French
English
Day 1: MANDAlAY TO NWE NYEIN
Welcome on board the Sanctuary Ananda. Check in at 12.30pm and settle into your suite.
For those guests arriving on an earlier flight we can arrange a tour of Mandalay. This will include a visit to Mahamuni Pagoda, Shwenandaw Monastery and lastly a visit to Kuthodaw Pagoda (Maha Lawka Marazein). Kuthodaw is often called the biggest book in the world, for surrounding it are 729 marble slabs inscribed with the Tripitaka texts (Buddhist cannon).
Lunch will be served on board as we set sail at 1pm for the six-hour journey to the charming pottery- making village of Nwe Nyein where we’ll be
moored overnight.
As we glide down the river, you can enjoy talks and demonstrations on traditions such as how to wear a longyi (sarong) and the thanaka make-up technique (the local cosmetic used to protect skin from the hot sun) as well as cookery lessons and history talks.
Day 2: NEW NYEIN TO TAGAUNG
After an early breakfast, at 7am we’ll take you on a walk to a pottery factory in the village of Nwe Nyein on the western bank of the Ayeyarwady River. Here we’ll watch the craftsman create beautiful pots as they work their potters’ wheels with their legs.
We’ll then spend the day travelling through soul-stirring riverscapes to ancient Tagaung, where we’ll arrive around 7pm.
Day 3: TAGAUNG TO KATHA
In the morning, between 8am and 9.30am, we’ll explore Tagaung, which dates back to the Pyu Dynasty. Here, the original city walls have been preserved as part of what is now a rich archeological site.
Next we’ll sail 65 miles upstream to the charming small town of Katha.
Day 4: KATHA TO SHWE GU
Since Katha was featured in George Orwell’s Burmese Days, we’ll take you by tuk-tuk to the author’s former house in what was the British Club.
The day will end docked in Shwe Gu. During your dinner aboard RV Sanctuary Ananda there will be a Tai-Shan dance performance.
Day 5: KYUNDAW TO BHAMO
We’ll set off at 6am to travel the tiny distance to the holy land of Kyundaw where we’ll chaperone you for a walk along the Ayeyarwady riverside to admire ancient stupas, extraordinary relics and 17th- century Buddha statues.
It’s back to the boat at 8am and then we’ll cruise 40 miles to arrive at Bhamo about 1.30pm. There will be non-stop spectacular rivers scenes for you to admire before we dock to explore the town in the afternoon.
Our visit to Bhamo will let you see the market and downtown Bhamo, which includes a trip to Shwe Kyi Na pagoda and historic Catholic churches.
Day 6: SIN KHAN TO MOEDA PAROT BEAK
The morning visit to Sin Khan will have you touring a 1929-built monastery as well as centuries-old stupas.
We’ll set sail for Moeda village at 10am, and as we travel down the river we’ll pass the notable ‘spirit rock’ which has been sculpted into the shape of a parrot.
In the afternoon, you can browse the old wooden shop-houses of Moeda’s market and take in the colours and aromas of the fresh produce and food stalls here.
Day 7: MOEDA TO KYANYAT
Relax during a leisurely cruise to Kya Nyat – this is the day to take full advantage of the many amenities and activities aboard the Ananda while soaking up the beauty of the scenery along the banks of the Ayeyarwady River.
In the evening, we will arrive at the small village of Kya Nyat, which is where we’ll dock.
Day 8: KYA NYAT TO SIN KYUN
As we take a guided walking tour of Kya Nyat first thing in the morning, you’ll spy archaeological treasures and get an authentic taste of local Myanmar life. For the next leg of the cruise, gaze at riverside pagodas such as Anya Thi Ha Taw on its island in the Ayeyarwady as we to segue to Sin Kyun, where we’ll arrive around dinnertime.
Day 9: SIN KYUN TO MINGUN
If you’d like to witness traditional farming and artisanal life in our adopted village, we’ll show you around Sin Kyun at 7am.
Next we’ll cruise to southwards to Mingun where the monumental temple and 90-tonne Mingun Bell, one of the world’s heaviest ringing bells, awaits.
At 2pm you’ll have the chance to hit terra firma for an afternoon in Mandalay with many relics to marvel at. See Mahamuni Pagoda and Shwenandaw Monastery where hundreds of age-old marble slabs inscribed with Buddhist religious texts at Kuthodaw Pagoda are referred to by some historians as the
‘biggest book in the world’.
Day 10: MANDAlAY TO BAGAN
We’ll spend today sailing downstream to Bagan, which means you have ample time to enjoy the luxuries on board Ananda. Maybe have a spa treatment or relax by the pool with a book from our library? Keep a look out for the bulbous golden Bupaya – this ‘Pumpkin Pagoda’ marks the northernmost point of Bagan.
Day 11: BANGAN
Sign up for an optional sunrise balloon tour and you’ll get the most spectacular bird’s-eye view of the Bagan plain.
After breakfast, visit bustling Bagan by bus and its Nyaung-U local market and the great golden Shwezigon Pagoda. Then travel to the incredible 1091-built Ananda Temple.
Dinner tonight is extra special thanks to a local performance.
Day 12: BANGAN
Enjoy an early breakfast on your final morning before check out at 9am.
If you are departing on a later flight we will arrange for you to take a tour in Bagan. We will visit Minanthu village in the heart of the Bagan plain, to see the way of life of the local people, before progressing to a brick factory. Onto the village of Myinkaba, a centre of the ancient craft of lacquerware which has been produced in Bagan since the time of King Anawrahta around 1050 AD. Here in the workshop the traditional methods are still used. The last stop is at a jaggery workshop which produces unrefined sugar.
