Myanmar

7-Day A Glimpse of Myanmar

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Tour type

Tour Level: Relaxed / Easy

Tour Comfort: Standard

Tour Period: 7 Days

Russian, German, English, French, Spanish    Yangon, Inle Lake, Mandalay, Bagan, Yangon

tour highlights

  • Exploring Chinatown and Indian Quarter in Yangon and the world-famous Shwedagon pagoda
  • Boat trip in Inle lake through floating gardens and discover Indaing with its local ethnic groups
  • Sightseeing in the ancient capital of Mandalay
  • Bagan temples and pagodas sightseeing

tour details

You’ll begin with visits to Strand Road, the Botathaung Pagoda, the colonial district, Chinatown & the Sule Pagoda. Next you’ll explore the Bogyoke Market, Kandawgyi Lake & the Shwedagon Pagoda. In Heho you’ll see Inle Lake, the Indaing & Ywama villages and the ruins of Nyaung Ohak. Other highlights include Shwe Inn Thein Paya, the Intha village of Sema, the 5-day rotating market and the amazing ‘leg rowers’. You’ll conclude with visits to Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, a silk-weaving workshop, floating gardens & the Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery. In Mandalay you’ll explore Amarapura, the Ayeyarwady River and Mandalay Hill. In Bagan you’ll visit Nyaung Oo, Shwezigon, Gubyaukgyi and Htilominlo. Next you’ll explore the Ananda & Thatbyinnyu Temples and a lacquerware factory before returning to Yangon.

Why choose this tour?

  • A perfect opportunity to get an interesting insight of the most stunning and remarkable must-see sites in Myanmar
  • Exploring the colonial heritage centre of Yangon with visit to its stunning religious sites
  • Enchanting Inle Lake discovery with stops at the most important highlights on the lake
  • Sightseeing in the former royal capital Mandalay and the old cultural cities just beyond the outskirt area
  • Sightseeing in the stunning pagodas-filled Bagan with loads of ancient architectures and historical background
Meet on arrival at Yangon International Airport and transfer to hotel. (Your room might not be ready for check-in; international check-in time is 14:00 hours).
Start your sightseeing with a drive to the famous Strand Road and visit the bustling Yangon harbour, where ferries leave for Pathein in the Delta and upcountry towns along the Ayeyarwady River. Visit Botathaung Pagoda, close to Yangon River and said to contain Buddha relics. You then drive through the colonial-historical district, Chinatown, and the Indian quarter. Make a photo stop at the gilded Sule Pagoda, dating back over 2,000 years, and a landmark in central Yangon. Lunch at Pansuriya Restaurant.
In the afternoon, visit to Bogyoke (Scott) Market (closed on Mondays and Public Holidays) gives you the opportunity to see Myanmar's wide range of handicrafts and souvenirs. Stop alongside Kandawgyi (Royal) Lake to take photographs over the lake towards Karaweik Hall and the Shwedagon. Enjoy the sunset at Shwedagon Pagoda, famous worldwide - its golden stupa is the 'heart' of Buddhist Myanmar. The Pagoda is believed to be 2,500 years old and the central stupa in surrounded by dozens of intricately decorated buildings and statues. It is always full of people praying and making offerings, and is a fascinating place to spend time watching the world go by. Return to your hotel.
Accommodation at Hotel G (Good Room) or similar, Yangon.
Transfer to Yangon Airport for domestic flight to Heho. Transfer from Heho airport down into the valley to Nyaungshwe on the edge of Inle Lake and board your own local boat to take you to your hotel (Room might not be ready for check-in). Lunch at View Point Restaurant.
Continue from your hotel and travel by long-tailed boat across the lake to Indaing, at the western end of Inle, for one of the most scenic trips on the Lake. Passing through the busy village of Ywama, the largest on the Lake, with many channels and tall teak houses on stilts; enter a long, often tree-lined canal, either side of which farmers cultivate their land against the backdrop of the Shan Hills. Disembark at the jetty and walk for 15 minutes through Indaing village to reach the 14th - 18th century pagoda ruins of Nyaung Ohak. Many pagodas here remain charmingly unrenovated, with plants and even small trees growing out of them, making the area very atmospheric. A covered walkway popular with souvenir stallholders leads up to Shwe Inn Thein Paya, a complex of weather-beaten 17th - 18th century zedi; some newly reconstructed. Returning to the river you have the possibility to continue by boat downstream past Yethar village, watching local life on the banks and birds in the trees until rejoining the Lake near Phaung Daw Oo Paya.
Accommodation at Nyaung Shwe City Hotel (Deluxe Room) or similar, Nyaung Shwe.
Explore a 5-day rotating market (if your visit coincides with the schedule) which offers an insight into the life of the ethnic Pa-O, Danu and Intha people who come to these markets to sell and buy goods. Enjoy a full day boat trip on Inle Lake - a photographer's dream. Its calm waters are dotted with floating vegetation and fishing canoes, to which scenic hills provide the perfect backdrop. See the lake's unique 'leg rowers' - Intha fishermen who row standing up with one leg wrapped around a single oar, leaving their hands free to manipulate the conical fishing net. Stop at Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the holiest religious site in southern Shan State. Lunch at Golden Kite Nampan Restaurant.
Visit a traditional silk-weaving workshop which uses wooden handlooms, and a blacksmith's forge. Pass endless floating gardens, where Intha lake dwellers grow fruit and vegetables. Continue by boat to visit Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery, one of the oldest on the lake, where you can see exquisite Buddha statues which are more than 200 years old. Return to your hotel by boat as the sun lowers and the light softens over the lake.
Accommodation at Nyaung Shwe City Hotel (Deluxe Room) or similar, Nyaung Shwe.
After breakfast, transfer to Heho Airport (25 km - 1 hour) to take domestic flight to Mandalay. From the airport drive to Amarapura and take a stroll on U Bein Bridge, which at over a kilometre is believed to be the longest teak bridge in the world. From here, visit picturesque Sagaing, perhaps the living centre of Buddhist faith in Myanmar today. The hills here are dotted with numerous pagodas and monasteries. Lunch at 62 Mandalay Restaurant.
In the afternoon, drive along the busy Ayeyarwady River where you see many boats loading goods as well as women washing laundry. The visit Mahamuni Pagoda, home to a spectacular Buddha image covered with thick layers of gold leaves. Stop at local workshops to see Kalaga tapestries being made, gold leaf being beaten into paper-thin pieces, stone carving and bronze casting. From here, we go to Kuthodaw Pagoda, where the Theravada Buddhist scriptures are inscribed on 729 marble slabs, giving rise to its nickname 'the world's largest book'. Next visit beautiful teak-carved Shwenandaw Monastery, the only Royal Palace building to survive World War II bombing. Atop Mandalay Hill lie glittering glass-studded temple walls which reflect the evening glow as you watch the sunset.
Accommodation at Hotel Sakura Princess (Superior Room) or similar, Mandalay.
Transfer to Mandalay Airport for domestic flight to Bagan. Upon arrival in Bagan, proceed on a sightseeing tour, starting with the busy local market at Nyaung U. Continue with visits to a selection of the most important pagodas and temples such as Shwezigon, Bagan's most important reliquary shrine - look out for images of the 37 'nats' (spirits) housed in a small hall - and Gubyaukgyi (Wetkyi-Inn village), a 'cave' temple with fine frescoes of the 'Jataka Tales'. Next stop is Htilominlo, the last Bamar-style temple built in Bagan, which boasts old murals and friezes. Your visit continues to Ananda Temple, a masterpiece of Mon-style architecture with four huge standing Buddhas and an adjacent brick monastery with well-preserved 18th century murals. Stop for a photo of Bagan's tallest temple; 61 metre-high Thatbyinnyu, known as the 'temple of omniscience' and dating from 1144. Lunch at Ayeyarwaddy River Terrace Restaurant.
Next visit Moe Moe Lacquer ware factory where you'll learn how this delicate art is made. Sightseeing continues with visits to Manuha Temple, built in the Mon style in 1059; Nanpaya Temple, a unique sandstone monument said to have been the palace of King Manuha, and Gubyaukgyi (Myingaba) under the protection of UNESCO and noted for its ancient mural paintings. Enjoy sunset at one of the monuments along Ayeyarwady River.
Accommodation at Villa Bagan (Superior Room Without View) or similar, Bagan. (Period until 30 April 2019)
Accommodation at Villa Bagan (Superior Room With View) or similar, Bagan. (Period 01 May 2019 - 30 September 2019)
Optional: There is no better or more spectacular view of the ancient kingdom of Bagan than from a hot air balloon. This world-famous archaeological site of more than a thousand Buddhist temples scattered over a plain is at its best when seen from a bird's eye vantage, as the sun comes up gently over the Ayeyarwady River. You will be collected from your hotel and provided with a light breakfast and safety briefing while the balloons inflate, before enjoying a dawn flight lasting just under one hour. Flights operate daily from October through March.

This morning visit Minnanthu village by horse cart. Visit Tayoke Pyay, Payathonzu and Nandamanya Temples (noted for exquisite 13th century murals) and Kyat Kan Cave Monastery, a famous meditation centre in Bagan. Visit farming houses around Bagan. Lunch at Sanon Restaurant.
In the afternoon, transfer to the domestic flight to Yangon. Arrival at Yangon and transfer to your hotel.
Accommodation at Hotel G (Good Room) or similar, Yangon.
Transfer from your hotel to the jetty and cross the Yangon River by local ferry (10 minutes). Upon arrival on the other side, trishaw drivers will take you on country roads through local villages to an orphanage. Here you can meet the children and talk to the teachers (with help of your Diethelm Travel guide). The staff do all they can with very limited funds to create a good life for the children, and if you care to make a donation while you are here it will be welcomed for the purchase of school books, blankets, rice, clothing etc. The children are delighted to meet foreigners, and these encounters can be very rewarding for visitors. On your way back to the ferry enjoy the views of real local rural life - nothing like the busy streets of Yangon on other side of the river. Cross the river and transfer back to your hotel. Lunch at Shan Yoe Yar Restaurant. The tour guide and car remain at the clients' disposal for further sightseeing or shopping until transfer to Yangon International Airport for departure flight.

customise the tour

  • Extend your stay and take a break at beautiful Ngapali beach
  • Opportunity to purchase souvenirs at local markets and workshops
  • Oil lamps lighting event at Shwedagon Pagoda
  • Enjoy sunset boat tour in Taungthaman lake near U Bein bridge (seasonal)
  • Unlimited photo opportunities throughout the trip

includes

  • All sightseeing tour and transfer services with private air conditioned car/coach as detailed in our itinerary
  • Meals as specified in the itinerary (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch)
  • All entrance fees for the places as mentioned in the programme
  • Transfers and tours with English-speaking locally-stationed guides
  • Boat trips as specified
  • Horse Carts in Bagan
  • Service charges, room tax and baggage handling
  • Accommodation at hotels as above mentioned or similar
  • Filtered drinking water and wet towels during the tour

excludes

  • Domestic airfare (Yangon-Heho-Mandalay-Bagan-Yangon)
  • Myanmar visa fee
  • Surcharges for throughout guides (English and other languages)
  • Optional Balloon flight at sunrise in Bagan
  • Personal expenditure, such as drinks, souvenirs, laundry, camera fees, communications, postage, gratuities etc.
  • Meals and services other than mentioned in the programme
  • Drinks with meals
  • Compulsory gala dinners during festive seasons and peak season surcharges which will be advised at the time of booking
  • (Peak season in general is between 15 December to 15 January and 13-17 April
  • Early check-in and late check-out at hotels, if not mentioned in the programme
  • Travel insurance (cover against all cancellation costs, medical expenses, including repatriation, in the event of accident or illness)

notes

  • Hotel prices for packages are quoted bases on hotels as mentioned or similar. Higher or lower categories can be requested and the price will be adjusted. The hotels featured in the package tour are subject to availabilities at the time of booking.
  • Meals at respective hotels are also included in the hotel prices if the itineraries mention lunch or dinner at hotel.
  • Additional charges during Festive Season: Christmas, New Year and the Water festival period may apply.
  • Supplements for compulsory Gala Dinners will be advised at the time of booking.
  • All hotels have special booking and deposit conditions and will be indicated at the time of booking. Nonrefundable deposits may be required.
  • Domestic airfares are quoted separately and subject to change in case of increases imposed by the airlines (ie. taxes, fuel costs, etc.).
  • There are 8 different airlines operating on the domestic route in Myanmar. Each company has slight different airfares and this pricelist is based on average airfare. Diethelm Travel will book the most convenient and direct routing. The final price can be confirmed once the tickets are booked and issued depending on available booking class and seat availability.
Tour code: PKMCAGMB

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