Leisure time in Ngapali Beach
Day 13: Ngapali - Thandwa - Yangon - Return to the UK
Golden Rock Pre-Extension
Day 1: Yangon
Day 2: Yangon - Bago - Golden Rock
Day 3: Golden Rock - Yangon
Your Itinerary —
Welcome to Yangon! As you arrive at Yangon International Airport, your local driver will transfer you to your hotel. Check-in time after 2 pm. Enjoy a welcome drink at your hotel.
In the afternoon, you will be warmly welcomed by our local guide. Departure by private bus to start the visit of Yangon. Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon, is Myanmar's largest city and most important commercial centre. Yangon is located at the convergence of the Yangon and Bago Rivers about 30 km (19 mi) away from the Gulf of Martaban, in the Andaman sea. Venture into the sprawling city and experience the beauty of colonial architecture, the Yangon River, and a thriving downtown scene. Learn about the parks, religious temples, and unique buildings as you travel through this diverse urban landscape. You'll discover some old buildings with Victorian facades built by the British in the 19th century such as the Post office or the stand hotel. You'll have the chance to visit Sule Pagoda (outside), a traditional Burmese stupa in the centre of downtown. Late in the afternoon, you will visit the Shwedagon Pagoda one of the wonders of the world. Enjoy watching the breathtaking views of the golden stupa. Welcoming dinner at House of Memories. Overnight at your hotel in Yangon.
Note: The sightseeing tours on day 1 will depend on the arrival time of your international flight.
Day 2: Yangon / Heho (flight 1h15) - Inle Lake (night in Nyaung Shwe) (31km / 50mn)
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Yangon airport, then flight to Heho. Upon arrival in Heho, the group will depart by road to Nyaung Shwe, the gateway to Inle Lake. Transfer to Nyaung Shwe pier. Here you will hop aboard a motorised canoe (5 people per canoe, lifejackets and umbrella provided), where you will discover the majestic scenery around Inle Lake.
On this trip, you will meet the Intha people, marine people, famous for their unique customs such as rowing with one leg. You will also pass a "floating market" to visit a village that is built on floating gardens. The next destination will be Nga Phe Monastery, a wooden monastery that contains an astonishing collection of Buddha statues.
Lunch at a local restaurant built on stilts. In the afternoon you will visit the Phaung Daw U Monastery, which contains five Buddha statues that were brought from the Malay Peninsula in the 12th Century. Your guide will then take you on a walk through the village to local factories that involve lotus flower stem weaving and Burmese cigar making. Return to Nyaung Shwe by canoe before sunset. Dinner at a local restaurant.
Overnight at the hotel in Nyaung Shwe village.
Breakfast at the hotel. Today you will visit local villages around Inle Lake on a motorised canoe. Inle Lake is inhabited by an original lake population called the Inthas (son of the lake) who live in stilt houses located in a series of villages. Every five days, a floating market is held in Ywama (subject to the day of your visit).
Upon arrival at the village of Indein, you will walk through the surrounding forests to the beautiful stupa complex of Alaung Sitthou. Lunch in a restaurant in the village of Indein. Enjoy panoramic views of the lake from the monastery of Indein. Return before sunset. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Inle Lake.
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, drive to Pindaya. Visit the caves of Pindaya, where you will discover more than 8,000 Buddha statues distributed across a series of rooms. Each statue is made of alabaster, teak, marble, brick, and cement, gilded or painted white, with some carved from rock.
The tour will then visit a workshop that manufactures Burmese parasols from Shan paper and mulberry bark. Lunch at a local restaurant. Your journey continues to the town of Kalaw, located 50 kilometres from Inle Lake. Nestled within the rolling hills, Kalaw is a charming town that was founded by the British during the colonial rule. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Kalaw.
Breakfast at the hotel. Road to Bagan. Today we head towards Mount Popa, passing a rocky peak that overlooks the spectacular plain of Bagan.Arrival at Mount Popa. Sites on this tour include the monastery of Mount Popa which involves climbing 800 stairs for exceptional views of the Burmese countryside. The most popular attraction at Mount Popa is the Nats museum, a small museum consisting of lifelike statues of the Buddhist Nat spirits. Lunch at a local restaurant along the way.
The tour will then continue to a small craft factory which provides tastings of sweets and palm alcohol. The sugar palm tree is one of the most useful plants in Burma and neighbouring India. Recognisable by its fan-shaped leaves, the peduncle supporting the flowers is cut to harvest the juice. This juice is a very sweet liquid and after a fermentation process, it is used for the nation’s famous toddy or palm wine. It can also be crystallised into a sugar and used to create numerous sweet treats. At the factory, you will walk through a plantation of palm trees where the farmers skilfully climb to the top in order to unhook the fruits.
Arrive in Bagan at the end of the day and transfer to your hotel. Home to 2219 temples set along the banks of the Irrawaddy River, Bagan is arguably the most extraordinary site in Myanmar, if not all of Southeast Asia. In the evening you will enjoy an authentic dinner accompanied by a traditional puppet show. Overnight at a hotel in Bagan.
Breakfast at the hotel. Today you will take a guided tour around the ancient city of Bagan. Constructed between the 11th and 13th Century, these incredible temples are one of the highlights of this itinerary. Visit the picturesque market of Nyaung Oo, then continue to Old Bagan. Visit the Shwezigon Pagoda and its magnificent golden stupa, the wall murals of the Wetgyi Inn Gubyaukgyi temple, and the Htilominlo temple for its fine stucco ornaments. Lunch at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, discover Ananda Temple, the jewel of Burmese architecture and one of the major places of pilgrimage for the Burmese people. You will then visit the village of Mynkaba, located a little further south. The tour stops at the Mynkaba-Gubaukkyi Temple, an early 12th Century temple with impressive murals and frescoes.
You will then visit the temple of Manuha and its neighbour Nanpaya, one of the few sandstone temples in the city. You will have the opportunity to visit a small family-run lacquer ware workshop where you will discover the ancient manufacturing techniques of this major Bagan handicraft.
Transfer to the great temple of Thatbyinyu (the highest in Bagan) where carriages (2 people per carriage) will take you on a journey around some of the Bagan temples. At the end of the carriage ride in front of the temple of Pya Tha Gyi (or similar), you will be invited to relax on the terrace to watch the sunset over this historic site. Dinner at a local restaurant in Bagan. Night at a hotel in Bagan.
Breakfast at the hotel. Today we depart for Monywa, around 3 hours from Mandalay. Located on the eastern bank of the Chindwin River, Monywa is the second largest city in Upper Myanmar.
You will board a traditional boat for a two-hour cruise to Pakkoku. Pakkoku is a small, peaceful town shaded by century-old trees. The guide will take you to a Burmese flip-flop factory and through a local market. Breakfast in a local restaurant. Depart by road to Monywa and stop at the village of Ma U, known for its incense factories and basketry skills. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Monywa.
Breakfast at the hotel. Today you will depart the hotel by a pick-up or local jeep (non-air-conditioned vehicles - 1-hour drive), to the impressive site of Pho Win Taung. Pho Win Taung consists of hundreds of caves that contain thousands of Buddha statues and murals which are considered to be some of the finest in Southeast Asia. Visit the hill of Shwe Ba Taung and its complex of monasteries dug along a rock face. Return to Monywa.Breakfast at a local restaurant.
Depart for Mandalay, the second largest city in Myanmar and one of the ancient royal capitals. Along the way, you will visit Thanbodday Pagoda, located 19 kilometres southeast of Monywa. This temple includes a collection of 582,363 Buddha sculptures inside and 815 little Stupas outside. On the way, take a photo stop at Sagaing Hill, dotted with hundreds of white and gold pagodas.
Arrive in Mandalay at the end of the day. Mandalay, home to 500,000 inhabitants, was the final capital city of Burma before the English gave the title to Rangoon. Surrounded by the four ancient cities of Amarapura, Sagaing, Ava, and Mingun, this cultural capital takes its name from the hill that rises 236 metres northeast of the royal palace. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Mandalay.
Breakfast at the hotel. Today you will head towards Amarapura, a former royal capital city (1782-1857) located 12 kilometres south of Mandalay. On the way you will visit the Mahamuni Pagoda, home to a splendid Buddha statue that is covered in nine tons of gold. In the district of Mahamuni, the guide will take you to craft workshops that once supplied the Royal Court including wood carvers, gold leaf drummers, Kalagas tapestries, and puppeteers.
Take a walk on the famous bridge U Bein, the longest teak bridge in the world with more than 900 teak pillars spanning across a 1200 metre wide lake. You will then cross a small river by local ferry (resembling a large motor barge) to the city of Ava, the former ancient capital of several Burmese kingdoms between the 13th and 18th Century. Small horse-drawn carriages (2 people per carriage) will transport you around this majestic city. Visit the remains of the Royal Palace, the watchtower, and the beautiful teak monastery of Bagaya-Okkyaung with 68 teak pillars.
Lunch at a local restaurant in Ava. In the early afternoon, transfer to the pier on the banks of the Irrawaddy River and board a local boat to the ancient royal city of Mingun. Visit the Mingun Pagoda, which was constructed under the rule of King Bodawpaya at the beginning of the 19th Century, with the hope that it would become the largest pagoda in the world. The death of the sovereign in 1819, followed by the earthquake of 1838 stopped this grandiose project. It is now forbidden to climb to the top of the pagoda because it is not secure enough.
Another stop on the itinerary is the Mingun Bell (90 tons, 4 metres high, and 5 metres in diameter), the second-biggest bell in the world after Moscow. You will also see the beautiful white pagoda of Hsinbyume. Return to Mandalay at the end of the day. Dinner at a local restaurant.Overnight at a hotel in Mandalay.
Day 10: Mandalay / Return
Breakfast at the hotel. Your last day in Mandalay will end with a trip to one of the most important pagodas and temples in the city. Transfer by trishaw (one person per trishaw) from the hotel to the Shwenandaw Monastery (only for stays between March and June).
Visit the Shwenandaw Monastery, famed for its exceptional wood carvings, before continuing to the Kuthodaw Pagoda at the foot of Mandalay Hill. It will then be time to wave goodbye to this beautiful country and head back to the airport for your return flight to the UK.
Your Golden Rock Pre-Extension —
You may choose to lengthen your trip with the following 2-night Golden Rock pre-extension.
Arrive at Yangon International Airport and be welcomed by your guide. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before departing by private bus to visit Yangon. Enjoy a welcoming dinner and overnight at your hotel in Yangon.
Day 2 - Yangon - Bago - Golden Rock
In the morning, depart for Bago, the ancient capital of Pegu. It was founded in 573 by two princes. Discover the Shwemawdaw Pagoda and visit the 50-metre long Shwe Tha Lyaung Buddha.
Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before driving to Kyaikhtiyo. Arrive at Kimpun base camp and continue by local truck to the Golden Rock. Known for its peculiar unstable setting, the Golden Rock is perfectly balanced at the edge of a cliff and is adorned in gold leaf. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Day 3 - Golden Rock - Yangon
Breakfast at the hotel. Climb by foot to reach the Golden Rock and enjoy a stunning view across the surrounding valleys and mountains. Discover the pavilions containing incense brought by pilgrims from all over the nation. Lunch at a local restaurant before returning to Yangon. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Your Beach Extension —
You may choose to lengthen your trip with the following 3-night beach extension.
Transfer to Mandalay Airport for a flight to Thandwe. You will be picked up at the airport and transferred to your hotel in Ngapali.
Enjoy your day at leisure in Ngapali. Daily breakfast is served at the hotel, and there are many options for snorkelling, boat trips and bike rides. Ngapali Beach is a quiet, 3-kilometre stretch of white sands lined with coconut palms. The warm, clear waters are perfect for watersports, and there are several small islands nearby which can be reached by boat.
Days 11-12: Leisure time in Ngapali Beach
Enjoy the treasures of this area with time to relax and soak up the beauty of Ngapali.
Day 13: Ngapali - Thandwa - Yangon - Return to the UK
Transfer to Thandwe Airport for a flight to Yangon, ready for your flight back to the UK.
Your Hotels —
Our members will stay at the following accommodation with this offer.
Our members have the opportunity to add early check-in in Yangon at 2 pm, and late check-out in Mandalay at 6 pm, at the next stage of the booking process for an additional fee.
Our members also have the option to add an Asian Set Dinner Menu at the next stage of the booking process for an additional fee.
Nyaung Shwe: Paradise Nyaung Shwe 3* in a Deluxe Room or similar
Inle Lake: Hupin Kuhaung Daing 3* in Superior Room or similar
Kalaw: Kalaw Princess Hotel 3 * in a Deluxe Room or similar
Bagan: Kaytumadi Dynasty 3* in a Superior Room or similar
Monywa: Win Unity Hotel 3 * in a Superior Bungalow or similar
Mandalay: Hazel Hotel 4* in a Superior Room or similar
Golden Rock: Golden Rock 3 * in a Deluxe Room or similar
Ngapali: Amata Resort & Spa 4 * in a Deluxe Room or similar
All rooms sleep up to
Your Excursions —
Optional Excursions
You may choose to add the following excursions at the next stage of the booking process.
Your Journey —
Flights: You may choose from Economy, Premium or Business class flights on sectors that they operate, at the next stage of the booking process. The flights included are with either a scheduled or no-frills airline and are subject to live availability and prices can change. You can choose your preferred departure times during the booking process. Please select your flight options carefully as departure and arrival airports may differ.
Transfers: Transfers are included throughout this offer. These transfers include internal flights.