Myanmar Exclusive

Bago (about 1, 5 hour drive from Yangon) used to be the capital of Myanmar under King Bayinnaung (till 1819). It is an excellent place to visit and see the remains of a former capital, especially if you don’t have enough time to visit Mandalay or Bagan. In the morning we stop at a local market in Insein Township just north of Yangon to buy some fruits and snacks for on the way and we pay respect to the thousands of allied soldiers buried at the Taukkyan War cemetery. In Bago city we will visit the Kyatkha Wain monastery, which is one of the largest in the country.  We will try to arrive in time to see the preparations from the monks for lunch. Our own lunch is taken at a local restaurant. During the afternoon we visit Shwemawdaw Pagoda as well as the Shwetalyaung Buddha and the remains of the former palace. We return to Yangon by train to see a different way of local live and country side.

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.

Stay at least 2 nights in Bagan, one to see the sun go down from the top of an ancient temple, the other one to take a boat ride on the mighty Ayeyarwaddy River and have some sundowners on a sandbank in the middle of the river (if the river is not too high). A private boat tour on the river during sunset time will hopefully show you a spectacular sunset while your guide will be serving cocktails and some snacks.

Simply a “must-do” when visiting Bagan. Early morning before sunrise you will be picked up at your hotel and driven to the launch site for a spectacular hot air balloon ride over the temple zone in Bagan. The mostly British balloon pilots are operating each balloon under highest UK safety standards and the views you will get are simply breathtakingly spectacular. After floating in the air and following the wind you will land safely and be welcomed back on the ground by a smiling crew serving cold champagne before bringing you to your hotel.

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 Mandalay.

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

It’s not just the former capital cities around Mandalay that are interesting to visit. During this half day tour (morning or afternoon) you will be taken to the most famous monuments of Mandalay starting with a drive by pickup truck to the top of Mandalay hill for a great view over the Mandalay fort. Next, continue onward to Atumashi and the Shwenandaw monasteries which are excellent examples of the architecture and crafts work of this region. The tour will end with a visit to Kuthodaw Pagoda with the white marble slabs. The Kuthodaw Pagoda is often referred to as the “World Biggest Book” in tourist guide books but actual a place of worship, rather than a place to read the religious text as it would take 450 days to read this “Book”.

Mandalay and the other former royal capitals around it have all been capital cities for a while for one major reason: they are all situated on the Ayeyarwaddy River (Irrawaddy). Feel the breeze of the river and imagine how it must have been to arrive by boat in Mingun or at the court of Ava. From the jetty in Mandalay you will be taken upstream to Mingun and visit the Mingun Pagoda with the big crack caused by an earthquake and the giant bronze bell. Take a leisurely boat cruise for about 3 hours downstream to Ava. A simple lunch packed in rattan baskets will be served while cruising down. Arriving in Ava, horse carts are ready to take us around this magnificent site with various ancient temple ruins that used to be majestic buildings during the 400 years that Ava was the capital. Return to Mandalay by car. An ideal excursion if you don’t take the boat from Mandalay to Bagan since the most interesting part of the long boat ride is covered in this shorter cruise.

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

Fly one way from Mandalay 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.

In the south of the lake the ruins of Indein are certainly worth a visit. Partly covered by vegetation the area looks like a “pagoda forest”. Your guide will take you on a walk for about one hour to enjoy a fantastic view over the lake where you will then visit the primary school in Sae Ma Village. A home-made cooked lunch is served in a local house before continuing onboard a local canoe in the direction of Phaung Daw Oo pagoda. Whenever you are tired peddling yourself, you can continue by motorboat to the pagoda. From Phaung Daw Oo pagoda you will proceed by motorboat to 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 Ngapali Beach.

Enjoy a private transfer with English speaking driver between Thandwe airport and your Ngapali Beach hotel.

Enjoy time at leisure to explore at your own pace, or relax at your hotel.

Enjoy a private transfer with English speaking driver between Thandwe airport and your Ngapali Beach hotel.

Fly one way from Ngapali Beach to Yangon.

Enjoy the usage of a private vehicle with English speaking driver and guide at leisure for a half day in Yangon.