Myanmar - On the Road to Mandalay

You arrive at Yangon International Airport and after checking in to your hotel, embark on a half-day tour of the colonial, historical centre of Yangon – visit the gilded Sule Pagoda, dating back over 2,000 years, and the Shwedagon Pagoda, one of the world’s most spectacular religious monuments. The golden dome of the Shwedagon Pagoda rises 98 meters above its base and is covered with 60 tons of pure gold.

Enjoy a welcome dinner at your hotel this evening.

Fly to Mandalay where you will board the Road to Mandalay. During your three-day cruise down the Ayeyarwady River you will go ashore and tour Mandalay, the fabled city regarded as the center of Burmese culture and Buddhist learning, and the ancient capital of Ava. When on board the ship, observe the fascinating river life as you make your way to Bagan, where over 2,000 temples and pagodas are scattered on an awe-inspiring plain beside the river.

When you arrive in Bagan you can visit the inside of some of the more significant pagodas. Alternatively, you can hire a bicycle or horse-drawn cart and explore this fascinating area on your own. Late afternoon, your guide takes you to watch the breath-taking vista of the sun setting over the plain before returning to the ship for your final night on board.

Early this morning, you have the option to take a balloon ride over Bagan (additional cost) enjoying spectacular views of the hundreds of ancient temples below.

After breakfast (or the balloon ride) you will visit Dhammayazaka, built in 1196 and the largest pentagonal-based stupa in Bagan. Continue to Lemyethna Temple, topped by an Indian-style apex. Visit Tayoke Pyay and the Payathonzu Complex, a set of three interconnected shrines linked by passages and adorned with Mahayana-style or Tantric mural paintings. Nearby is Nandamannya Temple with fine frescoes and an unexpectedly erotic mural. Wander through the village of Minnanthu to see how local people live. Finally, observe the sunset amidst Bagan’s ancient monuments.

Today you fly to Heho and are transferred by road (approximately 2-2½ hours) to the Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp in Magwe. You’ll get a briefing about the project and then walk to the river where you can join in feeding and bathing the elephants. Enjoy lunch at the camp with a view of the valley and the opportunity to see butterflies, birds and orchids. In the afternoon, you’ll drive back to Kalaw, formerly a British hill station for the night.

Take the “slow train” from Kalaw to Shwe Nyaung, a wonderfully scenic trip across the forested slopes of the Shan Hills and definitely a local adventure! On arrival in Shwe Nyaung, you’ll transfer to the Inles Princess Resort for three nights. During your stay here you will enjoy a full day boat trip on Inle Lake – a photographer’s dream – visiting a traditional silk-weaving workshop, passing endless floating gardens where lake dwellers grow fruit and vegetables and visiting Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery, one of the oldest on the lake.

One of the mornings you have the option to participate in a cooking class. On your final day you will travel by boat Sagar (approximately 2½ to 3 hours) and Thakong, a rarely visited area south of Inle Lake. At nearby Kyainkhan, visit a family who produce monk’s robes made of fabric woven from thousands of lotus stems. In Thakong, observe local methods of producing alcohol fermented and extracted from bran rice. The day offers an insight into the unspoiled culture and traditional life-style of the ethnic Pa-O and Intha inhabitants around Sagar.

Transfer by boat from your hotel at Lake Inle to Heho airport for your onward flight to Yangon where you connect with your international flight home.