9D8N MYANMAR EXPLORER

9D8N Myanmar Explorer

Upon arrival at Yangon Airport, a driver will meet you and transfer you to your hotel after which your driver will bring you to Yangon’s most sacred and impressive landmark – the 2,500 years old Shwedagon Pagoda.  It is covered with gold plates with 4,531 diamonds – largest of which is a 76-carat diamond – encrusted at the top of the stupa.  Among the holy relics enshrined there are strands of Buddha’s hair as legend has it.  Next will be the Botataung Pagoda, a 40m tall golden pagoda built around the same time as the Shwedagon Pagoda.

Day 02 – YANGON – MANDALAY   [B]

Transfer from hotel to Yangon Airport for your flight to Mandalay.  Upon arrival at Mandalay Airport, a driver will meet you and transfer you to your hotel after which your driver will bring you around Mandalay for sightseeing which will include going to the top of Mandalay Hill (230m high) in the evening for awesome views over Mandalay City and the impressive Mandalay fort in addition to catching sunset.  After the driver returns you to your hotel, you may wish to enjoy the city at your own leisurely pace like strolling through the night market and sampling some local food. 

Day 03 – MANDALAY – BAGAN   [B]

Transfer from hotel to Mandalay Airport for your flight to the ancient city of Bagan, home to the largest and densest concentration of Buddhist structures – temples, pagodas and stupas – in the world.  First stop is the imposing Taung Kalat – a monastery built atop the 737m high Mount Popa (a vertical volcanic plug) and famously known as “high on a hill and guarded by monkeys”!  After scaling 777 steps of the covered staircase walkway, passing rows of trinket and souvenir shops, shrines, and also hordes of cheeky monkeys, you will be rewarded with a stunning panorama from the summit.  Thereafter, proceed on to Ananda Temple – the largest and most revered of Bagan temples and also reputed to be Bagan’s finest and best-preserved temple.

Day 04 – BAGAN   [B]

The best way to appreciate the 2,000+ Buddhist structures spread across the Bagan plains is by way of self-exploration on an e-bike and that is what you may prefer to do today.  There is also an option to include a hot air balloon sunrise tour for awesome views over the Bagan archaeological zone before embarking on your e-bike adventure.  In the evening, you will be picked up and transferred to Bagan jetty for a sunset boat ride on the Irrawaddy River.

Day 05 – BAGAN – PINDAYA – LAKE INLE   [B]

Transfer from hotel to Bagan Airport for your flight to Heho.  Upon arrival, your driver will drive you to visit Pindaya Cave, a fascinating pilgrimage site featuring a limestone cave on a hillside filled with more than 8,000 images of Buddha in various styles and sizes.  Next, visit the famous and picturesque Lake Inle known for its many Bamboo-pole stilt houses on the water.  (There will be a full day Lake Inle tour the following day.)  Transfer to your hotel by motorboat, and enjoy an idyllic evening at Lake Inle, or head to the bustling night market in the neighbouring Nyaungshwe village.

Day 06 – LAKE INLE   [B]

Enjoy a motorboat sightseeing tour on Lake Inle.  See the stilt villages, numerous stupas, monasteries, paddy fields, floating vegetable gardens, and last but not least, the iconic Fishermen of Lake Inle with their amazing balancing act of standing on one leg and paddling with the other leg as they hunt for fish in the shallow waters.  Witness the daily grind of the locals at Lake Inle by visiting the picturesque Ywama stilt community, a local Silk Weaving Factory, women on canoes harvesting tomatoes and squash from the floating vegetable beds, the 5 Days Market migrating amongst the lakeside villages on a rotational basis, the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda (Lake Inle’s main shrine containing 5 Buddhas, so overwhelmingly covered with gold leaves that they no longer resemble the structures they once were!), and the Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery (locally known as the “Jumping Cat Monastery”).

Day 07 – LAKE INLE – YANGON   [B]

Depart Lake Inle on a motor boat to the jetty, and transfer to Heho Airport for your flight to Yangon.  Upon arrival at Yangon Airport, a driver will drive you to your hotel in Yangon city centre after which your driver will bring you to do some shopping at the Bogyoke Aung San Market (Tuesday-Sunday from 1000h-1700h), sometimes called by its old British name, Scott Market.  A colourful bazaar exuding old world charm with its colonial architecture and cobblestone streets, it is home to more than 2,000 shops and boasting a big and wide selection of Myanmar souvenirs, handicrafts, clothing, jewellery, consumer goods and foodstuffs.  No wonder therefore that the almost-century-old Bogyoke Aung San Market (built in 1926) is always bustling with locals and tourists alike.  The market has also long been a centre for selling jade, rubies and other rare gems that come straight from Myanmar’s mines.

Day 08 – YANGON   [B]

Free and easy day to continue exploring Yangon at your own leisure, and see the colonial architecture in the city.  Alternatively, you can visit Yangon’s Chinatown, one of the busiest areas of the city, especially in the evening starting from 1700h when the sides of the streets come alive with food vendors selling everything from fresh produce to cooked food.

Day 09 – YANGON – YANGON AIRPORT  [B]

Free time until your transfer to Yangon Airport for your departure flight.

Whether you prefer the above itinerary “as-is” or have it customised, if you will indicate the start/end dates of your intended travel and provide your contact details, we will get in touch with you to discuss the itinerary on a no-obligations basis on your part.