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Exploring Myanmar (Burma) Holidays

Summer Tour of Myanmar in Luxury

This is the perfect itinerary if you are looking to travel Myanmar in the low-season (May – September). Whilst southern Myanmar experiences heavy rain in these months, we have carefully selected the northern and higher areas which receive much less rain, designing the perfect low-season itinerary, which still takes in all the key highlights. What’s more, hotels are half price so we have included our favourite luxurious hotels every step off the way (we can also provide this tour at a much lower cost staying at cheaper hotels). This is actually our favourite time of year to visit Myanmar because there are no crowds and you will feel like the country is all yours to discover – just yours!

Your Itinerary

u-bein bridge, mandalay

Day 1 - Welcome to Mandalay!

After meeting your private guide and driver at the airport, they will take you to some fascinating sights on the way to Mandalay. Start with a visit to the snake temple in Paleik, which has 3 pythons that sleep at the feet of Buddha, before seeing one of the largest monasteries, the famous Mahamuni pagoda and the old capital of Amarapura. As the sun sets, walk over U-Bein Bridge and take a boat ride. Check into the luxurious Rupar Mandalar tonight (premier suite).

Accommodation

Day 2 - CRUISE THE AYEYARWADY RIVER TO MINGUN & AVA

Today you will board a boat to visit the former royal capitals around Mandalay. Stop at Mingun Pagoda (and see a huge crack caused by an earthquake) before taking a leisurely boat cruise for about 3 hours downstream to delightful Ava – a simple lunch packed in rattan baskets is served on board. In Ava, horse carts will take you around this magnificent site of ancient temple ruins before returning to Mandalay by car.

drive between yangon and mandalay

Day 3 - Visit the picturesque village of Yandabo

Meet your guide at the hotel and transfer to Yandabo village, which is famous for clay pottery, by private car. On the way, lunch will be taken at a local restaurant before you explore this pretty village, known for the signing of the Yandabo Treaty which took place under a tree on the riverbank in 1826, between the British and Burmese. Tonight, check into Yandabo Home on the river banks (deluxe room).

Accommodation

Day 4 - Visit PAKKOKU and travel TO BAGAN

Begin your day with a walk around the village of Yandabo and see the traditional clay pot making process. Continue to Pakkoku by Private car (3.5 hrs driving), where you will visit a local slipper factory and market before taking a private boat to Bagan. Lunch is served on board, before stopping at Kyauk Gu Ohnmin cave temple, which is rarely visited by tourists. In Bagan, the luxurious Bagan Lodge awaits (bungalow room).

Accommodation

Day 5 - Explore the heart of Bagan

We start the day climbing Buledi or Shwesandaw Paya for a first impressive view over the area. From here, you explore Gubyaukgyi Temple, famous for its frescoes and Ananda, which is one of he most beautiful temples – and the uncompleted Dhammayangyi with its chilling ghost stories! Enjoy a picnic lunch in quiet and often deserted temple ruins. before taking a horse cart to a sunset pagoda with some refreshing drinks served!

Day 6 - EXPLORE bagan at leisure

We have not planned anything for you today so you can explore Bagan at your own pace – if you would like we can arrange a driver and guide to be on hand for you. There are more than 2,000 temples, stupas and pagodas in this impressive settlement and it is magic to walk or cycle around at leisure, soaking up the natural beauty and sacred atmosphere of Bagan.

Day 7 - Soak up the beauty of Inle Lake

This morning we will fly you to Heho Airport, where your private driver and guide will escort you to your beautiful lakeside hotel at the iconic Inle Lake. Taking a motorboat to your hotel, and catching your first glimpse of the fishermen who use huge baskets to fish and row with one leg, is an unforgettable moment. Enjoy your afternoon at leisure, soaking up your beautiful setting from Villa Inle Resort & Spa (lake front villa).

Accommodation

Day 8 - A Day on the Lake

Enjoy a full day boating around the lake. Highlights include the colourful rotating five-day markets frequented by the Shan and Pa O people, the famous Intha fisherman rowing in the one-legged style; and visits to Phaungdaw U Pagoda, and a local cheroot factory(Burmese cigar). We will walk about 1 hour to enjoy a fantastic view over the lake. A home-made cooked lunch is served in a local house.

Day 9 - The colonial charms of Yangon

This morning we will fly you to Yangon, the beating heart of urban Myanmar today. Your private guide and driver will collect you from the airport and escort you to your luxurious hotel, The Savoy, which is full of old world charm and colonial history. We have not planned anything for you this afternoon so you can relax and unwind by the pool or explore the city as you please – we can arrange a heritage walk of the city if you wish (deluxe room).

Accommodation

Day 10 - SPIRITUAL SHWEDAGON PAGODA

Today you will enjoy a private tour of the shimmering, sparkling Shwedagon Pagoda. We will give you the full history of the pagoda and a deeper insight into Buddhism and also take you around the area so you can see how the locals live, work and shop. A traditional Burmese breakfast, offerings to monks and the pagoda, a visit to a fortune teller and a Burmese lunch are all included. Enjoy a free afternoon.

Day 11 - Bon voyage!

Get ready to bid your farewells to this beautiful country (and maybe plot your return!) After a leisurely breakfast we will transfer you to Yangon Airport, so you can catch your international flight home. Safe Travels!

DETAILS: -

This itinerary costs from £2,115 per person (May to September) B&B based on 2 sharing and including all private transfers but not international flights.

You can get flights from as little as £500 per person return and do ask us for advice. Alternatively we can book the flights for you but a booking fee may apply.

What's included?

INCLUDED:
  • Prices start from £2,115 per person (May to September travel only)
  • Accommodation on B&B basis
  • Private transfers (air-conditioned vehicle)
  • All entrance fees with service of English speaking guide for excursions
  • 6 lunches
  • Internal flights
  • Local taxes
  • All trips are ATOL protected or ABTA bonded to ensure you are fully covered
 Make a booking
Mandalay
With one of the most evocative names in the region, Mandalay is the second biggest city in Myanmar and the gateway to great trekking in Hsipaw in the north. It is home to the iconic U-Bein Bridge (one of the most photographed sites in the country) and close to the old royal capital of Amarapura.
Hsipaw
This is one of the best places to get off the beaten track and see rural Myanmar. Stay in a beautiful riverside lodge, take a trek through rice paddies and visit small Shan villagers where locals live just as they did 50 years ago. We also offer a fabulous boat ride upstream to a monastery which serves as a school for young novice monks.
Bagan
Bagan is the ancient settlement that has really put Myanmar (Burma) on the map. With more than 2,000 historic stupas, temples and pagodas spread over a vast area, you really have to see it to believe it. We will ensure you get to the best spots for sunset or sunrise to see this amazing sprawl of temples over the valley - or better yet ask us about a balloon ride!
Inle Lake
This impressive freshwater lake is more than 13 miles long and resembles a vast silver sheet, reflecting the sky like a mirror. It is home to hundreds of herons, wild ducks and other bird life - as well as local fishermen who use unique fishing techniques with baskets. We have a fabulous selection of over-the-water boutique hotels to choose from.
Ngapali Beach
This has quickly become one of our favourite beach destinations in south-east Asia. Lined with rugged palm trees, this big sweeping bay of pristine sand feels so untouched and undeveloped. However, lying in the shade of the pine trees are a number of beautiful and tastefully designed luxury hotels that blend into their surroundings - we can't think of a better excuse to stop for a few days!
The Golden Rock
An important pilgrimage site for Buddhists around Asia; a large and precariously positioned gold-covered rock sits on the top of a mountain - home to one of the most well-visited stupas in the country. Expect an atmosphere charged with magic and devotion as everyone makes their way to the Golden Rock.
Mrauk- U
This former Rakhine capital offers a dramatic group of temples and pagodas (newer than those of Bagan) which have a fortress feel to them as they are made of stone with long twisting corridors inside. But it's also the perfect gateway for seeing rural river life - you can enjoy a boat ride here to Chin villages where the older women have their faces tattooed from a no-longer abided tribal tradition.
Yangon
This charming city feels incredibly metropolitan compared to the rest of the country, but set against other Asian cities feels quite small. You can see the colonial architecture of a time gone by, sample some of the county's best street food and visit the remarkable Shwedagon Pagoda, which can be seen sparkling from almost anywhere in Yangon and is one of the most revered sites for Buddhism in the world, and said to enshrine eight hairs from Buddha.
Mawlamyine
A unique combination of landscape and beauty, Mawlamyine boasts a ridge of stupa capped hills to one side, the sea on the other and a town full of crumbling colonial architecture and mosques. From here you can explore remote ruins, sacred temples and un-touched beaches.
Hpa-An
Explore Buddhist caves, sacred mountains and wonderfully rural countryside from this sleepy Mon State town
Pyin Oo Lwin
You would be forgiven for thinking you'd stumbled across an old English town at this colonial hill station, which was a favourite for British generals who were looking to escape the heat of the city below. Be sure to take a turn in the beautifully manicured Botanical Gardens.
Myeik Archipelago
A cluster of about 800 pristine and picture perfect white sand islands off the main coast of Myanmar. Most are completely uninhabited - or home to a small village or two where the nomadic seafaring Moken people live. These are best explored on a 3 or 4 night cruise - and we have some beautiful luxurious boats on offer.

Your adventure starts here!

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