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Day 1: YANGON
Welcome on board the Sanctuary Ananda. Check in and settle into your suite before we leave the bustle of downtown Yangon to join the Twante Canal which connects the Yangon River to the Ayeyarwady River. The scenery will be both urban and rural, rows of vegetables grow in tidy allotments by the side of the canal or maybe a man dangling a long bamboo fishing line into the canal.
Twante town itself is famous for ceramics. We pass Nyaung Tong, a riverside beach and arrive at Danuphyu in time for sunset.
Day 2: DANUPHYU
This morning we will visit the charming small town of Danuphyu, it was here that General Maha Bandula led the Burmese against the British in 1825 during the First Anglo-Burmese war. Explore the town by trishaw, visiting the Pagoda of Tyuakalon
Pun and the Maha Bandula monastery. Enjoy a visit to the small port town of Zalon. Here we’ll see the Buddhas in the remarkable Pyi Taw Pyan; these bronze figures were controversially stolen by the British Army but then returned by order of Queen Victoria.
Day 3: KENAUNG
Early birds can join the yoga and meditation class at sunrise. This morning’s cruise provides a scenic introduction to Myanmar, a feast for the eye, the villages, noble tamarind trees, the dazzling green paddy fields, distant hills dotted with pagodas: the chief beauty however lies with her people, a people in harmony with their environment. Today we will visit several villages including Kenaung village; if you’re lucky you’ll get a chance to see locals having a game of chinlone – a traditional team sport, which involves balletic moves from the players.
Day 4: AKAUK TAUNG CAVES
Sanctuary Ananda will sail at sunrise and will stop close to the Akauk Taung caves. Here you’ll be able to capture the best possible photos of these truly staggering caves. Meaning ‘Tax Mountain’, this quirky site takes its name from all the 19th century toll-takers who would kill time in between charging passing boats by carving hundreds of Buddhas right here into the steep cliffside.
We will arrive at the town of Pyay (pronounced by some as ‘pyay’ and ‘pyi’ by others) is a charismatic dock with a startlingly beautiful pagoda. Visit Shwe Taung village and the Shwe Hmyet hman pagoda, where the Buddha image wears gold sunglasses.
Day 5: PYAY
Sunrise yoga and meditation is again on offer and then a visit to Pyay which was established as a port by the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company in the 19th century. Nearby is Sri Kshetra an ancient Pyu Dynasty capital dating from around the first century CE. Excavation has been carried out and there is a good field museum. The site, along with two others, hopes to gain World Heritage status in 2014. Pyay is the home of many interesting monuments.
Day 6: THAYET
Continue sailing north drinking in the serenity of the country. The Ayeyarwady is and always has been Myanmar’s main artery. Its banks have provided sites for royal capitals, and boats laden with cargo have plied the river for centuries. Take in mystical white pagodas and charming colonial houses as we explore postcard-perfect rural Thayet on foot. Built by the British in 1887, Myanmar’s first golf course is also here.
In the afternoon we will stop at another small town Thawatti with the locals and see at close quarters how they live and work. There will be a selection of demonstrations and lectures on Burmese life and traditions once back on board.
Day 7: MINHLA FORT
Begin your day with a walking tour of the two brick Minhla Forts. An unusual construction, the fort was originally dated from 13th century and enlarged and strengthened by Italian engineers, to resist a British invasion during the Third and final Anglo-Burmese war. Return to the ship and sail to Magwe and on the
way visit the hilltop Myat Than Lun Paya, a pagoda built in 1929 of solid gold bricks - this is an extraordinary building with stunning views of the Ayeryarwady.
Then drive to Minbu, a small village which hosts the Nga Ka Pwe Taung (Dragon Lake) a pond of butane gas which is set in a moonscape- like landscape dotted with bubbling pools.
Day 8: SALE
Sail in the early morning enjoying the scenery and life on the riverbank. You will sail past Pakan Lay village where temple ruins lie decorously along the banks and then arrive Sale. Sale is a perfect small community to wander around on foot or by trishaw. We will visit Yoke Sone Kyaung monastery, a fine teak building with some beautifully crafted reliefs.
Our final stop before returning to the boat for dinner is Tha-ta-na Kyaung – this small temple has an interesting Buddha image made from bamboo.
During the afternoon Sanctuary Ananda will sail to Bagan and arrive in time for the sun set.
Day 9: BAGAN
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.
After lunch, we will visit Bagan to see the Ananda Temple. Completed in 1091 AD, it is commonly referred to as one of the four great temples in Bagan. The Ananda is regarded by folklore as one of the most beautiful temples in Myanmar. A traditional horse cart will then take us to Htilominlo Temple; a two-storey red-brick temple built around 1211 AD. It is a magnificent structure, though now heavily restored.
The day’s finale is a quiet moment on the terraces of the Pyathatgyi Temple. Admire the light change on the pagodas as they exude antiquity and mystery.
Finally the sun sets behind the hills on the far side of the Ayeyarwady River, filling the sky with a reddish glow, a truly magic moment.
Day 10: BAGAN
Begin your day by watching the sun rise from amidst the plain on a temple terrace in the company of a meditation expert. Alternatively, you can take an optional balloon tour (an additional charge applies) to capture a birds-eye view of the Bagan plain.
After breakfast we will visit the bustling Nyaung U local market. The daily market is where the farmers meet to buy and sell a variety of goods, ranging from fruit and vegetables to china and lacquerware. Next, on to the great golden Shwezigon Pagoda. This holds a special place among Burmese pagodas for two reasons: it was the first major monument built in the Burmese style (as distinct from Mon style) following the country’s conversion to Theravada Buddhism, and was the first pagoda to have nat (spirit) images allowed within the precinct. The Shwezigon is said to contain important relics of the Gautama Buddha, two bones and a copy of a tooth.
Afterwards, discover the local craft of lacquerware in a workshop in Myinkaba where the traditional methods are still used. We will then return to the ship and start sailing upstream towards Sagaing. Relax as we past villages set against a backdrop of soft browns, rich tamarind trees with white and golden pagodas gracing the distant hills. There is no better way to enjoy this riverine picture than from the Kansi panorama lounge.
After lunch a variety of on board activities will be offered including a longyi (sarong) and thanaka (cosmetic) demonstration, a cooking class with the chef, cheroot and betel nut tasting and a talk on Myanmar – covering the country’s incredibly rich history, more recent & controversial events and prospects for the future.
A delicious dinner will then follow.
Day 11: MANDALAY
A meditation and yoga training session will be available before breakfast. The morning will be spent sailing and enjoying the passing countryside. In the afternoon we will arrive beside the pagoda sprinkled Sagaing hills, an important religious and monastic centre, home to some 554 monasteries and 6,000 monks and nuns.
We will take a short stop at several of the monasteries and pagodas but it is the views from the top of the hill on the terraces of the Soon U Ponya Shin Pagoda which are truly breathtaking. Below and all around, pagodas of different shapes and sizes dot the landscape.
Before returning to the ship we will visit a silversmith workshop in the village of Ywataung where the craftsmen are renowned for their engraving skills. Visit Amarapura, once known as ‘The City of Immortals’. Today, the leisurely ‘clack-clack’ from the looms of the cotton and silk weavers has replaced the noisy bustle of this former capital. We will visit one of the textile workshops, followed by the U Bein Bridge, a spectacular place to enjoy the sunset. This long teak bridge snakes across the Taungthaman Lake. After sunset, catch a boat up the Ayeyarwady River and return to the Sanctuary Ananda.
Alternatively, guests may sail north on board the Sanctuary Ananda and visit the Sanctuary adopted village of Sin Kyun to witness the way of life in this unspoilt location. Sin Kyun specialises in farming and hat making. Guests will truly be able to step back in time to a way of life much simpler than other areas of the world.
Tonight, farewell dinner will be served on a sandbank overlooking Mingun, home to the ruins of King Bodawpaya’s folly: a pagoda which if finished, would have stood some 500 feet (152.4
metres) high. After seven years of frenetic building, the project was halted as the King’s astronomers warned that if the great pagoda were ever to be finished, the country would be ruined.
Dinner will be followed by a local performance on the banks of the river.
Day 11: MANDALAY
For those who wish, an early morning visit to the village of Sin Kyun is offered, a village just north of Mandalay sponsored by Sanctuary Retreats Philanthropy. It has a population of just under 1,000 inhabitants and specialises in farming and hat making. Witness first-hand the way of life in this unspoilt location seldom viewed by outsiders. Following the village Chief ’s request for a library and a house for an English teacher, Sanctuary Retreats Philanthropy donated the money necessary to begin this new partnership. We hope that with the support of Sanctuary Ananda guests, we will be able to provide further funds to improve the quality of life of the villagers.
At 8:30am the Sanctuary Ananda will sail for Mandalay and will arrive at 9:45am for check out.
For those guests leaving on a later flight we can arrange a tour of Mandalay. This will include a visit to Mahamuni Pagoda, one of Myanmar ’s most religious monuments housing the revered Mahamuni Image. Continue on to visit Shwenandaw Monastery, the only palace building to survive the bombings of World War
II. This beautiful teak monastery had been the apartment of King Mindon and after his death in 1879, his son Kong Theebaw, moved it out of the palace. Lastly a visit to Kuthodaw Pagoda (Maha Lawka Marazein) built by King Mindon in 1857, in effect a copy of the Shwezigon Pagoda in Bagan. Kuthodaw is often called the biggest book in the world, for surrounding it are 729 marble slabs inscribed with the Tripitaka texts (Buddhist cannon).
