Mingalabar! Welcome to Yangon, Myanmar.

Upon arrival at Yangon Airport, your private guide and driver are waiting to meet you, holding up a welcome signboard with your names on it and take you directly to your hotel in the downtown. While every effort is made to have your room available upon arrival, check-in time is at 02:00 pm; your room may or may not be ready before this time. Your tour guide will provide additional details regarding your stay, and you will be able to ask any questions you may have. The rest of the day is at leisure.

If we arrive in the morning, we have time to visit the world-famous golden Shwedagon Pagoda in the afternoon, a breath-taking and colorful sight visited by Buddhists from all over Myanmar.

Evening culture show with dinner at Karaweik palace in Kandawgyi Park

Overnight in Yangon.
Meals: (_/_/D)

After breakfast at the hotel transfer to Yangon’s Mingaladon Airport for the flight to Bagan (Nyaung Oo). Thousands of ancient stupas and temples in this area make Bagan, one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in Asia. From the 11th till the 13th century, when Bagan was the capital of Myanmar, the rulers of constructed huge stupas and temples, many of which are still standing today on the banks of the Irrawaddy River.

On arrival, morning sightseeing features, the Shwezigon Pagoda and its magnificent golden stupa, Wetkyi-Inn, Gubyaukgyi, a cave temple with exquisite jatakas murals paintings and the elegant Htilominlo Temple noted for its fine plaster carvings and glazed sandstone decorations.

In the afternoon observe the process of traditional lacquerware, one of the best-known Myanmar handicrafts and a specialty of Bagan. Visit Ananda, an architectural masterpiece of the early-style temple with two original standing Buddha images show facial expression change depending on the distance the statue is viewed from.

End the day with a horse and carriage tour among the temples passing by the traditional village of Taungbi, Sulamani Temple, and the massive Dhammayangyi Temple noted for its remarkable brickwork.

Enjoy the sunset on the mighty Irrawaddy river by slow cruise.

Overnight in Bagan.
Meals: (B/L/_)

Optional: In the early morning, we take a sunrise Balloon flight over the plains of Bagan. From above looking down, Bagan is beautiful as a watercolor picture. Along two banks of the gentle Ayeyarwady River are small villages hiding in the bamboo trees. The top of golden pagodas glistens under the sunlight. The flight surely gives you an interesting and unheard-of experience of the country of Myanmar.

After breakfast at the hotel, proceed to Myinkaba village and observe the process of traditional lacquerware, one of the best-known Myanmar handicrafts and a specialty of Bagan. Visit the monuments of Myinkaba village, Gubyaukkhi, an early period Pyu-style temple of Hindu influence with some of the oldest mural paintings in Bagan, Manuha, and Nanpaya temples.

Our patient guide will captivate us with tales of temple legends while keeping the kids engaged with activities. Learn about ancient history while marveling at spectacular mural paintings and stone carvings of mystic creatures

Visit sand-painting artisan in Old Bagan to create our own souvenirs together with the craftsman. We will select from smaller canvases prepared with outlines of the designs to fill in similar to a coloring book. Our children will enjoy a demonstration of the techniques and finished examples from the local painter.

In the afternoon, enjoy an excursion to the countryside village Shwe Hlaing and enjoy the local cooking school restaurant before the visit of Minnanthu, and the least visited temple area in Bagan. Observe the local farmers‘way of life together with a visit to some of the most interesting temples such as Payathonzu, with its unusual architecture and Tantric Buddhism influence, Lemyethna, and Nandamannya temples.

Enjoy the sunset from the top watching sunset area.

Overnight in Bagan.
Meals: (B/L/_)

Transfer to the airport for domestic flight to Heho in Shan State.

Continue by car and enjoy a scenic drive to Pindaya through the picturesque countryside of Shan State. Visit Pindaya’s limestone cave with its maze of chambers displaying more than 8,000 Buddha statues and local handicraft workshops producing Shan Paper made from mulberry bark and traditional umbrellas made from the same paper that is used by monks all around the country.

At these family-owned factories, we have a chance to watch the different stages of the making of the umbrellas, from the making of the rice paper itself, through the carving of the umbrella’s base that is made from bamboo and finally the hand-painting on the umbrella itself. Children will also get to experience first-hand the making of umbrella and really value the amount of time and precision it takes to create these small handicrafts or products.

Overnight in Pindaya.
Meals: (B/L/_)

After breakfast, take 2 hours drive to Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp in Kalaw, we start a day to visit elephant in Magwe Village and walk to the camp

Take a light refreshment. Walk to the river to the Elephant bath. We can join in feeding and bathing the elephants.

Exploration of the forest area, opportunity to see butterflies, birds, and orchids in the area.

Lunch in the main camp. After lunch, we can explore the surrounding area with a local trekking guide

We are also welcome to join them in planting indigenous trees from their nursery in our forest recovery efforts

Back to Elephant camp and drive back to Kalaw, the hill station that remains the charm of British Colonial with styled houses and gardens. Upon arrival, our tour guide will show us the uniqueness of this town and surely you will like the weather here.

Overnight in Kalaw.
Meals: (B/L/_)

After breakfast, take around 1h30m drive down into the valley to Nyaung Shwe on the edge of Inle Lake.

During today’s excursion by boat on picturesque Inle Lake we see the famous leg rowers, the typical floating gardens where fruit and vegetables are grown, local methods of fishing, and village life. A highlight is often visiting the traditional village of Paukpar, with its neat rows of bamboo houses and where we may be able to stop and visit a family for Shan tea.

In the afternoon, we visit Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the holiest religious site in southern Shan State and the boat construction workshop at Nampan village as well as stopping to see some traditional handicrafts – silk weaving on wooden handlooms in Inpawkon village, a cheroot workshop and a blacksmith shop. Continue by boat to visit Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery (Jumping cats), one of the oldest monasteries on the lake and where inside its large wooden meditation hall and are over 200-year-old ancient Buddha statues. Returning back to the hotel the beauty of the sunset over Inle Lake enchants all visitors.

Overnight in Inle Lake/ Nyaung Shwe.
Meals: (B/L/_)

After breakfast, our tour guide picks you up from the hotel and takes a boat to the cooking class.

Our cooking classes take us through the experiences of sourcing Inle ingredients, some exclusive to the lake, at the local market. Then we will be learning to prepare real traditional dishes exclusive to the region either in our cooking classrooms or out as a guest in the real kitchen in the local community.

Upon arrival, guests will receive welcome drinks (Shan tea, fresh juices). They will then show the guests the cooking area. Next, the chef of the Inthar Heritage House will present us with the menu, give details about the class, ingredients, and cooking methods. After this introduction, they will show us their vegetable gardens and pick the ingredients for the meal. Back in the kitchen, we will clean the vegetables and start cooking, with step-by-step teaching of their chef. As soon as dessert is ready, we can sit down and enjoy the meal.

The Inthar Heritage restaurant is part of the Inle Heritage Foundation, which promotes the heritage of Inle cultures and supports the sustainable development of the Inle region. During the guided visit we will show you conservation and preservation activities (Burmese Cats, Species aquarium), the Vocational Training Center (environment-friendly agriculture).

Guided visit hours (start at): 01:30 pm, the visit takes approximately 1 hour.

Continue our excursion by motorized boat to Indein pagoda complex, in the south-west of the lake. The boat leaves the lake and enters a narrow canal with a beautiful natural environment to continue to a small Pa O tribe village. From the village, follow an old covered path to a 13th-century monastery and the very impressive ruins of hundreds of ancient pagodas, some hidden in the vegetation. The main stupa-area on the top of the hill offers breathtaking views over the surrounding mountains and down to the valley and the lake in the far distance.

Overnight in Inle Lake/ Nyaung Shwe.
Meals: (B/L/_)

Check out and our car picks us up and transfer to Heho airport for a morning flight to Thandwe Airport, Ngapali Beach is only 20 minutes away. Here, in the Bay of Bengal, we will find the beautiful beach of Ngapali with its charming fishing village and coconut trees.

Relax on the most famous beach form Myanmar, or for the more active, enjoy various sports such as snorkeling, surfing, golf, or cycling.

Overnight in Ngapali.
Meals: (B/_/_)

Breakfast at the hotel and a full day at leisure to enjoy the beach and water sports.

Overnight in Ngapali.
Meals: (B/_/_)

Breakfast at the hotel and a full day at leisure to enjoy the beach and water sports.

Overnight in Ngapali.
Meals: (B/_/_)

Breakfast at the hotel and time to relax on the beach until transfer to Thandwe Airport for onward flight back to Yangon. The city’s historical colonial and religious influences have survived despite its status as a rising Southeast Asian city, making for a truly unique experience.

Upon arrival, walk through downtown a diverse mix of faded colonial architectures from the British times, and high-rises built by more recent investors. Then, we will visit Sule Pagoda – a religious and historic site, built in the early 3rd century which located in the heart of downtown Yangon.

Walk around the Mahabandoola Park to see the colonial courthouse and the city hall. From there a rickshaw tour around the colonial area with the historical buildings will start, breaking at a local teashop to enjoy Burmese tea and the typical atmosphere.

Late afternoon, visit the magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda of Rudyard Kipling fame and one of Myanmar’s most sacred places. The massive bell-shaped stupa is plated with gold and the tip of the stupa is set with diamonds and rubies, sapphires, and topaz – a stunning sight as the sun sets and a most fitting place to begin our trip in this “Golden Land”.

Stay overnight in Yangon.
Meals: (B/L/_)

After breakfast, a fleet of microbuses and guides will be available outside the hotel for guests who would like to do some last-minute shopping or complete their cultural visit of Yangon exploring colonial downtown.

Then take the drive to Mingaladon International Airport to check in on your onward flight.

End of services.

Meals: (B/_/_)