Best Interest Cultural, Beach & Trekking Tours

Tour Code: GAH - 015

Yangon – Bagan – Mt.Popa - Mandalay – Amarapura – Mingun - Sagaing – Inwa - Pyin Oo Lwin – Heho – Pindaya – Inle lake – Indein – Thandwe – Ngapali Beach - Yangon (15D / 14 N)

Brief Itinerary

Day 01. Yangon arrival & sightseeing. O/N Yangon. (by car) Day 02. Fly to Bagan & S/S. O/N Bagan. (by flight & car) Day 03. Bagan – Mt.Popa – Bagan S/S. O/N Bagan. (by car) Day 04. Fly to Mandalay. Amarapura – Mandalay S/S. O/N Mandalay. (by flight & car) Day 05. Mandalay – Mingun – Sagaing – Inwa S/S. O/N Mandalay. (by boat & car) Day 06. Mandalay – Pyin Oo Lwin – Mandalay S/S. O/N Mandalay. (by car) Day 07. Fly to Heho and drive to Pindaya S/S. O/N Pindaya. (by flight & car) Day 08. Pindaya – Inle lake S/S . O/N Inle lake. (by car & boat) Day 09. Boat trip to Indein S/S and p.m. fly to Thandwe. Proceed to Ngapali Beach & overnight. (by boat, flight & car) Day 10. Free for leisure at Ngapali Beach.O/N Ngapali Beach. (-------) Day 11. Free for leisure at Ngapali Beach. O/N Ngapali Beach (-------) Day 12. Transfer to Thandwe airport and fly back to Yangon. O/N Yangon. (by flight & car) Day 13. Yangon - Bago – Kyaikhtiyo S/S. O/N Kyaikhtiyo. (by car) Day 14. Drive back to Yangon and on the way visit to Bago S/S. O/N Yangon. (by car) Day 15. Shopping & departure. (by car)

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 – Bagan (by flight & car)
After an early morning breakfast at your hotel, you will be driven to the Yangon airport for your flight to Bagan. You will be transferred to your hotel to check in. You will then 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 – 03: Bagan – Mt. Popa – Bagan (by car)
After breakfast at your hotel, you will take a stroll through the market place of Nyaung U to get a glimpse of the lifestyle of the local people there. Then you will be driven through the sun-parched plains dotted with Palmyra palms to the Mountain of Deities, Mt. Popa, which is an extinct 5,000 ft. high volcano covered with a forest. The name “Popa” is believed to have derived from a pali word meaning “flower”, so Mt. Popa literally means a mountain of flowers. There you will climb the huge volcanic rock on a staircase to see shrines for nats (celestial spirits of Burmese mythology) and the small temples built in honor of Buddha. Many pilgrims visit Mt. Popa every year, especially at festival season. It will take you about 20 minutes to reach the summit of Mount Popa where you will have a panoramic view of the landscape below. After lunch, you will be driven back to Bagan and will proceed to Lawkananda Pagoda, which was built in 1059 by King Anawrahta on the banks of the Ayeyarwaddy River. The pagoda is one of the four sacred Tooth Relic Pagodas in Myanmar (containing a replica of Buddha’s tooth). Lawkananda’s elongated, cylindrical golden dome is a distinctive landmark of Ayeyarwaddy-fishermen. You will end the day by viewing the dramatic sunset over Bagan from a pagoda. Spend the night at your hotel in Bagan.

Day – 04: Bagan – Mandalay - Amarapura – Mandalay (by flight & car)
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be driven to Amarapura, an ancient capital of Myanmar, which was founded in the 18th century. You will visit the Mahagandayon Monastery to observe the daily lives of the Buddhist monks who live there. Next, you will visit U Bein Bridge (a teak bridge, which is the longest wooden bridge in the world) and the Bagaya Monastery with its famous collection of Buddhist images. You will then take a lunch break at a local restaurant. After lunch, you will be driven to the Mahamuni Pagoda (Mandalay’s most fabled pagoda built in 1784 by King Bodawpaya to house the Mahamuni Image) and, then, you will visit the tapestry making home cottage, marble carving workshop, gold-leaf pounding workshop and the silk weaving factory. Next, 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 – 05: Mandalay – Mingun – Sagaing – Inwa (by boat & car)

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. You will 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 then visit the Kaungmudaw Pagoda, the Soon U Ponya Shin Pagoda and the Pottery Making Village and the Silversmith Workshop. You will proceed to Inwa, another ancient capital, known as the kingdom of Inwa during the Second Myanmar Empire. It is a small town south of Amarapura. The sites that you will see in Inwa include: the Nan Myint Watch Tower, the Maha Aungmyae Bonzan Monestery, the Bagaya Monestery and the Inwa Bridge spanning the Ayeyarwaddy River. Late in the day, you will be driven back to Mandalay. Spend the night at your hotel in Mandalay.

Day – 06: Mandalay – Pyin Oo Lwin – 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 – 07: Mandalay – Heho – Pindaya (by flight & car)
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be transferred to the Mandalay airport for your flight to Heho. Upon arrival, you will be driven 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. Spend the night at your hotel in Pindaya.

Day – 08: Pindaya – Inle lake sightseeing (by car & boat)
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be driven to Inle Lake for sightseeing beginning with a boat excursion on the lake 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 - Indein – Heho – Thandwe – Ngapali (by boat, car & flight)
After breakfast at your hotel, you will visit the town of Indein where you will take a stroll through its market to get a glimpse of the lifestyle of its local people. In Indein, you will see the Paya Pauk Pagoda, which is part of a huge area of 1,054 Shan-style pagodas built 2,000 years ago. You will also stop at the Zakah Village, one of the floating villages on Inle Lake, and a good place to take pictures. In the afternoon, you will be transferred to the Heho airport for your flight to Thandwe. Upon arrival, you will be driven to Ngapali Beach. Spend the night at your hotel in Ngapali Beach.

Day – 10: Ngapali Beach
Spend the day on Ngapali Beach at leisure, relaxing and enjoying the beauty of your surroundings. Spend the night in your hotel in Ngapali Beach.

Day – 11: Ngapali Beach
Spend a second day on Ngapali Beach at leisure, relaxing and enjoying the beauty of your surroundings. Spend the night in your hotel in Ngapali Beach.

Day – 12: Ngapali – Thandwe _ Yangon (by flight & car)
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be driven to the Thandwe airport for your flight back to Yangon. Upon arrival in Yangon, you will be transferred to your hotel. Spend the night in your hotel in Yangon.

Day – 13: Yangon – Bago – Kyaikthiyo (by car)
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be driven to the delta and over the Sittang River to Kyaikhtiyo (Golden Rock). Upon your arrival in Bago, 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 Shwemawdaw Pagoda, 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. It is located high in the forested mountains above the Mon capital, Mawlamyaing. The Golden Rock Pagoda 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. Spend the night at your hotel in Kyaikhtiyo.

Day – 14: Kyaikhtiyo (Golden Rock) – Bago – Yangon (by car)
After breakfast at hotel, you will be driven back to Yangon. On the way, you will do some sightseeing of the most important sights of Bago (the old capital of the Mon people), including: the Shwemawdaw Pagoda, which is the tallest pagoda in Myanmar rising 114 meters high, and the Shwethalyaung Pagoda, which is the world's most beautiful reclining Buddha. Then, you will stop at the Kyaikpun Pagoda, also known as the “Four Faces” pagoda with its four sitting Buddha images, facing the cardinal directions. In the late afternoon, you will be driven back to Yangon. Spend the night at your hotel in Yangon.

Day – 15: Yangon 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.

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