Unbelievable Burma: Mandalay to Bagan

Sample Itinerary

DAY 1 : DEPART USA

EN ROUTE

Depart USA on your flight to Bangkok.

DAY 2 : ARRIVE BANGKOK

HOTEL SUVARNBHUMI

Arrive Bangkok and transfer to your hotel.

DAY 3 : BANGKOK / YANGON

THE GOVERNOR’S RESIDENCE

Visit Bogyoke Market and later Shwedagon Pagoda for a spectacular sunset. Its spire rises more than 300 feet and is encrusted with nearly 8,000 diamonds, rubies, sapphires, topaz, and capped by a 76-carat diamond. Somerset Maugham wrote “The Shwedagon rose superb, glistening with its gold, like a sudden hope in the dark night of the soul of which mystics write, glistening against the fog and smoke of the thriving city.” (B)

DAYS 4-5 : INLE LAKE

INLE PRINCESS RESORT

Fly to Heho in Shan State. Sampa cruise on Inle Lake, famous for its unique one-leg rowers. At Kaung Dine see the ‘long neck ladies’ from the Padaung tribe. Continue by sampa to Indein, passing beautiful tall grasses and little water steps. Bagan/Shan-style pagodas, almost hidden in the bushes, give you the impression of being in the 12th century. (B,L,D)

DAYS 6-7 : MANDALAY

SEDONA HOTEL

Fly to Mandalay, the city of the last Myanmar kings. Take a riverboat to the ancient capital of Mingun, noted for its massive unfinished pagoda and the enormous Mingun Bell. Visit Mahamuni Pagoda, the most revered Buddha image in Myanmar and Shwenandaw Monastery. Climb Mandalay Hill with stunning views of the Sagaing Hills. Visit Ywahtaung Village and its silversmiths’ guilds. Continue to Amarapura, the ancient capital of the early Burmese kings and home of Myanmar’s silk industry. At Patodawgyi Pagoda see the immense Buddha carved from green jade. Sunset on the 150-year- old U Bein bridge. (B,L,D)

DAYS 8-9 : AYEYARWADY RIVER CRUISE

RV PAUKAN

Embark the RV Paukan, a ship laden with charm, fine design, superb cuisine and high standards of service. Spend two days cruising the historic Ayeyarwady River, re-tracing the old river route of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company between Mandalay and Bagan. Meet with families making their famous terracotta pottery in Yandabo, a small village with no road access to the world. Visit the local monastery in Thein Gone Village. (B,L,D)

DAY 10 : BAGAN / MT. POPA

POPA MOUNTAIN RESORT

Disembark the RV Paukan in Bagan and drive to Mt. Popa. The solitary volcanic crag of Mt. Popa is home to Myanmar’s most powerful ‘nats.’ Walk up the steps to the stupas and shrines that top the hill above the museum, seeing many pilgrims along the way. (B,L,D)

DAYS 11-12 : BAGAN

THIRIPYITSAYA RIVER SUITES

Drive to Bagan where thousands of decaying pagodas rise majestically from the plain to create a timeless scene. In the 11th century King Anavrahta began a building spree that resulted in thousands of pagodas punctuating the vast plain between the Ayeyarwady and the shadowy mountain range. At sunset the pagodas shimmer like hallucinations bursting with intense color. See Shwezigon Pagoda, Gubyaukgyi, a temple with exquisite murals of Jataka scenes and Ananda Temple with four huge standing Buddhas. Sunset river cruise and candlelight dinner overlooking the river. (B,L,D)

DAY 13 : BAGAN / YANGON

THE GOVERNOR’S RESIDENCE

Morning horse cart tour to Manuha Temple built in Mon style. Visit the Archaeological Museum and a typical Burmese home. Fly to Yangon. (B,L)

DAY 14 : YANGON / BANGKOK

HOTEL SUVARNBHUMI

Visit Botataung Pagoda, where a sacred hair of Lord Buddha is enshrined, 2000-year-old Sule Pagoda and the splendid National Museum with the gem-studded royal regalia and the Lion Throne of Kings Mindon and Thibaw. Lunch at the famous Strand Hotel before your flight to Bangkok. (B,L)

DAY 15 : BANGKOK / USA

EN ROUTE

Depart on your return flight home. (B)