Day 1: Yangon

For your added comfort, your guide will be waiting for you outside the customs area with a sign with your name on it. Your guide will assist you to co-ordinate meeting up with your private driver and accompany you to your accommodation.

Meet your driver for an airport transfer with a private vehicle and English speaking guide.

Accommodation: Belmond Governor`s Residence (5*) (B) (Governor`s Room)

Belmond Governor's Residence is located within the elegant Yangon Embassy Quarter and close to the spectacular Shwedagon Pagoda. It is just ten minutes from the city centre and 30 minutes from Yangon airport. The hotel is perfectly placed for enjoying Yangon's great cultural attractions. The golden pagodas, fascinating National Museum and lively Bogyoke Market, piled high with local handicrafts, gems, and antiques. Set in a verdant garden dotted with lotus pools, the hotel is truly magical. Dinner is served alfresco in the balmy evening air by lantern-light, as tropical fragrances scent the breeze.

Day 2: Yangon

Yangon is a sprawling city with a relatively small downtown area including several markets, colonial buildings, the Yangon River and a very green area with tree-lined streets and several lakes. During this full day tour we will show you the different faces of Yangon from the landmarks to the hidden markets that have seen only few westerners. During the day you will visit the Sule Pagoda, colonial downtown, the harbour, The Strand and one of the colourful local markets. The reclining Buddha will be visited just before taking a tasteful lunch of typical dishes from tribes from all over the country like Kachin, Shan and Rakhine. A local market will lead us to a small station where we take the famous circular train to bring us right behind Bogyoke Aung San market before heading back to your hotel. The tour includes a drink at the Strand Hotel and a lunch at a local restaurant.

At the end of the day many Yangonites leave work and on the way home they stop for some shopping, catch up with friends at a tea shop, visit a pagoda or go to a beer station. This is exactly what you are going to do. The highlight of the tour will be the evening visit to the illuminated Shwedagon Pagoda – a magic and mystical moment at a time that it’s not very busy on the main platform. After the pagoda visit there will be local snacks to be tasted as well as a local draft beer or a fresh lime juice. The tour includes drinks, a walk over to the night market downtown, tea and snacks as well as a simple local dinner shared with some locals.

Accommodation: Belmond Governor`s Residence (5*) (B) (Governor`s Room)

Day 3: Yangon - Bagan

Meet your driver for an airport transfer with a private vehicle and English speaking guide.

Fly from Yangon to Bagan. Flight time is approximately 1.5 hours.

Meet your driver for an airport transfer with a private vehicle and English speaking guide.

Minnanthu is probably the most favorite 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.

Accommodation: Bagan Lodge (4*)

Perched on the edge of an archaeological wonderland, Bagan Lodge is gateway to some of the world's most magnificent temples and pagodas. The rooms and suites evoke the romance of a storied expedition, albeit in posh, air-conditioned comfort. Their restaurant and bars are fuel to the fire of local adventure, and the swimming pool and spa are an oasis any time of day. The spa features eight private treatment rooms to provide guests with an extensive range of massage and beauty treatments - the perfect way to unwind after a day of discovery.

Day 4: Bagan - Irrawaddy River Cruise

Meet your driver for an airport transfer with a private vehicle and English speaking guide.

Welcome aboard!

Take some time to get settled in to your suite, and prepare for lunch which will be served shortly after check-in.

In the afternoon, travel to Bagan by coach to visit some of the most important temples and pagodas among the 2,000 which comprise this most magnificent archaeological site - the Ananda, the Htilominlo and the Pyathatgyi. Enjoy the sunset from the latter, before returning to the ship for a welcome cocktail followed by a candlelit dinner on the sandbank.

Accommodation: Sanctuary Ananda (3N)

Sanctuary Ananda, with a late 2014 launch, is dedicated to sailing the Irrawaddy and Chindwin rivers. With the largest suites on the rivers, the Ananda will provide an authentic sailing experience combined with five star luxury. Elegant and refined luxury suites are complimented by lavish onboard dining options. Custom-built for Myanmar rivers, Ananda will sail everyday and will explore both popular and less well-known areas of Myanmar. Burmese Myanmar experts will help you delve into the unknown treasures of Myanmar using their wealth of local knowledge.

Day 5: Bagan - Irrawaddy River Cruise

Choose one of two early morning optional excursions - a balloon ride over Bagan (at an additional charge) or sunrise meditation at one of the temples.

Otherwise, after breakfast visit the sacred Buddhist Shwezigon Pagoda (which houses a bone and tooth of the Gautama Buddha), the Gubyaukgyi Temple, as well as Nyaung U market. Return to the ship to sail northwards on the gentle Ayeryarwady river.

Accommodation: Sanctuary Ananda (3N)

Day 6: Mandalay - Irrawaddy River Cruise

Early morning yoga and meditation on deck. Breakfast at leisure allowing you to enjoy the scenery along the river - the villages, rice fields and distant stupas.

In the afternoon you'll arrive beside the pagoda sprinkled Sagaing Hill, an important religious and monastic centre, home to some 554 monasteries and 6,000 monks and nuns. Amarapura, was once known as 'The City of Immortals'. You will visit one of the textile workshops, followed by the U Bein Bridge, a spectacular place to enjoy the sunset.

Accommodation: Sanctuary Ananda (3N)

Day 7: Mandalay

Early this morning Sanctuary Ananda will sail north to the quaint village of Sin Kyun, a village just north of Mandalay sponsored by Sanctuary's philanthropy program. It has a population of just under 1,000 inhabitants and specializes in farming and hat making.

If you are leaving on a later flight we can arrange a tour of Mandalay. This will include a visit to Mahamuni Pagoda, one of Myanmar's most religious monuments housing the revered Mahamuni Image. Lastly a visit to Kuthodaw Pagoda (Maha Lawka Marazein) built by King Mindon in 1857, in effect a copy of the Shwezigon Pagoda in Bagan.

After breakfast this morning you'll disembark from your ship.

Meet your driver for an pier transfer with a private vehicle and English speaking guide.

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 take tour the most famous monuments of Mandalay starting with the top of Mandalay hill for a great view over the Mandalay fort. Continue to Atumashi and the Shwenandaw monasteries which are excellent examples of the architecture and crafts work of this region and end with a visit to Kuthodaw Pagoda with the white marble slabs. The rest of the day the car and guide are available for additional visits till 6 pm if wanted – a visit to Yankin Hill is suggested.

Accommodation: Hotel by the Red Canal (3.5*)

An oasis by the landmark Red Canal in local folklore just minutes from the famed Atumashi Monastery, Kuthodaw Pagoda, and Mandalay Palace.and other attractions, The Hotel by the Red Canal is a convenient sanctuary, with its lush tropical greenery and calming water features, amidst the hustle and bustle of Myanmar's cultural city. The customized guestrooms are categorized into 4 uniquely names and decked in the fineries and cultural adornments of the 4 major ethnic groups in Myanmar: Chin, Kachin, Rakhine and Shan. Hotel by the Red Canala full-service spa, a restaurant, and an outdoor pool. The guestrooms feature complimentary Wi-Fi and 24-hour room service, DVD players, and LED TVs.

Day 8: Mandalay - Yangon

Meet your driver for an airport transfer with a private vehicle and English speaking guide.

Fly from Mandalay to Yangon. Flight time is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

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

Accommodation: Depart (Int`l Airport) (standard)

Depart from International Airport. End of itinerary.