Bali to Burma

A private vehicle with driver and guide will pick you up and transfer you between Yangon and the airport.

Fly one way from Yangon to Bagan.

A private vehicle with driver and guide will pick you up and transfer you between Bagan and the airport.

Minnanthu is probably the most favourite temple area amongst frequent Bagan visitors and you know why? It’s quiet, it’s a beautiful area and the temples here are often completely deserted. Your guide will bring you by car to this forgotten part of Bagan and will spread out a blanket and serve you a great picnic lunch in this historical setting before or after visiting 2 or 3 ancient temples ruins in this area.

A full day tour by car, with an experienced guide through Bagan will show you the best known temples of the area. You will begin the day climbing Buledi Pagoda to get a first impressive view over the whole area.  From here the guide plans his way to some of the other amazing temples that have been here for hundreds of years. Places like the Ananda, Dhammayangyi, Sulamani, and Thatbyinnyu will certainly impress you. Lunch will be taken at a local restaurant and around 4:00PM, you will continue the tour by horse cart to Pyathagyi pagoda to catch the sunset with some refreshing drinks served. The best part of this tour; whenever you see a temple you like, just ask your guide to stop to have a look at it. Simply pick your own favourite temple.

A private vehicle with driver and guide will pick you up and transfer you between Bagan and the airport.

Fly one way from Bagan to Inle Lake.

A private vehicle with driver and guide will pick you up and transfer you between Inle Lake and the airport.

As described in many books, the Shan culture is very interesting and rich and especially in Nyaung Shwe you still get a bit of the feeling of the former Shan kingdom of Nyaung Shwe. Begin with a visit of the Buddha museum which is housed in the former “Haw” (palace) of the last Shan prince of Nyaung Shwe (Mr Sao Shwe Thaike, who later became the first prime minister of Myanmar after independence). Enjoy a nice Shan lunch at the Viewpoint restaurant and then continue the tour to the local market looking for some traditional Shan cotton and Shan traditional dresses. A visit to the ancient teak wooden Shwe Yan Pyay monastery with the oval windows is certainly giving the opportunity for some great pictures. You will be peddled around some small canals and pass floating gardens in a small wooden boat for about half an hour to see more of the local Shan life from the water. End the tour with a visit and some wine tasting of the excellent wines at the Red Mountain winery in Nyaung Shwe.

Inle Lake in southern Shan State is a vast natural lake surrounded by traditional Shan villages. On the lake itself the Intha people have been living for many centuries in village built entirely on stilts on the lake. Today, you will be taken by a private motorboat around the lake to discover its natural beauty, visit the floating gardens and hopefully see some of the famous leg rowers as well as enjoy tea time at a local family’s house. On and around the lake, traditional markets are held in different villages according to a 5-day rotating schedule and today you will visit a colourful market frequented by Shan and Pao people living nearby. Afterwards, visit a local cheroot factory (where the Burmese cigars are made), floating tomato gardens, Intha Heritage house where the Burmese cats are bred and if wanted you can visit a weaving factory. Return to your hotel around 4:00 PM, in time for sunset.

Visiting Inle Lake is not just about being on the water but also about discovering the Shan and Intha villages on the banks of the river. From Nyaung Shwe (or any hotel on the east bank of the lake) bike pass several picturesque villages where you will stop for a chat with the local monks at the forest monastery in Maing Thauk for a good view over the lake. Enjoy a lovely lunch at the Intha Heritage house and then continue from there by boat to visit a local cheroot factory as well as one of the oldest monasteries built on stilts on the lake and of course the famous floating gardens on Nampan. At the end of the day, return by boat your hotel.

A private vehicle with driver and guide will pick you up and transfer you between Inle Lake and the airport.

Fly one way from Inle Lake to Yangon.

Flight is required, currently not included in the quote.

Airport transfer with private vehicle and English-speaking driver.

Start your cultural trip with a visit to Tohpati, which is known for its batik and continue to Celuk, the center of exquisite silver works and Mas, for fine woodcarvings. Enter Ubud, the cultural heart of Bali with many fine art galleries, and a home to a score of local and foreign artists. One of them is Agung Rai Museum of Art which has an extensive collection of paintings by Balinese, Indonesian and foreign artists in classic Balinese and contemporary styles. Afterwards, you can test your bargaining skill at Ubud art market prior to a visit to Puri Saren Agung whose royal family ruled Ubud from the late 1800’s until 1917.

Witness this theatrical experience. The "Cak" or "Kecak" dance is the well-known “monkey dance” which is originally derived from a sacred sanghyang dance, it has subsequently been added to and adapted, incorporating scenes from the story of Ramayana. The Kecak dance is an amazing cacophony of interlocking sounds – 100 men, representing the Ramayana’s monkey army sit in concentric circles and chant. Their arms are thrown up to the skies, fingers outstretched, but the sounds and gestures have no meaning other than to drive out evil.

Start the day with a visit to Kerta Gosa, or Hall of Justice, built in 18th century in Klungkung. It is beautifully laid out within a moat and provides an exquisite example of the Klungkung style of painting and architecture which can be seen in their ceiling murals. Continue through spectacular views of terraced rice fields to Besakih temple, located on the slope of Mount Agung, Bali highest volcano. It is called Mother Temple of Bali as it houses ancestral shrines for all Hindu Balinese and a complex of nearly 24 temples. Our next stop is Kintamani where you can enjoy your lunch with a breathtaking view over the caldera lake, Danau Batur. Driving down, we arrive in the bottom of a lush green valley, where the Gunung Kawi temple, Bali largest ancient monument is located. It consists of 10 rock-cut candi (shrines) – memorials cut out of the rock face in imitation of actual statues and stand in 7m-high sheltered niches cut into the sheer cliff face. Our last stop will be Goa Gajah.

Today's excursion will lead you to the rural heartland of Bali which presents an altered landscape and a different history. Your first stop is Pura Taman Ayun, founded by the King of Mengwi in the 17th century. It has three ascending levels of spacious courtyards containing rows of shrines and pavilions and is surrounded by a wide moat. The next one will be Lake Bratan, where a crater lies serenely in the midst of an elongated valley, formed centuries ago. A small temple called Pura Ulun Danu Bratan to honor Dewi Danau, goddess of the lake, can be seen on the lake promontory. Stroll along Candi Kuning market, where local fruits, vegetable and flowers are sold. After lunch, the trip continues through breathtaking valleys of rice paddies near Jatiluwih to visit Pura Luhur Batukau temple, in dense jungle near the peak of Gunung Batukau, Bali’s second highest mountain. The ancient temple complex has a number of separate sanctuaries joined by damp mountain paths, bubbling springs and a large rectangular lake with a shrine in its midst.

You will be picked up by private vehicle with an English speaking guide from Ubud and transferred to your South Bali hotel.

Join fellow travellers on the 26 meters long catamaran across the Badung strait to Nusa Lembongan! This day cruise to Nusa Lembongan includes snorkeling, banana boat, village tour and buffet lunch including beer or selected wines on the island. Enjoy fantastic snorkeling and glass bottom boat rides in the afternoon before returning to Bali.

Airport transfer with private vehicle and English-speaking driver.