Best Interest Cultural & Trekking Tours

Tour Code: GAH – 018

Yangon – Mandalay – Bagan – Kanpetlet – Mt.Victoria (Trekking) – Mindut – Bagan – Mt.Popa –
Kalaw to Inle lake (Trekking) – Sagar Inn – Heho – Yangon (16D /15 N)

Brief 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 – Mandalay (by flight & car)
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be driven 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 – 03: Mandalay – Bagan (by express boat & car)
After an early morning breakfast at your hotel, you will be transferred to a jetty to take a whole-day express boat trip to Bagan. While onboard, you will observe the boat traffic and many bustling activities on the mighty Ayeyarwaddy River. The boat will arrive in Bagan in late afternoon (Bagan was the first and most beautiful capital of the Burma, founded in the eleventh century by King Anawrahta. Along with Angkor in Cambodia, this is the most important temple and pagoda complex in Asia). Upon your arrival in Bagan, you will be transferred to your hotel. Spend the night at your hotel in Bagan.

Day – 04: Bagan full day sightseeing (by car)
After an early morning 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. 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 – 05: Bagan full day sightseeing (by car)
After breakfast at your hotel, you will visit to the Thabinnyu Temple, the highest temple in Bagan and the Dhamayangyi Temple noted for its remarkable brickwork. Afterwards, you will visit the caves of Kyansittha Umin (the oldest murals in Myanmar, showing the Mongolian invasion under Kubilai Khan) and the Manuha Temple, with four impressive standing Buddha images. Then, adjacent to the Manuha Temple, you will enjoy the elaborate Hindu stone engravings at the Nanpaya Temple, literally means "palace temple". It is a Hindu temple built of mud, mortar, stone, and brick by Mon King Manuha (and used as his residence). Next, you will proceed south of Bagan to to see the beautiful Abeyadana Temple, which was built between 1102-1103 and which has a great sitting Buddha and magnificent paintings adorning it. 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 the Mahazadi Temple. Spend the night at your hotel in Bagan.

Day – 06: Bagan – Kanpetlet
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be driven to Kanpetlet (in 4-wheel drive jeep or Land Rover) for at an approximate 7-hour drive. You will be provided with a box lunch. You will arrive in Kanpetlet in the early evening. You will have dinner and will spend the night at Chin Hill Village Resort in Kanpetlet (please note that the resort’s facilities are rather basic including bungalow-style rooms with an attached bathroom, and hot water brought in a bucket for bathing). The resort located on Mt. Victoria about far to the summit.

Day – 07: Trekking to the Mt.Victoria
After breakfast at the resort, you will do some a light trekking (for about 45 minutes) up to summit of Mt. Victoria (which is at an elevation 2,000 ft. higher than the resort). After spending some time at the summit taking photos, you will return to resort for lunch. After lunch, you will pay a visit some of the 4 nearby Chin villages (such as Oak Hpo). The "Chin" comprise the aboriginal tribes of the local hill districts, inhabiting that part of northwestern Myanmar. They are one of Myanmar's Ethnic Minorities. You may see that some of the Chin women completely cover their faces with tattoos in tasteful designs. The ritual is voluntary and, because the practice is dying out, fewer younger women are seen with tattooed faces. You will have the opportunity to view the lifestyle of these fascinating hill tribes and to get some great photos. You will return to the Chin Hill Village Resort where you will have dinner and spend the night.

Day – 08: Kanpetlet – Kyardo – Mindut excursion
After breakfast at the resort, you will do some a difficult trekking (a semi-hike up to the Kyardo Village). Then, you will be driven 1-1/2 hrs by car, where the car will let you off on the side of the road so that you can walk down to the village (which takes about 45 minutes). You will be provided with a box lunch. You will see more tattooed-faced tribes women and some typical Chin Village houses (decorated with animal skulls and bones). Later, you will return to the car (for about one hour of hiking). Then, you will proceed to Mindut, to see more varieties of tattooed faced tribe women and more traditional Chin houses. At the end of the day, you will be driven to the Chin Hill Village Resort where you will have dinner and spend the night.

Day – 09: Mindut – Bagan
After breakfast at the Victoria Guest House, you will be driven back to Bagan. You will be provided with a box lunch to eat along the way. You will arrive in Bagan in early evening and be transfrerred to your hotel. Spend the night at your hotel in Bagan.

Day – 10: Bagan – Mt.Popa – Kalaw
After breakfast at your hotel, you will depart for Kalaw, a mountain resort town in the Southern Shan State. On the way, you will visit 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. It is to be considered the residence of Myanmar's most powerful nats (spirits), so it is the most important nat worship center. Many pilgrims visit Mt. Popa every year, especially at festival season. You will climb to the summit of Mt. Popa to see the magnificent panoramic view. Afterwards you will continue to Kalaw. Spend the night at your hotel in Kalaw.

Day – 11: Kalaw (Trekking)


After breakfast at your hotel, you will do some trekking to some of the surrounding tribal villages including: the Kalaw-Lu Pyin Village, the Shar Pin Village, the Pa O Village and the Pan Lone Nant Thale Village (where you will visit the Pan Lone Pagoda). You will have dinner and spend the night at the Nant Thale Monastery.

Day – 12: Nant Thale – Htee Tain (Trekking)

After breakfast at the Nant Thale Monastery, your trekking will continue to the Htun Gone Village, the Kan Hla Gone Village, the Pauk Tu Village and the Htee Tain Village. You will have dinner and spend the night at the Htee Tain Monastery.

Day – 13: Htee Tain (Trekking) – Inle
After breakfast at the Htee Tain Monastery, your trekking will continue to the Kyauk Su Village, the Ngoak Village and the Ngoak Thann Taung Village. Then, you will trek from the Thann Taung jetty to the Khaung Daing Village (located at Inle). You will then be transferred to your hotel buy boat. Spend the night at your hotel on Inle Lake.

Day – 14: Inle Lake sighteeing (by boat)
After breakfast at your hotel, your sightseeing will begin 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 – 15: Inle-Sagar Inn excursion. (by boat)
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be taken on a motorized boat excursion to Sagar Inn. Sagar Inn is relatively unknown and mysterious village located on the banks of Belu Chaung. In the old days when Sawbwa, or princes ruled the territory, Sagar Inn was a principality with its own prince. Now all that is left of Sagar Inn are ancient pagodas and monasteries, and the town is now a village hidden away from the world and almost forgotten. Nowadays, the local people who inhabit the area are Pa O, as hard working as they are good-hearted. The route to Sagar is a journey of enchantment with the boat weaving through waters of Inlay, south, beyond Taung-to Village with its old pagodas and some tribal villages. You will arrive in Sagar and Thakong via Nampan) at around 11:00 AM. Some highlights of the trip include: Kyaing Kan Village where they weave monk's robes from fibers pulled from the lotus stems (a magical process not known anywhere else in the world) and the village of Kyauk Taing, where it is best to stop on a market day which is a gathering place for the locals. They are arrayed in their colorful costumes and draped with beads, chains and coins. At the market, one can buy the simple wares and sample their delicious local food. You will spend the afternoon by cruising down from Inle Lake past the beautiful landscapes, flowering trees and settlements dotted on both sides of the lake. In the late afternoon, you will return by boat to your hotel. Spend the night at your hotel on Inle Lake.

Day – 16: Inle – Heho – Yangon (departure)
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be transferred to the Heho airport for your flight back to Yangon. Upon arrival, you will have time for shopping 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 Yangon International Airport for departure from Myanmar.

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