Day 1: Arrive Yangon

Upon arrival at Yangon International Airport proceed to your hotel for check-in. Dinner will be arranged in the evening for your first night in Myanmar.

Day 2: Yangon

Kick start your Myanmar tour with a journey through the colonial-style city centre of Yangon. Visit the golden Sule Paya stupa, built over 2000 years ago, visit the Chauk That Gyi pagoda, to see its magnificent reclining Buddha, and Karaweik Hall to marvel at the uniquely decorated hamsa-bird-shaped floating barge on Kandawgyi Lake. Take a trip to Bogyoke Market before finishing up the day at one of the world’s most spectacular monuments, the Shwedagon Pagoda. The 2000 year old gold structure dominates the city’s skyline and is a site not to be missed.

Day 3: Yangon / Bagan

After breakfast, transfer to Yangon airport for a domestic flight to the Ancient Kingdom of Bagan, an absolute highlight of this Myanmar tour. Visit the Nyaung U Market before starting the temple tour of this beautiful area. Begin at the gold gilded Swezigon stupa, claimed to contain a holy tooth relic of Buddha, continue to Kyansitha Umin, and Gubyaukgyi, an Indian-style ‘cave temple’. You will also visit Htilominlo, Dhamayangyi, Sulamany and Manuha Temples, before finishing the tour at the beautifully symmetric Ananda Temple. For sunset, take a horse cart ride around this ancient city for unparalleled photo opportunities at one of the richest archaeological treasures of Southeast Asia.

Day 4: Today will be spent at your leisure to further explore the stunning ancient temples of Bagan.

Day 5: Bagan / Popa / Bagan

After breakfast, a 90-minute drive takes you to Mount Popa, a Burmese spiritual epicentre. Pay respects to the Nat Shrine at the foot of Mount Popa before climbing 800 steps to the pagoda atop the mountain where you can admire the views of the surrounding plains and farm lands. In the afternoon, visit a family-run Toddy Shop to observe the process of making the caramel-like toddy candies from the sap of the toddy palms before heading back to Bagan.

Day 6: Bagan / Mandalay

After breakfast, transfer to Nyaung U airport for a domestic flight to Mandalay. Experience authentic local life as you stroll through the lively Zegyo Market in the heart of the city. Continue on to the Artisan Quarters, to see craftsmanship dating back to the last Kingdom of Myanmar. Next, visit the major highlights of Mandalay; the sacred Mahamuni Pagoda, housing one of the most significant Buddha images; the Golden Palace Monastery, the only surviving Royal Palace building in Mandalay; and lastly, the Kuthodaw Pagoda, a compound housing Buddha’s teachings carved into stone tables. End this fascinating day with panoramic views of the city’s skyline as you watch sunset on Mandalay Hill.

Day 7: Mandalay / Amarapura / Ava / Sagaing / Mandalay

After breakfast, travel to Amarapura to visit Mahagandayon Monastery, where more than a thousand monks live and study. Continue to the 200-year-old U Bein teak bridge, before visiting a traditional hand-woven silk workshop, for which the city is famous, and Bagaya Monastery to see it’s superb collection of Buddha statues. Continue travelling to Ava (Inwa), the ancient capital of Shan and Burmese Kingdoms. Exploring the city of Ava by horse cart, you will visit the Bagaya Teak Monastery, over 300 years old and still in use by local monks; the Nanmyin Watch Tower, also known as the ‘Leaning Tower of Ava’; and the Maha Aungmye Bonzan Monastery, a 300-year-old architectural wonder. Our final stop on this day is at the Ancient Kingdom of Sagaing, located across the mighty Ayeyarwaddy River. From the Sagaing Hills, enjoy views of the hillside dotted with countless pagodas and pay a special visit to a monastery to learn about the life of Buddhist devotees for sunset. Transfer back to Mandalay.

Day 8: Mandalay / Heho / Kalaw

After breakfast, transfer to Mandalay airport for a domestic flight to Heho. Visit the bustling Heho Market, the meeting point for different ethnic minority groups of the surrounding areas to trade handmade goods and locally grown produce. On the way to Kalaw, stop at a Local Family Workshop to learn how Shan umbrellas are made using traditional methods and fibres from the mulberry tree. After arriving in Kalaw and checking into the hotel, you can spend the afternoon relaxing in the fresh mountain air or, if you’re looking for something a little more adventurous, try hiking around Kalaw’s beautiful forest vistas (local guides can adjust the duration and difficulty of the hikes to meet your wishes).

Day 9: Kalaw / Pindaya / Inle Lake

After breakfast, embark on a morning walk to the Kalaw Market, join in the ubiquitous tea culture of the Burmese people at a local tea shop, and sample local pastry delicacies. After driving for 1.5-hours across the Shan highlands you will reach the Pindaya Caves, unique for housing thousands of Buddha images and stalactite formations. Another 2.5-hour drive will bring you to the beautiful Inle Lake, where you will see floating islands and gardens made from the naturally tangled roots of water hyacinth plants, fishermen who balance and row with one leg; a technique used only by the Inn Thar minority group on Inle Lake, and beautiful scenery all around the lake itself.

Day 10: Inle Lake

After breakfast, visit the Phaungdaw Oo Pagoda, home to some of the country’s most sacred Buddha statues. Next, a visit to Inpawkhon Weaving Village, to learn how local silks, linens and lotus fabrics are made. As an extra treat, you will stop at a house built over the lake for Burmese Cats to see the preservation efforts and reintroduction of this rare pure breed of felines to Myanmar. The final stop is at Nampan Village, where local craftsmen will show you how Burmese cigars are traditionally packed and rolled.

Day 11: Inle Lake / Inn Thein / Yangon

For the last full day of your Myanmar tour, you will take a boat journey down a small river to reach the Inn Thein Pagoda Complex, a site which will make you feel as though you’ve stepped through a forgotten portal in time. To access the complex, you’ll walk through lush bamboo groves that open up to a field covered with ancient pagodas, constructed over 1,000 years ago. In the evening, transfer to Nyaung Shwe by boat, before driving to Heho airport for a domestic flight to Yangon.

Day 12: Depart Yangon

After breakfast, transfer to Yangon airport for your international departure flight.