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Suggested Myanmar Itineraries
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Optimum Classical Journeys
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Tour Code: BOM15DPB
15-Day 14-Night – BOM15DPB
Yangon- Golden Rock--Mandalay-Monywa-Amarapura-Inwa-Sagaing-Mingun-Bagan
-Pindaya-Kalaw-Katku-Inle Lake-Yangon
Itinerary Overview
|
Day |
Itinerary
|
Transportation |
|
1 |
Yangon – Arrival in the morning
and sightseeing |
Car |
| 2 |
Yangon – around
5-hrs drive to Golden Rock base
camp with short visits en route
(176km) – transfer to middle camp
and begin 30-mins hike to the summit
– visit of Golden Rock (Kyaikhtiyo)
temple |
Car/ local pickup truck bus |
|
3 |
Golden Rock – return to Yangon in
the morning – visits in Bago on
the way |
Car / local pickup truck bus |
|
4 |
Yangon - fly to Mandalay and half
day exploration to two ancient cities
before Mandalay period: Amarapura
& Inwa – then 2.5hrs drive to Monywa |
Car /Boat / horse cart / Flight |
|
5 |
Monywa – visit Po Win Daung Caves,
Thanboddhay Temple, & Bodhi Tataung
before returning to Mandalay and
visit some monuments of Sagaing
Hills |
Car / Ferry boat / local jeep |
|
6 |
Mandalay – half day excursion boat
trip to Mingun village and continue
visit In-City highlights of Mandalay
in the afternoon |
Car/Boat |
|
7 |
Mandalay – express boat (or even
s-l-o-w… boat) to Bagan |
Car / Boat |
|
8 |
Full day tour of Bagan, one of most
interesting archaeological and historical
sites of Aisa |
Car |
|
9 |
Bagan – another full day visit to
the remaining highlights of Bagan’s
monuments |
Car |
|
10 |
Bagan– fly to Heho in the morning
– drive 3-hrs to Pindaya and tour
of famous caves, study life and
enjoy sceneries on the way – continue
drive to old British hill resort
town Kalaw by 2hrs drive |
Car / Flight / Boat |
|
11 |
Kalaw – full day trekking tour to
Palaung & Danu hill tribe villages |
On foot |
|
12 |
Kalaw – drive 4-hrs to Katku via
Southern Shan State capital Taunggyi
to visit an amazing site – a forest
of pagodas ruins – proceed to Inle
Lake |
Car / Boat |
|
13 |
Inle lake full day visit to see
local 5-day market, floating villages,
interesting pagodas, and impressive
Inn Din ruins |
Boat |
|
14 |
Inle Lake – optional 5-day market
visit in the morning (or) fly back
to Yangon in the morning and continue
visit the remaining highlights in
Yangon |
Car/Boat/Flight |
|
15 |
Yangon – free and easy visits, departure
out in the late afternoon |
Car |
Operating Period:
Year-round (though less comfort to do Golden
Rock visit from June to September due to
some rainfalls)
Detailed Program
| Day |
Description |
| 1 |
Arrival
Yangon in the morning & sightseeing
Arrival Yangon in the morning welcomed
by your guide from Santa Maria Tours
and led to your hotel. Sightseeing
in Yangon will be commenced after
a brief rest at the hotel. You’ll
be taken to the downtown sections
to see the colonial buildings; the
'Botataung Hair Relic Pagoda' on
the bank of Yangon River; the Sule
Pagoda located at the heart of the
city & the City Hall; and the Chauk-htat-gyi
colossal reclining Buddha Image.
In the afternoon, visit will be
made to the World Famous Shwedagon
Pagoda until sunset. |
| 2 |
Yangon
– drive to Golden Rock – tour Golden
Rock in the afternoon
Have your breakfast at the hotel.
At about 8:00am, drive directly
to Golden Rock base camp (Kimpun
camp) for around 4-hrs with short
visits en route (Shwenyaungbin Nat
Shrine, Htaukkyant WWII memorial
graves, pottery village, Bago local
market, fisherman village etc).
Just north of Bago, turns off from
main Yangon-Mandalay highway to
the east taking the only accessible
road to Kayin (Karen) State capital
Hpa An and Mon State capital Mawlamyaing,
the first British settlement in
Myanmar. Before the road reaches
up to Sittaung River Bridge, it
parallels to a scenic small river
filled with lives and passes through
fisherman villages and rice fields
that as far as your eyes can see.
The road gets hilly and the terrains
look different so as the vegetations
as you entered into the land of
Mon people just after crossing the
Sittaung Bridge. At Kyaikhto, the
road turns again to north off the
main road, and after a short drive
through the lush rubber forests,
you will reach to Kimpum base camp,
where you going to change into local
public bus for a short 45-mins drive
to the middle camp (Yathae Taung
or Hermit Hill camp) along the winding
steep road passing through dense
tropical rainforests, gorges, and
waterfalls. From the Hermit Hill
camp, a strenuous 30-mins hike will
begin all the way to the summit
(from 600m to 1150m). If you hate
of climbing, the sedan-chairs (palanquins)
are readily available. After taking
a short rest at the hotel near the
summit, visit to Golden Rock temple,
a magical site of perfectly balanced
rock boulder topped by a sutpa containing
hairs of Buddha. Enjoy stunning
mountain sceneries and thrilling
sunset view before start strolling
around the platform and examine
this awe-inspiring site. Stay overnight
at the hotel near the summit.
|
| 3 |
Golden Rock – Return to Yangon
with optional visit in 9th century
Mon Kingdome Bago
Have your breakfast at the hotel.
It will take around 3-hours to Bago,
an old Mon and Burmese capital and
the site of world’s tallest stupa
Shwemawdaw soaring at 114m.
You will have two options:
- Visit in Bago to see attractive
Bago open market, one-thousand-years
old Shwethalung Buddha image,
towering Shwemawdaw pagoda,
King Bayintnaung’s 15th century
Kanbawzathadi Palace, and chic
Kyaikpun Buddhas. You will arrive
to Yangon in the late afternoon
- Drive direct back to Yangon
(you may visit the local market
in Bago) and continue visit
the Yangon’s biggest Bo Gyoke
market and other minor pagodas
|
| 4 |
Yangon - fly to Mandalay,
visit deserted cities of Amarapura
& Inwa – continue to Monywa
Have breakfast at the hotel and
transfer to Yangon airport at about
5:15am. Then, 1hr 20min flight to
Mandalay, and upon arrival Mandalay
airport, drives to directly to Amarapura.
If time permissible, visit to a
typical Burmese village on the way
to Amarapura, in time to visit Mahagandayon
Monastery with over 1000 Buddhist
monks while they queue for their
last meal of the day at 10:15am.
You will also see one of traditional
Burmese silk weaving looms that
have been the major production center
in Amarapura for more than 150-yrs.
Afterwards, drive to Inwa ferry
port, where you’ll take a short
ferry ride across “Small River”
and take a horse cart ride along
bumpy jolting trail passing scenic
farms dotted with pagoda ruins and
typical Burmese villages. In Inwa,
you will see an old huge wooden
monastery, the site of the Inwa
Palace and the leaning tower of
Inwa, and the beautiful masonry
monastery of Queen Maenu. Return
to your car on the other side of
the river and take around 2.5hrs
(114km) drive to Monywa, a sizeable
town on the bank of Chindwin River,
northwest of Mandalay, passing through
typical Burmese villages, pagodas
and monasteries dotted along the
road into the semi-desert land.
Overnight in Monywa.
|
| 5 |
Monywa
– Po Win Daung Caves visit – return
to Mandalay with Sagaing Hills visit
Have your breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to the jetty and take ferry
across the Chindwin River and an
hour local jeep ride along the narrow
hilly road 25km west of Monywa to
visit Po Win Daung Caves, where
nearly 500 cave-temples are built
inside the limestone cliffs between
14th and 18th centuries. Most of
over 2500 Buddha images are carved
out from the living rock and cave
ceiling and walls are filled with
bright murals dated to Inwa period.
After a round walking tour of Po
Win Daung Caves, return to Monywa
to visit the magnificent and unique
Thanboddhay temple. This brightly
painted temple has enchanting atmosphere
and some 582,373 Buddha images can
be seen inside the nooks and the
archways. Then, visit to Bodhi Tataung
(1000 Buddhas), 4km to the east
from Thanboddhay, to see one of
Myanmar’s biggest reclining Buddha
image (92km) and the world’s tallest
outdoor standing Buddha (132m) before
heading back to Mandalay. In Sagaing,
visits will be made to unusually
shaped Kaungmudaw Paya, the silversmith
of Ywahtaung village producing impressive
Burmese traditional silverwares,
and some pagodas of Sagaing hills.
Lastly, enjoy watching an unforgettable
sunset view at centuries-old U Bein
Bridge, known as the world’s longest
span built by the teak wood. Proceed
to Mandalay for overnight stop.
|
| 6 |
Mandalay
– Mingun half-day tour by boat,
and continue visit In-City highlights
of Mandalay
Have your breakfast at the hotel
before transfer to the jetty at
about 8:00am. Then take a private
boat on the legendary Ayarwaddy
River for around 1-hr and visit
some amazing monuments of 18th &
19th centuries, such as the huge
unfinished Mingun Paya, the world
biggest working Mingun Bell dedicated
to the gigantic Mingun paya now
known as the world’s biggest pile
of bricks! Finally to the beautifully
proportioned Myatheindan (Sinbyume)
pagoda built to depict the heaven
of Buddhist cosmology. Return to
Mandalay about lunch time and continue
visit the In-City highlights of
Mandalay: the Mahamuni temple, the
most important religious site of
all upper Myanmar, the intricate
wood-carved Golden Palace monastery:
the world biggest stone books: the
huge Kyaukdawgyi Marble image carved-out
from a single block of stone: if
there’s time, optional visit can
be made to King Mindon's Myanansankyaw
Palace site of Kaunbaung dynasty:
Wind up the tour by visiting Mandalay
Hill pagoda where you can enjoy
the panoramic view to the city,
palace & surrounding area atop from
it just before sunset. |
| 7 |
Mandalay
– express boat to Bagan on legendary
Ayerwaddy River
Have your early breakfast at the
hotel and transfer to Mandalay jetty
at about 6:15am. Embark your express
boat (Shwe Keinnary or Malikha –
please see the difference in River
Transport Chapter) at about 6:30am
and leave Royal Mandalay for Ancient
Bagan at 7:00am. The duration of
this boat trip will vary depending
on the water level – approx. 8 to
9-hrs from June to November and
10 to 12hrs from December to March.
Shortly after leaving Mandalay,
the boat will pass Sagaing, a religious
sanctuary, studded with numerous
glittering stupas, monasteries,
& nunneries, and the historic Ava
Bridge built by the British in 1934.
Then, the boat will pass by the
island of Inwa, an ancient capital
of Burmese, Shan, & the Mons, with
it towering Palace Watch tower,
and the remarkable yellowish Maenu
brick monastery. You will see interesting
activities of the local people on
this life-line of Myanmar…fishing
boats, river sand miners, river
villages, cargo boats carrying pottery
to rice and cans of edible oil,
teakwood barges, and occasional
bamboo rafts. The boat will stop
at two bigger river towns of Myinmu
and Pakkoku where you can observe
village people come to sell their
regional goods and various seasonal
fruits. As you approach the land
11th ~ 13th century’s ancient temples,
the riverbanks become higher and
you will notice the hills on both
banks. Then you’ll see a few of
small Bagan era stupas and temples
before the bright golden dome of
Shwezigon pagoda and a series of
towering temple pinnacles here and
there dotted along the eastern bank
of the river. Welcome to Bagan!
You’ll be disembarked at a jetty
located closed to the old city and
transferred to the hotel. After
a brief rest (depending on the time
of your visit) at the hotel, you’ll
be taken on to a temple rooftop
to enjoy breathtakingly beautiful
Bagan sunset. |
| 8 |
Bagan
full day exploration
Have your breakfast at the hotel.
Your first visit will be made to
Nyaung Oo Market, a place where
you can observe various staffs used
for Burmese kitchen, seasonal fruits
and fresh vegetables to bamboo baskets,
Thanaka wood and souvenirs . Then,
commence your great exploration
of Bagan archaeological zone by
visiting Shwezigon pagoda, a must
for everyone visiting Bagan. Today’s
temple highlights will be included
of Kyansitther cave, Htilominlo
& Anandan temples before taking
a short afternoon break. In the
afternoon, you will see a lacquer
industry, where you may study steps
of making unique Bagan style lacquerware
and see impressive finished products.
Afterwards, you will see a few more
temples of Myinkabar village area
such as Manuhar, NanPaya, Gubyaukgyi
and Abyeyadanar temples. Depending
on the time of visit, you could
see a few more or less but Santa
Maria’s driver & guide will always
on hand to fulfill clients’ satisfaction.
Then enjoy watching the stunning
scenery of the breathtakingly impressive
Bagan's sunset over the legendary
Ayeyarwaddy River as an aesthetic
joy while in Bagan. |
| 9 |
Bagan
full day exploration
Have your breakfast at the hotel.
Today, a deeper insight to the remaining
highlights of Bagan’s temples and
pagodas. It is highly recommended
to take a short bicycle ride in
the morning or late afternoon horse
cart tour along the trails dotted
with 800-years old temple ruins.
This can be arranged on the spot
or with a short notice. You will
see some beautiful temples inside
walled old city, such as the Library,
Shwegugyi & Thatbyinnyu temples,
Natlyaung Kyaung, and Pahtotharmyar
before taking a short afternoon
break. In the afternoon, continue
visit the monuments around Minanthu
village including Dhamayangyi, Sulamani,
Payathonzu, and Damayazika. Depending
on the time of your visit or your
interest, a village tour can be
made. Enjoy your last memorable
Bagan’s sunset from a temple top. |
| 10 |
Bagan
– morning flight to Heho, Pindaya
caves visit – proceed to Kalaw,
old British Hill Resort
Have breakfast at the hotel and
transfer to Bagan airport at about
7:15am. Then, 45minutes flight to
Heho by one private airline. Afterwards,
about 2.5hr drive to Pindaya, a
small town of Danu, Taungyo and
Bamar lies in one valley of Shan
Hills. The road to Pindaya is renowned
for its scenic beauties: the landscapes,
colorful vegetations, and tribes
working in the farms, whole lots
of village life to see en route
…and its quite refreshing with cool
& fresh air of all seasons. In Pindaya,
you will see a 200-million years
old natural limestone caves, filled
with over 8,000 of ancient Buddha
images in different style and materials.
Before heading back towards the
junction town of Aungban and turn
west to former British Hill Resort
Kalaw, you will see one of parasol
industries in Pindaya. Then, transfer
to your lake hotel by the boat.
The drive to Kalaw will takes around
2-hrs. You may take an evening stroll
around the cozy old British Hill
station to stretch out your legs
after a considerably long drive.
|
| 11 |
Kalaw
- full day trekking tour to Palaung
and Danu tribal villages
Have your breakfast at the hotel.
A full day trekking tour (or a half-day
trek depending on your strength
and determination) to the nearby
hill tribe villages, where you could
stretch your legs, fill your lungs
with fresh air and go closer with
the nature while walking through
pine clad hill tops, orange farms,
fields of raps, tea plantations,
or the rice growing valleys . You
will mainly see the Palaung tribe
from Mon-Khmer stock, renowned for
their tealeaf industry, and their
eye-catching red & blue strips costume
and the beautiful bonnet. Visit
some village houses, chat with the
locals, and enjoy great views of
Shan range. You will have your picnic
lunch at a suitable spot, whether
in the woods or on top of a hill
with stunning views. Return to Kalaw
in the afternoon and continue visit
a Shan monastery with over hundred-year
old huge lacquer image. |
| 12 |
Kalaw
– drive to Katku (Kakku) and tour
– proceed to Inle Lake
Have your breakfast at the hotel
and then visit to Kalaw central
market where you can find local
produces and if lucky enough, you’ll
see visiting Palaung people. Then
drive to Taunggyi (70km – 2hrs),
the capital of Southern Shan State,
a former British Hill station founded
by Sir George Scott also known by
his nom de plume Shwe Yoe. Taunggyi
sits on top of a hill of 1,430m
(4,690) feet above sea level, it
provides a cool break from the heat
of the plains. Visit will be made
to its bustling central marketplace.
Then, drive towards the south on
a narrow hilly road for around 2-hrs
(38km) passing some breathtaking
views of mountains & valleys inhabited
with Pa O where they grow garlic,
wheat, onions, sesames, Chive, and
potatoes. Visit to Kakku pagoda
complex, covered with an awe-inspiring
cluster of 7000 stupas. Then return
to Taunggyi, with a short visit
to a local Pa O village on the way.
It will takes around 1.5 hr from
Taunggyi to Nyaungshwe, the gateway
town of Inle lake and then boat
transfer to your hotel on the lake.
|
| 13 |
Inle
Lake full day visits
Have your breakfast. Full day
tour on the outrageously beautiful
lake by private boat to see a colorful
5-day market where the hill tribes
come to exchange their goods with
the lake people, the Jumping Cats
(Nga Phe Kyaung) monastery, region’s
most revered Paundaung Pagoda, traditional
silk weaving looms at Inn Paw Khon
village, the silversmith village,
and the impressive ruins of Inn
Dein village. While on the boat
tour, you will also observe the
unique lifestyle of Inn Thar people…
the leg rowers, floating gardens,
fishermen with strange fishing gears
etc. Hotels can be chosen from the
ones on the lake or on the land
in the town Nyaungswe depending
on your taste. |
| 14 |
Inle
Lake – morning flight back to Yangon
and departure in the evening
Have breakfast at the hotel. You
will have two options:
- Fly back to Yangon in the
morning and continue visit the
remaining highlights of Yangon
including Bogyoke Aung San market,
some minor pagodas, art galleries,
and museums etc. (people who
will leave Yangon in the morning
on the 12th day might consider
this option)
- Visit another interesting
5-day market in the morning
before transfer to Heho airport
and fly back to Yangon in the
afternoon (people who’re leaving
Yangon in late afternoon might
consider this option)
|
| 15 |
Yangon
– free and easy visits before departure
out
Have you breakfast at the hotel.
Depending on the time of your departure
flight from Yangon, you can visit
some remaining highlights or stroll
around the bustling city center
on your own (or) transfer to Yangon
Intl’ airport in the morning. |
End of the tour
Not Satisfied?
Please contact us for a tailor-made itinerary
*** Tour Price upon request***
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