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• Adventure 1
 Myanmar Overland 18 Days / 17 Nights
Drive from Yangon to Bago, the ancient
capital of the Mon Kings from the 14th
through the 16th century, continue to
Taungoo, the starting point to visit one of
the Elephant Camps towards the Bago mountain
ranges and further to Kalaw, a former
British colonial town. After a day on Inle
Lake, famous for its unique one-leg rowers,
typical floating gardens, local methods of
fishing and village life, drive via Pindaya,
a charming village with its paper umbrella
cottage industry, to Mandalay, the city of
the last Myanmar King’s. From Mandalay via
Mt. Popa, home to Myanmar's most powerful "
nats ", to Bagan where thousands of decaying
pagodas rises majestically from the plain to
create a timeless scene, saluting a glorious
past. A whole day drive will bring you to
Pyay the ancient capital of Pyu Dynasty
Sriksetra, where you can find some of the
oldest pagodas in Myanmar and back to
Yangon, "The Garden City of the East" with
the Shwedagon Pagoda, the most significant
pagoda and the pride of Myanmar.
18 Days Myanmar Itinerary
YANGON – BAGO – TAUNGOO – ELEPHANT CAMP –
TAUNGOO – KALAW – NYAUNG SHWE – INLE LAKE –
NYAUNG SHWE – PINDAYA – MANDALAY – MINGUN –
MANDALAY – AMARAPURA – SAGAING – MANDALAY -
BAGAN – PYAY – YANGON
Day 01 - Yangon /
arrival day : Upon arrival at Yangon
International Airport welcome by our local
tour guide and transfer to your hotel for
check-in. In the afternoon drive to Mawtin
Jetty and take a rickshaws for a short trip
along the Yangon River, enjoy “High Tea” at
the Strand Hotel built in 1896, once
described as the "leading hotel of the East"
and proceed to Botataung Pagoda, where
sacred hair relic of Lord Buddha is
enshrined in it. Overnight in Yangon.
Day 02 - Yangon / Bago
: After breakfast drive to Bago. En
route stop at the Shwenyaungpin Nat Shrine
to ask for a safe journey, visit the Allied
World soldiers cemetery and Kyaikpun Phaya
with four sitting Buddha images. In Bago Ss
includes the interesting Bago Market with
varieties of vegetables, flower and
commodity goods, the Shwethalyaung Pagoda
(Reclining Buddha), visit nearby Monastic
Education Center, and the Mon village, with
its array of Cotton weavers. Then to the 16
century Palace excavation and reconstruction
site and visit the small, but excellent
museum, the Shwemawdaw Pagoda and walk from
there to the Hintha Gon Pagoda, the place
where Bago was founded and bring some
flowers to the Royal Mother of Bago.
Overnight in Bago
 Day - 03 Bago /
Taungoo : After breakfast drive to
Taungoo (appr. 5 hours), 175 miles from
Yangon. En route stop at some villages to
study the daily life of the people in the
rural area. Upon arrival in Taungoo transfer
to Myanmar Beauty Guest House for check-in.
Rest of the day free at your own leisure.
Overnight at Myanmar Beauty Guest House.
Day 04 - Taungoo /
Elephant Camp / Taungoo : Taungoo is
also a good starting point to visit one of
the Elephant Camps towards the Bago Yoma,
which means Bago mountain ranges. It is the
home of the best teak, and the topography of
Bago Yoma is a place of genuine beauty.
Depart from Taungoo at 05:30 and drive for
appr. 2-3 hours to one of the Elephant camps
and learn how Elephants are working for the
logging process (at the real Elephant
working site). Have lunch at the jungle and
come back to Yangon in the afternoon.
Overnight at Myanmar Beauty Guest House.
Day 05 - Taungoo /
Kalaw : Early morning drive to Kalaw
(appr. 8 hours drive), a former British
colonial town. Kalaw, another hill station
as well as peaceful summer resort nestled in
pine-clad mountains, is 1,400 meters above
sea-level. It is located 70 km west of
Taunggyi. Many of the Tudor-style houses and
English gardens of colonial days remain. In
the neighborhood lie villages of Palaung and
other hill tribes who come to Kalaw market
held every five days in their colorful
costumes, adding to the quiet attraction of
Kalaw. Overnight in Kalaw.
Day 06 - Kalaw (1/2
day trekking trip) – Nyaung Shwe – Inle Lake
: After breakfast visit the market
and downtown area. Then drive for 15 minutes
to the north-west and stop at the junction
A. From here take the footpath to the right.
The road and trail goes through beautiful
scenery. After 1˝ hrs you arrive Pane Hne
Pin, a Palaung Tribal Village with a
population of 600 people. These people make
their living from agriculture and
occasionally from hunting, and live in long
houses, with 4-5 families sharing the single
storied structures. From Pane Hne Pin you
have to walk for 2 hours to reach junction B
from where the car will bring you back to
Kalaw (appr. ˝ hr drive). In the afternoon
drive to Nyaung Shwe (appr. 2 hours), a
small town at the northern end of Inle Lake.
From here take a boat for the transfer to
your hotel, for check-in and overnight.
 Day 07 - Inle Lake :
Full day excursion on Inle Lake (25 km)
famous for its unique one-leg rowers,
typical floating gardens, local methods of
fishing and village life and the Phaung Daw
Oo Pagoda housing five sacred and almost
shapeless Buddha images, contorted because
of the quantity of applied gold leaf, gifts
from the believers. The Buddha images are
purported to have come here in the 12th
Century. In the afternoon excursion to
Indein (appr. 1 hour drive) to see the
ancient Bagan + Shan style pagodas, built
during Bagan Period, passing the beautiful
scenery with tall grasses and little water
steps. The ruin pagodas, hide in the bushes
will give you an impression of you were in
the 12th - 13th Centuries ago. Overnight at
Inle Lake.
Day 08 - Inle Lake /
Nyaung Shwe / Pindaya : After
breakfast drive to Pindaya (appr. 3 ˝
hours), a charming village with its paper
umbrella cottage industry. In the afternoon
visit the Pindaya cave, famous for its
thousands of Buddha images and the paper
umbrella cottage industry. Overnight in
Pindaya.
Day 09 - Pindaya –
Mandalay / After breakfast drive to
Mandalay (appr. 6 hours), the city of the
last Myanmar Kings. In the afternoon visit
gold leaf making industry, Mahamuni Pagoda,
originally built by King Bodawpaya in 1784,
hosting the revered Mahamuni image, cast in
the 1st Century and now covered in thick
gold leaves and arts and crafts center
(bronze casting; stone carving, etc.).
Overnight in Mandalay.
Day 10 - Mandalay /
Mingun / Mandalay : After breakfast
drive to Kywezon jetty to watch the busy
riverside activity and take a local
riverboat to the ancient capital of Mingun (appr.
1 hour per way). Visit the Settawya Pagoda,
with a footprint of the Buddha, walk to the
huge Mingun Bell, see the nearby unfinished
Mingun Pagoda, built to be the world’s
biggest pagoda and visit the Hsinbyume
Pagoda, a reproduction of the mythological
Mt. Meru. Then come back to Mandalay. In the
afternoon visit the Shwenandaw Monastery,
noted for its exquisite wood carvings,
Atumashi Monastery, the "Incomparable
Monastery", the Kuthodaw Pagoda, known as
the world's Biggest Book for its stone slabs
of Buddhist scriptures and sunset on
Mandalay Hill, a vantage-point for panoramic
view of the city. Overnight in Mandalay.
Day 11 - Mandalay /
Amarapura / Sagaing / Mandalay :
After breakfast drive to Amarapura the “City
of Immortals” and visit the 150 year old
Mahagandayon monastery, and famous Buddhist
learning center. It is home to a thousand
monks, who will form a procession as they go
to take their noon and final meal of the
day. Apart from Pagodas that have survived,
the ancient art of silk and cotton weaving,
using handlooms, is very much alive and
visit U Bein wooden bridge, over 150 years
old, which is still in use. After lunch
drive over Ava bridge to Sagaing, 21 km
southwest of Mandalay and visit the Sagaing
Hills, a retreat for Buddhist devotees with
numerous Pagodas, monasteries and nunneries.
Visit the village of Sagaing, at the foot of
Sagaing Hill with markets, shops and
restaurants; one of the monasteries on the
hillside; the Tilawkaguru cave temple, with
mural paintings; Umin Thounzeh caves,
containing 45 Buddha images and Soon U Ponya
Shin Pagoda built in 1312. The view of
Sagaing from here is outstanding. Late
afternoon come back to Mandalay. Overnight
in Mandalay.
Day 12 - Mandalay /
Mt.Popa / Bagan : Early morning drive
to Mt. Popa (appr. 6 hrs drive). Visit the
great extinct volcano. Rising out of the
shimmering heat, the solitary volcanic crag
of Mt. Popa is home to Myanmar's most
powerful " nats ". Visit the Nat Museum with
its life-sized statues of the 37 Nat Gods.
Walk up the steps to the stupas and shrines
that top the hill above the museum, seeing
many pilgrims along the way. In the
afternoon continue to Bagan. On the way
visit some villages and watch the collection
of juice from the palm trees, and its
conversion into palm sugar. Upon arrival in
Bagan transfer to your hotel for check-in
and overnight.
 Day 13 - Bagan :
Full day sightseeing tour of Bagan with a
diverse selection of the most important
pagodas and temples, such as Shwezigon
Pagoda, built by King Anawrahta in the early
11th century as a religious shrine; the Gu
Byauk Gyi Temple, a temple with exquisite
murals of Jataka scenes; the Ananda Temple,
with four huge standing Buddha images and
numerous seated figures in niches around the
galleried interior and the Shwe Gu Gyi
Temple, noted for its fine stucco carvings
and panoramic views of the area’s many
monuments. In the afternoon visit Myinkaba,
two km south of Bagan. This village is well
known for its lacquerware workshops and has
also a number of interesting temples, as
Nanphaya Temple, said to have once been the
residence of King Manuha and Gu Byauk Gyi
Temple, which has very nice frescoes inside.
Overnight in Bagan.
Day 14 - Bagan / Pyay
: Whole day drive to Pyay (appr. 9
hours drive), also called PROME (the former
name was Sri Ksetra) located on the steep
bank of Ayeyarwaddy River. Upon arrival
transfer to your hotel for check-in and
overnight.
Day 15 - Pyay :
In the morning, visit to Pyay market, where
you can find the local products. Then drive
to Htone Bo (appr. 2 hrs.). From there, take
a boat trip along the Ayeyarwaddy River to
visit 'Akout Taung' (the hill of levying
taxes), named after the tradition of the
collection of taxes to the boat passing
through the hill during the colonial times.
There you can find the sculpture of many
Buddha images along the cliff of the
mountainside. Near by are a waterfall and a
monastery. In the afternoon drive back to
Pyay and visit the Shwe San Daw Pagoda in
the centre of Pyay (a hair relic Pagoda, a
combination of Myanmar and Mon architecture)
and the night market. Overnight in Pyay.
Day 16 - Pyay – Yangon
: Early morning visit the ancient
capital of Pyu Dynasty Sriksetra, where you
can find some of the oldest pagodas in
Myanmar and a small museum which shows the
cultural and architectural development of
Pyu people during that time. Then drive to
Shwedaung, a small town appr.15 minutes and
visit the Buddha with the Golden Spectacles
which is our logo. From here drive to Yangon
(appr. 5 hours). Overnight in Yangon.
Day 17 - Yangon :
Early morning take the City Circle Train for
a 2 ˝ hours ride through rural areas,
stopping at numerous stations watching
cigarette sellers, betelnut sellers, fortune
tellers and and and…. Then visit the Dragon
glass factory, producing exquisite
hand-blown glasses and the Mae La Mu Pagoda,
popular for all of its Buddha images, and a
much more "folk oriented" feeling than other
Pagodas. Tourists rarely visit it. Afternoon
sightseeing starts with Chaukhtatkyi Pagoda
(a huge reclining Buddha), Karaweik Hall, a
Royal floating barge on the Royal Lake for a
photo stop and late in the afternoon, visit
the Shwedagon Pagoda described by Somerset
Maugham: "The Shwedagon rose superb,
glistening with its gold, like a sudden hope
in the dark night of the soul of which the
mystics write, glistening against the fog
and smoke of the thriving city." This
massive bell-shaped stupa rises nearly 100
meters above its hill-top surroundings.
Wander through this magnificent structure
and its courtyards, stupas, bells, Temples,
and Buddha images, and see religious and
secular visitors from all parts of the
globe. Shwedagon has become the symbol of
Myanmar. Enjoy the sunset over the Pagoda.
Overnight in Yangon.
Day 18 - Yangon /
Departure Day : After breakfast
continue sightseeing of Yangon: Sule Pagoda
, dating back over 2000 years, the
Mahabandoola Park with it's Independence
Monument and walk around the downtown area
and the sprawling Bogyoke Market. Wide
streets, orderly town planning and neglected
public buildings revive visions of British
rule, while busy streets scenes and
shimmering pagodas, bursting through a leafy
canopy, hint at the rich local culture.
Skyscrapers and glaring neon billboards have
yet to overtake the capital. Afternoon free
at your own leisure, till transfer to Yangon
International Airport for your departure
flight.
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