Highlights Tour of Burma
Burma

A driver will be sent to collect you on arrival at Mandalay airport and to bring you back to the hotel. Please provide travel plans on booking and we will arrange the pick-up and transfer. A tour briefing will be given in the afternoon.

The centre of Mandalay is dominated by the large Fort surrounded by a moat. Mandalay Palace was the primary royal residence of King Mindon and King Thibaw, the last two kings of the country. The complex ceased to be a royal residence and seat of government on 28^th November 1885 when, during the Third Anglo-Burmese War, troops of the Burma Field Force entered the palace and captured the royal family. The Fort once contained the royal city and fabled Glass Palace however these were destroyed during World War Two.

At sunset you will go to Mandalay Hill where there is a magnificent panorama view of the city, the Irrawaddy, Mingun and pagoda-covered hills of Sagaing. Before dusk you will start to climb through one of the three roofed stairways leading up to the 236 metre high hill with 1,729 steps. Along the way there are shrines and viewing platforms. The walk up should talk about 45 minutes however if you are feeling less energetic you can also drive most of the way up instead.

Today there will be a guided tour around the city of Mandalay where you will see Mahamuni Pagoda; the impressive teak Shwenandaw monastery known as Golden Palace and craft workshops.

Mahumuni Pagoda is one of the three most important shrines in Burma along with Schwedagon in Yangon and the Golden Rock in Kyaiktiyo. Inside Mahamuni Pagoda is the world famous Mahamuni Buddha, this is 3.8m high and its shape is distorted from application of gold leaf over the years by pilgrims.

Shwenandaw is a beautiful teak monastery decorated with exquisite Buddhist carvings of mythical animals and dancing figures. This building is surrounded by teak platform supported on wooden pillars topped with marble lotus flowers. The monastery was originally King Mindon Min’s apartment complex and relocated from the Royal Palace in 1878. The building was reconstructed as a monastery dedicated to King Mindon Min’s memory on a plot adjoining Atumashi Monastery.

Mandalay is the cultural centre of Burma and has long been known as a centre of skilled craftsman and in former times supplied the royal courts. Whole sections of the city are devoted to production of devotional objects made of wood, jade, bronze and marble. You can visit workshops around the city for wood carving, marble sculpture, bronze casting, weaving and the creation of gold leaf. Your lunch and dinner will be at local restaurants.

Around Mandalay there are many interesting remnants of several former Royal capitals dating from different periods in the regions history: Ava (Inwa), Amarapura, Sagaing and Mingun.

 In the morning you drive to Ava (Inwa), this was the capital of Burmese kingdom for more than four hundred years until 1841. We take a small boat over to an island on the Irrawaddy river and explore this area by horse drawn cart. There are numerous crumbling pagodas and other remains of a former royal city including the teak monastery of Bagaya Kyaung; Nanmyin Watch Tower known as the leaning tower of Inwa and the Royal monastery temple named Maha Aungmye Bonzan.

After Ava you drive over a bridge on Irrawaddy to visit Sagaing once the capital of an autonomous Shan kingdom during 14^th to 18^th Centuries. Today this is a tranquil place where there are many stupas and pagodas covering these green hills overlooking the Irrawaddy river. This area is widely regarded as one of the main religious centres of Burma and is home to many Buddhist monks

 Later in the afternoon we visit one of Burma's most iconic sights, U-Bein bridge, at Amarapura for sunset. This teak bridge is the longest in the world at 1.2 kilometres long and crosses Taungthaman Lake. Amarapura was once known as the City of Immortality and was briefly the capital of Burmese kingdom from 1841 to 1857. After this date King Mindon Min made Mandalay the last capital of the Burmese kings. Amarapura is known today for its traditional silk and cotton weaving and bronze casting.

The best time of day to visit U-Bein bridge is undoubtedly at sunset, with the dipping sun creating a spectacular vista and dramatic view of the wooden bridge.  You will board a private local row boat and venture out onto the lake to take in the sunset from one of Mandalay's most scenic locations.  As the sun goes down over the horizon you will observe silhouetted locals walking across the iconic bridge.

Today we take the boat to Bagan as cruising along the majestic Irrawaddy river is the best method to travel as you get views of the passing countryside and river activities along the way. We will organise your early morning transfer to the jetty to board one of three boats that operate a full day river cruise to Bagan. On board there is inside and outside seating, a small café and toilets. After checking in at the hotel you have the rest of the afternoon to explore this incredible place.

Bagan is truly one of the wonders of the world and a highlight of any trip to Burma. Across a 40 square kilometres area of savannah landscape you will see 2,230 temples and pagodas with their gilded cupolas sparkling in the sun. At sunset we will go one of the pagodas like Bupaya to watch the sun go down over the Irrawaddy river.

There is an option this morning to go for a sunrise balloon ride over Bagan (October to March only and must be booked in advance). The flight will last about 50 minutes and the direction is dictated by the wind. From the basket there is a sensational view of the many pagodas and temples scattered over the Bagan plain and the Irrawaddy river as the sun rises in the sky.

Bagan is truly one of the wonders of the world and a highlight of any trip to Burma. Across a 40 square kilometres area of savannah landscape you will see 2,230 temples and pagodas with their gilded cupolas sparkling in the sun.

When King Anawrahta ascended the throne in 1044 founding the first Burmese dynasty, Bagan steadily developed into a powerful kingdom. Anawrahta converted to Theravada Buddhism and the ‘golden period’ of Bagan commenced when many temples were built most notably Schwezigon pagoda. Under King Kyanzittha temple construction continued at a rapid pace with Ananda being one of the most famous.

By 12^th Century Bagan had a population of half a million although by 13^th Century the city fell into decline. The old palaces and houses have disappeared as they were made out of wood although a few remnants of old fortifications survive such as 9th Century Tharaba gate. The temples and pagodas were left to the elements and further damage was caused by the earthquake of 1975 that destroyed over half of the remaining religious buildings. What remains today is glimpse of Bagan at its height of power however is a remarkable footprint of glorious period of Burma’s history.

After discussion with your guide you can decide which of Bagan’s many temples and pagodas to visit. Please note you must remove your shoes before entering any of these religious sites. The most impressive and important temples and pagodas to visit are as follows:

• Shwezigon pagoda built by King Kyansittha. Schwezigon derives its name from Jeyyabhumi ‘Golden victory’ with its magnificent golden stupa. After Schwezigon we visit some of Bagan’s many temples and pagodas by horse drawn cart.
• Gubyaukgyi (Wetkyi Inn) temple has fine 12^th Century mural paintings, frescoes and base-relief works.
• Htilominlo temple is a massive structure at 150 feet tall with frescoes representing 28 Buddha of the future.
• Ananda temple has the best preserved masterpieces of Mon architecture and nearby brick monastery, is one of the few surviving from Bagan period.
• Gawdawpalin is one of the largest and most impressive monuments in Bagan
• Shwegugyi temple is of transitional in style between the early and late Bagan period.
• Thabyinnyu temple is known as the highest monument of universal science
• Dhammyangyi has a unique of double Image of Buddha. Myingabar Gubyaukgyi, meaning "great painted cave temple" is known for its exquisite mural paintings.

Breakfast at hotel, transfer to Yangon airport to take the flight to Heho airport. From Heho we drive to Kalaw. In villages near Kalaw there are Palaung and other hill tribes who come to the market held every five days in their colourful costumes adding to the quiet attraction of Kalaw.

Green Hill Valley elephant camp is set amongst 150 acres and this is a new initiative set up to focus on protecting the local ecology, elephants and traditions of the local people. The area is also home to a variety of birdlife, butterflies, orchids and bamboo forests. Visitors have the chance to learn about the daily lives of these magnificent gentle giants at the same time as taking in some wonderful Shan countryside away from the busier tourist routes.

You meet the trek guide and walk to the camp through bamboo and teak forests taking about roughly one to two hours. There is also the option to drive to camp with only short 10 minute walk to the activities. On arrival at the camp you will receive some light refreshments and then take a short walk down to the river to join the elephants at bath time - you are able to join in the bathing duties if you would like to. Please note that the owners of the camp are not keen to promote visitors riding the elephants; but depending on the weather and the health of the elephants it may be possible to experience a short ride, please also note that baskets are not used on the elephants. After lunch served at the main camp you are welcome to plant regional trees from the nursery, to help them in their forest recovery efforts.

We drive for two hours to Nyaung Shwe, known as the gateway to Inle Lake, where we stop off at Red Mountain vineyard for a tour and wine tasting. Afterwards we will board a long-tail boat for the transfer to your hotel on Inle Lake, along the way you are likely to see the famous leg-rowing fishermen and the floating gardens. Traveling on the lake is an exhilarating experience and a chance to observe the unique traditions of the Intha people. It is advisable to pack a waterproof jacket and warm clothes as it can be chilly sightseeing around the lake. Your lunch and dinner will be at local restaurants.

This morning we take the long-tail boat to Sankar in the far southern region of Inle Lake. This boat journey will take around 2 ½ hours and is an opportunity to get far away from the more touristy areas. On the boat ride you will see the traditional lifestyle in the small villages and the local people going about their daily business.  The villages around Sankar are home to Pa’O, Shan and Inthar people.

When you get to Sankar you will visit the 108 'sunken' stupas from the 16-17^th centuries, these are partially underwater for a few months a year. There is also a local monastery and village that can be visited too. On the way back you can stop off at the village of Thaya Gone known for its production of local rice wine. You can watch the process of distillation and then sample some of the local brew if you wish. You can also make a stop at Sae Khaung Pottery Village to see the making of pots as well as the underground kilns. On the way back along the western shores of the Sankar area we can visit Takhaung Mwetaw pagoda with more than 200 stupas.

We take a final boat trip across the lake this morning to return to Nyaung Shwe.  A car will be waiting for you for the transfer back to Heho airport. Fly to Yangon and transfer to your hotel.

In the late afternoon you will visit the famous Shwedagon pagoda. This is the best time of day to come to Shwedagon as much cooler and it is serene place to watch the sun set over Yangon. You will also see Burmese coming to pay their respects at this sacred place after finishing their day’s work. Shwedagon shimmers above the city of Yangon and is known not only as the religious centre of Yangon but is also the cultural and spiritual heart of Burma itself. An estimated 60 tonnes of gold adorn the pagoda and at the top of the stupa the hti (umbrella) is believed to contain more than 7,000 diamonds, rubies and saphires.

This is a day to explore Yangon where we organise a guided sightseeing tour. We stop outside Aung Sang Suu Kyi’s gated home and then walk around the Bogyoke Aung San (Scott) market where one can find Burmese handicraft as well as precious stones like rubies and jade. From the market we walk to Sule pagoda and then passing the old British colonial buildings along the way to the riverfront.

Transfer to airport for flight back home.