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Itinerary:
Day 1: Yangon
Day 2: Yangon - Mandalay - Ava - Sagging Hill - Amarapura
Day 3: Mandalay - Mingun - Mandalay
Day 4: Mandalay - Inle
Detailed program
Day 1: Yangon
Arrive in Yangon in the afternoon. Pick up by your local guide at Yangon International Airport and then transfer to hotel. Check in at the hotel. Fresh up and head to Bogyoke Aung San market (Scott market) - this popular market in downtown area offers a good selection of gem stones, traditional fabric & costumes, handicrafts, arts & paintings, souvenirs, etc. Bargain …bargain…bargain before buying anything. Spend the afternoon at the market. And if you wish, can also visit Chinatown (in central Yangon) where you can find a colorful cacophony of restaurants, temples and markets.
Continue to a local tea shop to experience a local's life and tea culture! Select from an array of snacks and enjoy a cup of tea as you sit amid friendly locals.Drive to the great Shwedagon Pagoda for sunset appreciation in the evening.
Shwedagon Pagoda - this 98-meter gilded stupa is Myanmar's Holiest Buddhist Shrine that contains relics of the past four Buddhas. It used to be only 18 meters tall. From 1453 to 1472 it was raised to 40 meters. The stupa was rebuilt many times until it reached its current height of 98 meters in the 18th century. It is believed that if a person wants to avoid bad luck and misfortune, he must pour water at one’s planetary post and he will be ensure of peace of mind and all anxieties will end.
Relax over dinner at local a restaurant. Transfer back to your hotel and overnight in Yangon.
Day 2: Yangon - Mandalay - Ava - Sagging Hill - Amarapura
Check out from hotel and take morning flight from Yangon to Mandalay. Your guide will pick you up at the airport and take you to hotel for check in.
Then, you will start exploring this city of ancient kings. Drive to Ava, visit the old wooden Bagayar Monastery and the remains of the Royal Palace and Fort. There are many small villages located amid Ava’s ruins and as you travel, you’ll get a glimpse of local life in the Myanmar countryside.
Return toward the city and continue to Sagaing Hill. Discover the numerous Buddhist monasteries; Uminthonze Pagoda and Sunooponnyashin Pagoda. Behold the panoramic view of Mandalay city.
Head to Amarapura to visit U Bein Bridge (200 year old world’s longest teak bridge. Stroll along and learn about the local way of living. Fishermen in the still waters, monks streaming crimson from one end to other, locals biking from shore to shore on their way home from work, etc). Appreciate the most beautiful sunset.Then, visit silk-weaving workshops to observe how this piece of traditional fabric is made.Back in Mandalay in the evening. Dinner and rest up for the night. Overnight in Mandalay.
Day 3: Mandalay - Mingun - Mandalay
After breakfast at hotel, proceed to Gawwein jetty for a short boat ride up river to reach Mingun which is located at the other side of the Ayeyarwaddy river. Along the way, we will be able to observe the beautiful scenery and local way of living.
Sightseeing will be covered going to Pathodawgyi - one of the famous monuments in the world. This world's largest unfinished pagoda in central Myanmar was built by King Bodawpaya around the place. The building of Mingun Pahtodawgyi started in 1791 which was intentionally left unfinished by the King. If the construction had been completed, it would have been the largest in the world at 150 meters
Next, visit Mingun Bell (Said to be one of the world's largest ringing bells dated A.D 2000.). After that, we will head back to Mandalay.Back in Mandalay and drop by at Mahamuni Pagoda (The holiest pagoda in Mandalay. Observe the art of stone sculpting nearby the pagoda.) In appreciation of arts and crafts, visit gold leave making workshops. Back to hotel and rest up for the night after dinner.
Day 4: Mandalay - Inle
After breakfast, check out from hotel and leave for airport. Take morning flight to Heho (Inle). Met up by your station guide at the airport upon arrival.
Dive to Nyaung Shwe jetty and take your boat ride to the hotel. Enjoy the breathtaking lake view along the way.
After hotel check in, your Inle sightseeing starts. First, visit Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda - one of the famous principal shrines and the important religious site in the Shan State. The pagoda houses five small golden Buddha images but they have been covered with so many gold leaves that it is impossible to see their original structure.
Next, head to Ywama village, largest village on the lake – home to the skilled silversmiths & ceremonial silverwares. After lunch at a local restaurant on the lake, visit lotus & silk weaving villages & traditional handicraft workshops at Inpawkhon village as well as Shan cheroot making workshop at Nam Pan village.
We will continue to observe floating gardens (observe how Inle locals grow vegetables & fruit in large gardens that float on the surface of the lake). Back to hotel and enjoy dinner. Overnight in Inle.
Day 5: Inle (Indein)
After breakfast at the hotel, your guide will take you on a boat trip to visit Indein - a Pa-Oh tribe village located on the western banks of the lake and travel down a small canal covered in hundreds of ancient stupas & enjoy the mesmerizing view of the lake. Visit Pa-Oh villages to get to know and interact with the simple & friendly Pa-Oh tribes. You can leisurely go around for sightseeing around the ancient pagodas.After lunch, visit Shwe Indein pagoda, ancient and crumbling, ornate with stucco carvings of mythical animals. Take a boat ride back to your hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 6: Inle - Yangon - Departure
Fly back to Yangon by early morning flight. Upon arrival at the domestic terminal, transfer to international departure to fly back home by an afternoon flight.
