Day 1: Arrive Bangkok, Thailand
Upon arrival in Bangkok, you are met and transferred to your
airport hotel.
Day 2: Bangkok/Yangon, Myanmar/Heho/Inle Lake
Board your flight to Yangon for your first taste of Myanmar, a
profoundly Buddhist country that has kept many of its ancient
traditions. You are greeted at the airport by your Tour Director —
a Myanmar native — and enjoy lunch before boarding your flight
to Heho. On arrival, you continue to Inle Lake, the second-largest
in Myanmar and one of the highest. Travel by private boat to your
resort. Tonight, gather for cocktails and dinner.
Day 3: Inle Lake
After breakfast, head out onto the lake (the way the locals do)
to explore this unique area, where life remains unchanged and
residents still make their living from the land and water. Visit
the five-day market, a mobile market that changes location to
accommodate different nearby communities. Join hill tribespeople
— decked in colorful, traditional outfits — as they barter for goods
and produce. Next, watch the masterful skills of local silk weavers
at the Mya Set Kyar Ikat silk weaving workshop. Visit a blacksmith
before trying your hand at making a cheroot (Burmese cigar)
alongside a cigar maker. After lunch, admire the ingenious floating
gardens that are typical of Inle Lake en route to Phaung Daw Oo
Pagoda and Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery.
Day 4: Inle Lake/Heho/Mandalay/Ayeyarwady Cruise
Fly via Heho to Mandalay. Board the luxury vessel ‘Road to
Mandalay’ in time for lunch. In the afternoon, explore Mandalay’s
treasures, including Mandalay Hill, Shwenandaw Monastery and
Kuthodaw Pagoda. Later, visit the wooden U Bein Bridge that
crosses Taungthaman Lake, and capture photos of this iconic image
at sunset.
Day 5: Ayeyarwady Cruise
Visit Sagaing, the living center of the Buddhist faith in Myanmar
and home to the majority of the country’s monks and nuns. After
lunch onboard, set sail downstream, admiring the natural beauty of
the river and life along its banks.
Day 6: Ayeyarwady Cruise/Bagan
Take in the sunrise as ‘Road to Mandalay’ approaches Bagan,
the 11th-century capital of the country and one of Asia’s most
extraordinary destinations. More than 2,000 temples, pagodas and
stupas (Buddhist memorials) cover the plains of Bagan, a treasure
trove of Buddhist art history. Spend a full day exploring these
monuments. Highlights include a visit to the 11th-century Ananda
Temple, the best-preserved temple in Bagan. Then, catch the sunset
at Shwezigon Pagoda.
Day 7: Bagan/Mount Popa/Bagan
Take an early morning hot air balloon ride over Bagan, contemplating the scene that unfolds before you: the rising sun illuminating the gold- and sand-colored stupas that stretch into the horizon. After breakfast, disembark and drive to Mount Popa, a dormant volcano with a Buddhist monastery at its summit. The monastery is a popular pilgrimage site for the devout, and you walk among them as you explore this sacred site. Return to Bagan. Enjoy a sunset cruise on the Ayeyarwady River and have a cocktail on the sandbank. Before time was measured, the mighty Ayeyarwady River served as Myanmar’s main artery, its crucial highway. Celebrated in legend, myth, song and history, it is central to the country, sustaining life of every kind. The river-scape offers tiny teak dwellings, cheerful waving youngsters, and statuesque ladies balancing water jugs on their head, vermilion clad monks and placid bullocks pulling heavily laden carts.
Day 8: Bagan/Yangon
Fly to Yangon, where contemporary and colonial Myanmar
continue to coexist decades after British departure. Visit the
National Museum and Sule Pagoda, and arrive at the Shwedagon
Pagoda — a fantasy of golden stupas, serene Buddhas and mythical
beasts — just before sunset. Observe as the devout pray before the
images, the evocative fragrance of incense enveloping you as you
watch the waning sunlight illuminate the main pagoda.
Day 9: Yangon
Continue your exploration of Yangon. Visit the colorful Chinatown
and shop for Burmese handicrafts at Scott Market. In the evening,
gather with fellow guests for cocktails and a multi-course farewell
dinner at the elegant restaurant, Le Planteur.
Day 10: Yangon/Bangkok, Thailand
This morning, visit Botataung Pagoda and the Reclining Buddha,
one of the largest icons in Myanmar at 230 feet long. After lunch,
fly to Bangkok, where the balance of your day is at leisure to relax
or enjoy your hotel’s amenities.
Day 11: Depart Bangkok
Transfer to the airport to your next destination or board your
homebound flight.