Excellence Tour

Tour Code: GAH - 011

Yangon – Bago - Mandalay – Sagaing – Mingun – Pyin Oo Lwin - Bagan – Kalaw – Pindaya – Inle lake – Taunggyi – Kakku - Yangon (12D / 11 N)

Brief Itinerary

Day 01. Yangon arrival & sightseeing. O/N Yangon. (by car)
Day 02. Day return sightseeing trip to Bago. O/N Yangon. (by car)
Day 03. Fly to Mandalay and S/S. O/N Mandalay. (by flight & car)
Day 04. Mandalay – Mingun – Sagaing S/S. O/N Mandalay (by boat & car)
Day 05. Day return sightseeing trip to Pyin Oo Lwin S/S. O/N Mandalay. (by car)
Day 06. Mandalay to Bagan by express boat . O/N Bagan. (by express boat & car )
Day 07. Bagan full day sightseeing. O/N Bagan . (by car)
Day 08. Fly to Heho and proceed to Inle lake S/S . O/N Inle lake. (by flight, car & boat)
Day 09. Drive to Kalaw and Pindaya S/S.In the evening return to Inle lake & overnight. (by car & boat)
Day 10. Drive to Taunggyi and proceed to Kakku S/S. O/N Taunggyi. (by boat & car)
Day 11. Transfer to Heho airport for fly back to Yangon. O/N Yangon. (by car & flight)
Day 12. Shopping & departure. (by car)

Detail Itinerary

Day – 01: Yangon arrival and sightseeing (by car)
Arrive at Yangon International Airport to be welcomed upon arrival by your gracious tour guide. Transfer and check into your hotel. In the afternoon, take a tour of Yangon including a photo stop at Karaweik Hall (named after a sacred mythological bird) which is a royal barge floating in Kandawgyi ("Royal") Lake and then stop at the Chaukhtatgyi Pagoda (Reclining Buddha) a colossal reclining Buddha (which is only surpassed in size by the one in Bago). Later that afternoon, visit to the city center and see the gilded 2,500 year-old Sule Pagoda (a magnificent octagonal golden pagoda which is said to enshrine a hair of Buddha). Then, you will visit the beautiful colonial-style buildings surrounding Mahabandula Park, take a tour of the Naga (hand blown) Glass Factory and stroll through the quaint and narrow streets of Chinatown including the short visit to Tao Temple. Spend the night at your hotel in Yangon.

Day – 02: Yangon - Bago - Yangon (by car)

After breakfast at your hotel, you will be driven to Bago. Upon your arrival, some of the sights that will you see are: the Kyakhatwine Monastery where there is a procession of a thousand monks (who take their meal every day at 10 AM in total silence), the Kanbawza Thardi Palace (built by Bayinnaung), the Kalayani Sima (Ordination Hall), the Shwemawdaw Pagoda and the Shwethalyaung Pagoda (the world's most beautiful reclining Buddha) and the Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda (also known as Golden Rock Pagoda) which is one of the most famous pagodas in this region and is the crown jewel of the Mon State. The Golden Rock Pagoda is located high in the forested mountains above the Mon capital, Mawlamyaing. It stands on a gold-gilded boulder precariously perched at the edge of the cliff 1,100 km. above sea level. The boulder, which appears to be constantly in danger of plunging down the mountainside, seems a miracle in itself. The Golden Rock Pagoda is a small stupa measuring only 5.5 meters high, enthroned with Buddha's hair. The gold covered boulder is in the rough shape of a man's head, representing the head of a hermit. You will visit the Golden Rock in the soft light of late afternoon, which is the best time for taking pictures there. Before leaving Bago, you will visit a Wood Carving Workshop and the local Bago market. Late in the day, you will be driven back to Yangon. Enroute, you will visit the Second World War Memorial Cemetery near Taukkyant. Spend the night at your hotel in Yangon.

Day – 03: Yangon - Mandalay (by flight and car)
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be transferred to the Yangon airport for your flight to Mandalay. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel where you will check in. Your sightseeing will begin with a visit to the Mahamuni Pagoda (Mandalay’s most fabled pagoda built in 1784 by King Bodawpaya to house the Mahamuni Image). Then, you will visit the tapestry making home cottage, marble carving workshop, gold-leaf pounding workshop and the silk weaving factory. Afterwards, you will be taken to the Kyauktawgyi Pagoda, which has a large Buddha image carved out of a single block of marble, to the Shwenandaw Monastery (Golden Palace) noted for its exquisite woodcarvings, and to the Kuthodaw Pagoda known as the World's Biggest Book for its stone slabs of Buddhist scriptures. In the evening, enjoy the sunset from Mandalay Hill with the panoramic view of Mandalay below. Spend the night at your hotel in Mandalay.

Day – 04: Mandalay - Mingun - Sagaing sightseeing (by car and boat excursion)
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be transferred to a jetty to take a private boat along the Ayeyarwaddy River to visit Mingun, a village on the west bank of the river. You will visit to the Mingun Pahtotawgyi (a 162 ft. pagoda built by King Bodawpaya that was never finished, but if it were, it would have reached a height of some 500 ft.), the Mingun Bell (which is the world's biggest ringing bell) and the Myatheintan Pagoda (which is one of the prettiest pagodas in Myanmar built as a representation of the Buddhist plan of the cosmos). Then you will explore the surrounding village. In the afternoon, you will visit Mandalay Hill, which has panoramic view of Mandalay, and to Mandalay Palace, which was built to house King Mindon's family. You will then proceed to Sagaing Hill, which is widely regarded as the religious center of Myanmar and is home to 3,000 monks and 100 meditation centers. The landscape around Sagaing Hill is dotted with numerous white-painted pagodas and monasteries. You will finish your tour with a visit to Kaungmudaw Pagoda, the Soon U Ponya Shin Pagoda, the Pottery Making Village and the Silversmith Workshop. In the evening you will enjoy the sunset from Sagaing Hill before returning to Mandalay. Spend the night at your hotel in Mandalay.

Day – 05: Mandalay - Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo) - Mandalay ( by car )

After breakfast at your hotel, you will be driven for a day trip to Pyin Oo Lwin, formely known as "Maymyo" (May Town), which was used by British colonists as retreat from the searing heat of Mandalay. It is located one-and-a-half hours east of Mandalay in the foothills of the Shan Plateau. It still retains much of its quaintness with many Edwardian-style houses. You will visit the National Kandawgyi Park, the Chinese Temple, the impressive Pwe Kauk Water Fall and the Peik Chin Myaung Cave, which has many natural springs. You will be driven back to Mandalay the evening. Spend the night at your hotel in Mandalay.

Day – 06: Mandalay - Bagan ( by express boat and car )
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be transferred to a jetty for an express boat trip to Bagan. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel where you will have time to relax. Spend the night at your hotel in Bagan.

Day – 07: Bagan full day sightseeing ( by car )
After breakfast at your hotel, you will have a full day of sightseeing including a visit to the colorful Nyaung U Market, to the Shwezigon Pagoda (with its magnificent golden stupa), to the Htilominlo Temple (noted for its fine plaster carvings and glazed stone decoration) and to the Gubyaukgyi Temple (with its superb mural paintings of jataka scenes). Next, you will visit the Myinkaba Village where you will observe the Traditional Lacquer-ware Industry, which is one of Myanmar's best-known handicrafts. Your tour will continue to the Manuha Temple, erected over huge Buddha-images and to the Ananda Temple, an architectural masterpiece and an excellent example of an early-style Myanmar temple with four impressive standing Buddha images. Next, you will be taken to the Thabinnyu Temple, the highest temple in Bagan and, last but not least, to the Dhamayangyi Temple noted for its remarkable brickwork. Cap off a perfect day by enjoying the dramatic sunset from the terrace of Shwesandaw Pagoda. Spend the night at your hotel in Bagan.

Day – 08: Bagan - Heho - Inle lake ( by flight, car and boat )
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be transferred to the Bagan airport for your flight to Heho by air. Upon arrival, you will be driven to Inle Lake where you will take a boat excursion on the lake for sightseeing including a tour of a Blacksmith and a Silversmith Workshop, then, you will continue by boat to the floating islands, to the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda (where worshippers apply gold leaf to the Buddha), to the floating gardens, to see the unique one-legged rowers (who row with one leg, while standing on the other as they are fishing), to see the "traditional fishing method" and a silk weaving factory. At the end of the day, you will visit the Nga Phe Chaung Monastery, also called "jumping cats monastery" because trained cats stay there with the monks. Spend the night at your hotel on Inle Lake.

Day – 09: Inle Lake - Kalaw - Pindaya - Inle ( by car & boat)

After breakfast at your hotel, you will be driven to Kalaw, a mountain resort town in the Southern Shan State, for sightseeing. Then you will continue to Pindaya which is situated at 1,164 meters above sea level and which is famous for its extensive limestone caves set deep in the hillsides which are full of thousands of Buddha images made from alabaster, teak, marble, brick, lacquer and cement. These Buddha images have been placed there over the centuries and are arranged to form a labyrinth throughout the various cave chambers. You will visit the 15-meter high Shwe U Min Paya cave, which overlooks the picturesque Boutaloke Lake. Pindaya itself is a center for the Myanmar-speaking Taung-yo people. Local handicrafts in Pindaya include Shan paper and parasols made from mulberry bark. At the end of the day, you will be driven back to Inle Lake. Spend the night at your hotel on Inle Lake.

Day – 10: Inle - Taunggyi - Kakku - Taunggyi ( by car )
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be driven to Taunggyi, which is the capital of the Southern Shan State and is 1,430 meters above the sea level and surrounded by many pine trees. Due to its high altitude, it has a moderate climate. You will visit the colorful Taunggyi Market where you can see the local hill tribe people going about their daily lives shopping for fruits and vegetables and their regional products. You will then proceed to Kakku, a unique temple complex of more than 2,000 stupas that has been hidden for centures in the Pa-O heartland of Southern Shan State. Spend the night at your hotel in Taunggyi.

Day – 11: Taunggyi - Heho - Yangon (by flight and car)
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be driven to Taunggyi, which is the capital of the Southern Shan State and is 1,430 meters above the sea level and surrounded by many pine trees. Due to its high altitude, it has a moderate climate. You will visit the colorful Taunggyi Market where you can see the local hill tribe people going about their daily lives shopping for fruits and vegetables and their regional products. You will then proceed to Kakku, a unique temple complex of more than 2,000 stupas that has been hidden for centures in the Pa-O heartland of Southern Shan State. Spend the night at your hotel in Taunggyi.

Day – 12: Shopping and Departure ( by car )
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be taken to the Gems Mart and Handicrafts shops for morning shopping. You will also be taken to the Bogyoke Aung San Market (well known for gems & jewelry, arts & crafts, fabrics & fashions and local products) where you can buy you last-minute souvenirs. You will then be transferred to airport for your departure.

.......... End of tours & our services ..........

Excellence Tour

Tour Code: GAH - 011

Yangon – Bago - Mandalay – Sagaing – Mingun – Pyin Oo Lwin - Bagan – Kalaw – Pindaya – Inle lake – Taunggyi – Kakku - Yangon (12D / 11 N)

Golden Arrowhead Travels & Tours Co., Ltd.