Impressive Golden Land Burma – 12 Days

Upon arrival at Yangon International Airport, welcome by our local guide and transfer to your hotel. In the late afternoon, start sightseeing tour of Yangon with visiting Yangon Colonial Style city center and visit Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda to see a huge reclining Buddha image. Complete your first day in Myanmar with an extended visit to one of the world's most spectacular monuments, the Shwedagon Pagoda: Its golden stupa is the 'heart' of Myanmar. The pagoda is believed 2,500 years old and the central stupa in surrounded by dozens of intricately decorated buildings and statues. There are always many Myanmar people praying and making offering at Pagoda. Enjoy sunset at Pagoda. Drive back to hotel and free time at your leisure. Overnight in Yangon.

Transfer to the airport in Yangon for your domestic flight to Sittwe. On arrival in Sittwe, cruise upstream along Kaladan River on boat trip to Mrauk U (appx: 5 hours), a major archaeological site in Myanmar. Mrauk U was once an important trading post with links to Portugal, Holland, Arabia, Persia and India. Almost forgotten, you’ll have the chance to rediscover this town and see this multi-national influence on the city. Overnight in Mrauk Oo

Enjoy sunrise from the top of the hill. After breakfast continue sightseeing in Mrauk U with a visit to the market, the ruins of the Royal Palace and the Archaeological Museum. After lunch, visit Shitthaung Temple, Mrauk U’s most important monument, built in 1535 by 1,000 architects and containing a remarkable collection of Arakanese Buddha images and reliefs. Continue to the multi-spire Andawthein Ordination Hall, with its unique stone carvings, the circular Ratanabon Pagoda, Dukkhanthein, a huge fortress-like temple with vaulted passages containing interesting stone sculptures and Laymyetnha, the first pagoda erected in Mrauk U in 1430. Overnight in Mrauk Oo

After breakfast transfer to Sayoh jetty (approx: 30 min). Then, take a boat along the Lamyro River to the remote Chin tribal village. The women in this village are decorated with tattoo on their faces. Stroll around the village or trek to another village before returning to Mrauk Oo by boat. Stay overnight in Mrauk Oo.

After breakfast depart with local boat from Mrauk U to Sittwe. On arrival in Sittwe transfer flight to Yangon. Overnight in Yangon

Breakfast at the hotel. Check out hotel and transfer to the airport for domestic flight to Bagan (1 hr 20 minutes flying). Arrive Nyaung - U airport, welcome by our tour guide and driver then transfer to the hotel. We begin a full-day sightseeing tour by visiting Nyaung-Oo morning market to see people ways of life and continuing with visits to a diverse selection of the most important pagodas and temples including Shwezigon Pagoda built by King Anawrahta in the early 11th as a religious shrine, Annada Temple a whitewashed masterpiece of Mon architecture with four standing Buddhas, the adjacent brick monastery with the beautiful well - preserved 18th century murals, Thatbinnyu Temple known as “temples of omniscience” and dating from 1144 and the Sulamani temple. Transfer to the hotel and leisure. In the afternoon, visit one of Myanmar's most treasured handicrafts, a lacquer ware home Industry: nearby Myingabar village. Continue on; visit Damayangyi Temple - the massive temple in Bagan was built by Narathu who was also called the “Kalagya Min or the king killed by the kalas. To finish of the day, experience by local horse-cart way to Pyitthagyi Temple (15 mins). Enjoy sunset from the temple then transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Bagan.

Early breakfast at hotel, drive to Mount Popa, visit the great extinct volcano. Rising out of the shimmering heat, the solitary volcanic crag of Mt. Popa is home to Myanmar's most powerful "nats". Visit the Nat Museum with its life-sized statues of the 37 Nat Gods. Walk up the steps to the stupas and shrines that top the hill above the museum, seeing many pilgrims along the way. The way by the roadside can see the locals climbing up the palm tree and making jaggery. Drive back to Bagan. In the afternoon, continue to visit Bagan temples by pony cart. Overnight in Bagan.

Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out hotel and transfer to the airport for flight to Mandalay. Arrive at Mandalay International Airport, welcome by our tour guide and driver then start full day sightseeing tour of Mandalay. Visit the 200 year-old U BEIN Teak Bridge built in 1782 and continue visit to 150 year old Mahagandayon Monastery, a famous Buddhist learning centre. It is home to a thousand monks, who will form a procession as they go to take their noon and final meal of the day at 10:30. Drive to AVA for excursion; tour highlights include the twenty seven metre-high Masonry Watch Tower, Maha Aungmye Bonzan Monastery, AVA Bagaya Monastery built with two hundred and seventy six teak pillars. Visit the Myanmar traditional alms bowls workshop. Cross AVA Bridge, built by British engineers, to visit picturesque Sagaing Hill which is perhaps the living center of the Buddhist faith in Myanmar today. The hillsides are dotted with numerous pagodas and monasteries. Proceed to visit the Kaungmudaw Pagoda, with its huge spherical dome in the Ceylonese (Sri Lanka) style and nearby village (YWAHTAUNG) to visit a workshop of a goldsmith (silver). In the evening, enjoy the sunset from the Sagaing Hill. Overnight in Mandalay.

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Jetty and excursion by boat on the Ayeyarwaddy River to Mingun, it takes about 1hr upper river from Mandala. Upon arrival, visit Mingun Bell: the world largest un-cracked bell, weighing 90 tons and visit Hsinbyume as well as unfinished Pagoda built as one of the world's largest cherish by king Bodaw Paya by traditional styled bullock - cart. After sightseeing, sail back to Mandalay. Visit the Shwenandaw Palace also known as Former Royal Palace, which was once king Mindon’s home. Continue, we will experience the sights and sounds of Mandalay including one of the most revered religious images in Myanmar, the Mahamuni Pagoda. Stop to see stone carving and later to see gold leaf being beaten into wafer thin pieces. Visit the Shwenandaw Monastery, excellent example of a traditional wooden building and Kuthodaw Pagoda, the world’s largest book made of marble. Enjoy spectacular views at sunset from Mandalay Hill there are interesting glass-studded temples. Enjoy sunset at Mandalay Hill. Overnight in Mandalay.

After enjoying your breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your domestic flight to Heho. From Heho, you will experience a lovely scenic one-hour drive (32km - 1 hour) which leads to Nyaung Shwe, gateway village to Inle Lake. Along the way, you will have an opportunity to visit rural workshops that specialize in traditional Shan paper and unique handcrafted umbrellas. Upon reaching the edge of the lake, take a short orientation tour of Nyaung Shwe, a small town of narrow streets dotted with temples, monasteries, tea shops and local houses. Then you will board a private motorboat and begin heading out onto Inle Lake, one of Myanmar’s most spectacular and breathtaking sights. Its calm waters are dotted with floating vegetation and fishing canoes, to which scenic hills provide the perfect backdrop. Along the way you will pass several villages that are built on stilts over the lake, which are inhabited by the local Intha people. Observe the daily activities of the local leg-rowing fishermen and see their ‘floating gardens’, which are built up from strips of water hyacinth, earth and anchored to the bottom of the lake with bamboo poles. You will also visit Nga Hpe Chaung Monastery, which houses loads of early Shan Buddha Images. In the past this temple was known for its ‘jumping cats’ but these days there are only a few felines roaming around and none are jumping any more. Yet the Buddha images are still worth the visit. Proceed to the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the lake’s main haven, which contains five sacred images of Buddha decorated in gold leaf. There are also many traditional crafts originating on Inle Lake and should you wish, we can stop for a visit to one making incredible woven items from lotus silk, boat builders (depending on the time of year), a cigar making workshop, blacksmiths or even silver smiths. The day will come to a close with a return trip by boat back to your hotel. Overnight in Inle Lake.

After breakfast you’ll pay a visit to the lake’s morning market (the market is open every day apart from dark moon and full moon calendar days). The market’s location rotates between the lake’s villages in a 5 day schedule and is also visited daily by the lake’s inhabitants as well as the surrounding natives who also come to sell and trade their wares. A 1-hour boat ride down a small canal will take you to Indein, positioned on the western shores of Inle Lake. Take a leisurely stroll around the village before ascending a rural road to the top of a hill. Once you’ve arrived at the summit, you will be greeted buy an iconic Buddha image which sits enshrined among hundreds of stupa ruins and overgrown shrubbery. Here, from the peak, you will also be rewarded with mesmerizing views of the placid surroundings. The Indein Pagoda complex is undoubtedly one of the most amazing sites around the shore of the lake and it consists of hundreds of small stupas which are overrun by moss and greenery. In the afternoon, transfer to the airport for your flight to Yangon. Overnight in Yangon.