Day 1 YANGON
- Arrival in Yangon
- Transfer
- Visit Shwedagon Pagoda at sunset
SHWEDAGON PAGODA: the highlight of any visit to Yangon, this pagoda towers over the city and is the most sacred spot in the country, built to house eight hair relics of the Buddha. The Shwedagon and surrounding shrines are particularly beautiful during the sunset hour, as the golden stupa reflects the changing colors of twilight.
- Overnight in Yangon
Day 2 YANGON (Breakfast Included)
- Sightseeing in Yangon
- Visit Botataung Pagoda
BOTATAUNG PAGODA: this paya was named after the 1000 military leaders who escorted relics of the Buddha brought from India over 2000 years ago. This ancient monument was completely destroyed during WWII. It was then rebuilt in a very similar style to its predecessor, but the zedi is hollow and one can walk through it.
- Visit Chaukhtatgyi Paya
The reclining Buddha at Chaukhtatgyi is almost as large as the enormous figure in Bago. It's housed in a large metal-roofed shed on Shwegondaing Lan, only short distance north-east beyond the Shwedagon Paya. Surprisingly,this huge figure is little known and hardly publicised at all- if you can't go to Bago to see the Shwethalyaung, then don't miss this colossal image.
- Visit National Museum
NATIONAL MUSEUM: a museum with several interesting exhibits, especially the 8 meter high Sihasana Lion Throne, used by King Thibaw Min, the last Burmese king, and returned to Burma in 1908 by Lord Mountbatten. The main floor contains jewellery, old black and white photos of Mandalay Palace and Yangon, royal relics, Hintha opium weights and inscribed tablets.
- Visit Buddhist Art Museum
BUDDHIST ART MUSEUM: housed in a 1952 Art Deco-style building. The dominant lotus window depicts all the attitudes of the Buddha. The museum's contents were collected by the archaeology department: begging bowls, palm leaf scriptures and 18th-20th century wooden Buddha images.
- Visit Maha Wizaya Pagoda
MAHA WIZAYA PAGODA: built by General Ne Win in the 1980s. The pagoda is hollow with a ceiling depicting Burmese constellations and a permanent display of pagoda styles through the ages.
- Visit Sule Pagoda
SULE PAGODA: this 48 meter high golden dome was used by the British as the nucleus of their grid pattern for the city when it was rebuilt in the 1880s. The pagoda's peculiarity is its octagonal-shaped stupa, which retains its shape as it tapers to the spire.
- Overnight in Yangon
Day 3 KYAIKHTIYO (Breakfast Included)
- By vehicle from Yangon to Kyaikhtiyo with sightseeing at Bago
From Yangon, head west towards BAGO, a historic city originally founded in 573 AD by Thamala and Wimala, two Mon brothers of noble birth. Visit a typical LOCAL MONASTERY to observe the daily lives of the monks, then continue the lifelike SHWETHALYAUNG RECLINING BUDDHA; the highly venerated SHWEMAWDAW PAYA, which has housed hair relics of the Buddha for over 1000 years. Highlights also include the KYAIK PUN PAYA, with four giant Buddas seated back to back against a square pillar, and the MAHA KALYANI SIMA, or 'Sacred Hall or Ordination'. Afterwards, continue to Kyaitkhtiyo.
- Overnight in Kyaikhtiyo
Day 4 YANGON (Breakfast Included)
- Visit Golden Rock for sunrise
Kyaikhityo is the location of the incredible balancing boulder stupa. The small stupa sits atop the Gold Rock, a massive, gold leafed boulder delicately balanced on the edge of a cliff at the top of Mt. Kyaikto. Kyaiktiyo is one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in Myanmar.
- By vehicle from Kyaikhtiyo to Yangon
From Kyaikhtiyo, head towards Yangon through scenic countryside dotted with rice paddies and streams. Stop enroute to observe local people in their daily activities, visiting a MON WEAVING VILLAGE, as well as a POTTERY VILLAGE and BASKETRY VILLAGE. Before reaching Yangon, pay a short visit to the HTAUK KYAN ALLIED WAR CEMETERY.
- Overnight in Yangon
Day 5 BAGAN (Breakfast Included)
- Transfer
- Flight from Yangon to Bagan
- Transfer
- Sightseeing in Bagan
Bagan is a spectacular plain stretching away from the Ayeyarwaddy River, dotted with thousands of 800-year old temple ruins. Although human habitation at Bagan dates back almost to the beginning of the Christian era, Bagan only entered its golden period with the conquest of Thaton in 1057 AD.
- SHWEZIGON PAYA: King Anawrahta started the construction of the Schwezigon Pagoda to enshrine some relicts of Buddha. The construction was finished by his successor, King Kyansittha between 1086 and1090. Originally the Shwezigon Pagoda marked the northern end of the city of Bagan. The stupa's graceful bell shape became a prototype for virtually all later stupas over Myanmar.
- GUBYAUKHYI TEMPLE at Wetkyi-Inn: This Temple was built in the early 13th Century and repaired in 1468. The great colorful painting about the previous life of Buddha and the distinguished architecture make this temple an interesting site for a visit. This temple is not to be confounded with the Gubyaukgyi Temple in Myinkabe.
- ANANDA PAHTO: one of the finest, largest, best preserved and most revered of the Bagan temples. Thought to have been built around 1105 by King Kyanzittha, this perfectly proportioned temple heralds the stylistic end of the Early Bagan period and the beginning of the Middle period.
- GUBYAUKGYI TEMPLE at Myinkaba: Built in 1113 by Kyanzittha son Rajakumar, this temple is famous for its well-preserved Stuccos from the 12th century on the outside walls. The magnificent paintings date from the original construction of the temple and are considered to be the oldest original paintings in Bagan.
- MANUHA TEMPLE: The Manuha Temple was built in 1059 by King Manuha, the King of Thaton, who was brought captive to Bagan by King Anawrahta. It enshrines the unusual combination of 3 seated and one reclining image Buddha. It is said that this temple was built by Manuha to express his displeasure about his captivity in Bagan.
- SHWESANDAW PAYA: In 1057 King Anawrahta built this Pagoda following his conquest of Thaton. This is the first monument in Bagan, which features stairways leading up from the square bottom terraces to the round base of the Stupa. This Pagoda is ideal to watch Bagan's magnificent sunsets.
- LACQUERWARE WORKSHOP: the villages around Bagan are known for producing the finest lacquerware in Myanmar. Stop by one of the workshops and learn about the painstaking process of laquerware making and decoration.
- Overnight in Bagan
Day 6 BAGAN (Breakfast Included)
- Continue sightseeing from previous day
- Excursion to Mount Popa
MOUNT POPA: A curiously cylindrical hill rising sharply from the surrounding plain, Mount Popa is considered to be the home of Myanmar most important nats (spirits). Visitors ascend up a winding covered staircase encircling the mountain, observed by the curious monkeys that populate the area. At the top is a monastery and temple complex, with shrines to the 37 nats and a spectacular view over the region.
- Overnight in Bagan
Day 7 MANDALAY (Breakfast Included)
- Transfer
- Flight from Bagan to Mandalay
- Transfer
- Excursion to Sagaing and Inwa (Ava)
Cross the river to SAGAING, a former royal capital and the spiritual center of Myanmar. Hundreds of stupas, monasteries, temples and nunneries are to be found in Sagaing Hill, sometimes known as a living Bagan. Thousands of monks and nuns retreat here for meditation and contemplation. Stop at some of the most famous temples, such as TUPAYON PAYA and HSINMYASHIN PAYA (the Pagoda of Many Elephants).
- Continue to INWA, another formal royal capital, now a quiet rural oasis situated on the banks of the Irrawaddy River. Enjoy a leisurely HORSECART RIDE around the peaceful countryside, briefly visiting BAGAYA KYAUNG, a beautiful teak wood monastery, MAHA AUNGME BOZAN KYANG, and NAN MYINT TOWER. On the way, stop and observe how local artisans make the famous alms bowls out of iron.
- Overnight in Mandalay
Day 8 MANDALAY (Breakfast Included)
- Sightseeing in Amarapura and Mandalay
The last capital of royal Burma, Mandalay is still one of the largest cities in Myanmar, and a cultural and spiritual center. Neighboring Sagaing is home to over sixty percent of the country's monks, while the artisans of Mandalay continue to turn out the finest crafts in Myanmar. In the morning, head to AMARAPURA, also a former royal capital, and visit MAHAGANDAYON MONASTERY; in the morning, monks and novices line up to receive their daily offering of alms and food from faithful Buddhists.
- Pause to enjoy the atmosphere of U BEIN'S BRIDGE, a picturesque teak bridge which extends over one kilometer across Taungthaman Lake, and the highlight of any visit to Amarapura.
- From Amarapura, turn back to Mandalay itself, stopping first at MAHAMUNI PAYA. The Mahamuni image enshrined here is perhaps the most venerated image in Myanmar, covered in over 15 cm of gold leaf. Worshippers flock daily to the shrine at four in the morning to observe the unique face-washing ceremony.
- Enroute to the pagoda, stop to observe the laborious process of GOLD-LEAF BEATING, where gold is painstakingly hammered out into tissue-thin squares. Continue to SHWENANDAW KYAUNG, or the Golden Teak Monastery. Built entirely of golden teak, this intricately carved wooden monastery was once part of the Mandalay Palace, used as private apartments by King Mindon and his chief queen.
- Afterwards visit KYAUKAWGYI PAYA, famous for its monumental seated Buddha, carved from a single block of marble, and the elegant SANDAMANI PAYA. The final stop is at KUTHODAW PAYA, known also as "the world's biggest book". Around the central stupa are miniature pavilions, each housing a slab of marble. Numbering altogether 729, these slabs are inscribed with the entire Tripitkata, or Buddhist scriptures.
- Visit Mandalay Hill at sunset
- Overnight in Mandalay
Day 9 KALAW (Breakfast Included)
- By vehicle from Mandalay to Kalaw
- Overnight in Kalaw
Day 10 INLE LAKE (Breakfast Included)
- By vehicle from Kalaw to Inle Lake with sightseeing at Pindaya
PINDAYA CAVES: these caves are ensconced in a limestone ridge overlooking the lake. Inside the cavern there are more than 8000 Buddha images - made from alabaster, teak, marble, brick, lacquer and cement - and are arranged in such a way as to form a labyrinth throughout the various cave chambers.
- Transfer by boat
- Overnight in Inle Lake
Day 11 YANGON (Breakfast Included)
- Excursion by boat on Inle Lake
INLE LAKE: Inle Lake, located in Shan State, is beautiful, with very calm waters dotted with patches of floating vegetation and fishing canoes. High hills rim the lake on all sides. The lake's shore and islands bear 17 villages on stilts, mostly inhabited by the Intha people. Enjoy the spectacular scenery and observe the skilled fisherman using their leg-rowing technique to propel themselves around the lake. Visit the floating gardens, a market and a Intha village around the lake (please note that no markets take place on full moon or new moon days). The day sightseeing also includes a visit to the PHAUNG DAW OO PAGODA, INN PAW KHON VILLAGE (Lotus and silk weaving) and the NGA PHE KYAUNG MONASTERY.
- Transfer by boat
- By vehicle from Inle Lake to Heho
- Flight from Heho to Yangon
- Transfer
- Overnight in Yangon
Day 12 YANGON (Breakfast Included)
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