TREASURES OF BURMA WITH PANDAW CRUISE

Upon arrival to the Mandalay international airport, you will be welcomed by your guide and transferred to hotel. Our journey begins with an afternoon tour through the see how bronze and marble Buddha statues are carved, cast and molded. Next, we proceed to the highlights of Mandalay: the sacred Mahamuni Pagoda, housing one of the most significant Buddha images in the country, covered in several tons of gold leaf and the crown prize in long past wars between competing Myanmar kingdoms; the Golden Palace Monastery, the only surviving Royal Palace building in Mandalay, offering a glimpse of the original style and architecture of the Myanmar royals; and lastly, the Kuthodaw Pagoda, a compound housing Buddha’s teachings carved in the sacred Pali script on stone slabs and regarded as the world’s largest book in terms of surface area. We end our day with sunset panoramic views over city skyline on Mandalay Hill, the highest point of the city.

After breakfast at the hotel, we discover the ancient kingdoms of Myanmar near Mandalay. First we drive 15km to Ava (Inwa), the ancient capital of the Shan and Burmese Kingdoms for over four centuries. We cross over the Myint Nge River by ferry and explore the small roads of Ava by horse cart. We visit the Bagaya Teak Monastery, over three hundred years old yet well preserved and still in use by local monks; the Nanmyin Watch Tower, the last standing structure of the Ava dynasty palace compound also known as the “Leaning Tower of Ava”; and the Maha Aungmye Bonzan Monastery building with its graceful curves and archways. We continue to the Ancient Kingdom of Sagaing, located across the mighty Ayeyarwaddy River. From the Sagaing Hills, we enjoy magnificent views overlooking the river and hill side covered with countless pagodas. Sagaing being one of the most important Buddhist centres in Myanmar we take the opportunity to visit a monastery or nunnery and learn about daily life to the devotees. After lunch, we continue drive to Sagaing Jetty to join the Pandaw Cruise.

Embark your ship at Sagaing at 16.00 followed by dinner.

Explore Yandabo village, famous for its production of terracotta pottery from the river bank clay.

This village is well-known as the place where the first Anglo-Burmese war ended by the peace treaty signed in 1826. Morning walking tour and a visit to a pottery workshop to see first-hand the production process. This is a hands-on experience which you are welcome to try. Visit the Pandaw supported Yandabo School (if no school holidays).

Moor overnight at Shwe Tan Tit village.

Explore Pakokku, experiencing the local market and town centre by Tuk Tuk. Sail to the Ayardaw charity clinic supported by Pandaw. Afternoon walk around the village. Pakkoku is a city of about 100,000 inhabitants located 30 km from Pagan. Main produce are tobacco, cotton, peanuts, Thanakha (traditional make-up and sun lotion) and textiles. Visit Pakokku’s main market by Tuk Tuk. Stop at a cheroot workshop and discover how traditional cheroot cigars are made. Moor overnight at Tant Chi village.

Drive up the winding road of the Tant-Chi-Taung mountain to visit the hill top stupa. On the way back, watch a traditional paper-mache elephant dance performed by the villagers from Tant-Chi. Sail to Salay, a small town which was once a bustling trading port, now a sleepy village filled with colonial architectural treasures and timeless teak monasteries. Walk from the ship to Yoke-Sone Kyaung, the best-known teak carved monastery in Burma, stopping at Salay House on return. Moor overnight at Salay.

Morning cruise upstream from Salay to Pagan. Disembark after lunch. After hotel check in, start visit of the gold gilded Swezigon Stupa, purported to contain a holy tooth relic of the Buddha. Not far from the stupa, the Myingaba Gu Byaukgyi Temple is a sight to behold, housing Bagan’s best preserved mural paintings of the Buddha’s Jataka re-incarnations. Next, we learn how Bagan’s famous lacquerware crafts are produced in Myingaba Village, and then visit Htilominlo Temple to learn how Burmese sand paintings are created. The day’s temple tour ends with a visit to the beautifully symmetric and majestic Ananda Temple with its four standing Buddha images that seem to gaze at the viewer with fixed serenity wherever the viewer stands. Please note that climbing to the top terraces of temples and stupas, famous as sunrise/sunset viewing spots, has been banned recently by local authorities. We will try our best to offer alternative locations and/or activities.

One of the best, if not the best way to see Bagan is exploring its hidden trails and tracks by e-bike. These battery-powered electric scooters are a fun and easy way to get around and experience “real Bagan” and the more off the beaten trails temples and local neighborhoods. Your guide will show you authentic Bagan life and some of the hidden gems that only locals know about. The ride is a mix of paved and dirt roads and will adapt to participants desires. We also have mountain bikes and horse carriages available for the exploration just let your guide know what is you preferred mode of transport! For those who are interested in Bagan’s famous lacquerware we can arrange a visit to Bagan’s oldest lacquer production centre.

Enjoy breakfast and then transfer to airport for your flight to Heho, a quiet transit town with one of the few airport links in the beautiful hills of Shan State. Visit the bustling main Heho Market, the meeting point for different ethnic minority groups of the surrounding areas to trade handmade goods and locally grown produce (on market days only). En-route to Inle Lake, we stop at a Local Family Work Shop to learn how Shan umbrellas and paper are made by traditional methods using the fibres of the mulberry tree. Next, we take a 1-hour drive to Inle Lake that descends through the valley with views of the Shan mountains and rice paddy fields.

Enjoy afternoon explorations of Inle Lake, populated with floating islands and gardens made from the naturally tangled roots of water hyacinth plants and reeds. Delight in the picturesque sights of fishermen who balance and row with one leg, a technique indigenous to the Inn Thar minority group who do this only on Inle Lake.

This morning we will head to Inle Lake’s famous 5-day market, a perfect place to pick a few souvernirs and some ingredients for our lunch. We will next head on an insightful excursion to Innthar minority village, who are the native residents of the lake. Small canal brings us to an Inn Thar village where our hosts will be waiting to take us on a little canoe ride to visit their floating farms and to show us around the village. See and try yourself Inn Thar fishing and rowing techniques and return to our hosts family house for a simple but tasty home cooked lunch. Soak-up the experience of dining in a family house and bid farewells to the host family.

We continue following the currents of a small river to reach the Inn Thein Pagoda Complex, a site that makes us feel as if we’ve stepped through a forgotten portal in time. To access the complex, we walk through verdant bamboo groves that open up to a field covered with the ancient pagodas constructed over 1,000 years ago.

Time permitting we can visit a weaving village to learn how local silks, linens and lotus fabrics are handmade and crafted.

Morning pick-up from your hotel and embark on a scenic 3 hour boat journey through lake and river scenery to the southern part of Inle Lake where the waterway gets narrower and canal like. It almost feels as if time has stood still here and the ethnic population of Pa-O, Innthar and Shan continue living simple and traditional way. Visit local lake side villages, mingle with the locals and observe how pottery, bamboo ware, weaving and fishing nets are made by hand. Visit the ancient pagoda Sagar / Samkar and near-by Tha Kong built in the 17th century in typical Shan style. Try the local firewater distilled from rice wine if you dare,On a market day when along our route we will certainly join the hill tribe and lake folks to see what’s on sale and the latest produce.

After lunch in Tha Kong we continue by boat to Phekone and one more hour by coach to Loikaw the capital of Kayah state. We will arrive to Loikaw in the afternoon. Time permitting, visit modest Kayah museum/ display near our hotel before a short drive to the major sight of the town, Taung Kwe Pagoda. Climb to the top of the karst outcrop for sunset. The view over the surrounding flatlands with distant mountain ranges in every direction is simply amazing.

After breakfast, we head out of town on a one hour car trip to Pan Pet villages home to remote communities of Kayan people. Some elder women here still adhere to the ancient custom of wearing brass coils around their necks and joints. On arrival in Pemasong village, we will be met by our local community guide. After a short welcome we will take a walk around around the villages – the community guide leads us along a nature trail, for approximately 2 hours, finally arriving at a beautiful viewpoint, with a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains, rice fields and 5 hamlets of Pan Pet. We continue to Salong Kana, one of the five hamlets of Pan Pet community, to visit traditional Kayan homes. We may see artisans making Kayan bracelets, weaving traditional textiles, carving wooden statues, weaving bamboo, or other handwork. Additional highlights of the trail include visiting the village’s Clan Monument and the Ker Kwang (a bird totem) where your local village local guide will explain about the village’s clans and ancestors. Guests can taste traditional Kayan rice wine on request (optional). The Artisans’ trail takes approximately 2.5 hours. On return way to Loikaw, time permitting we can visit another tribal village Thanilaleh of Kayah people located near 7-tier Lake.

Breakfast at your hotel. Free at leisure until transfer to Loikaw airport with a flight to Yangon.

Today we visit the quaint Yangon Old Quarter, built during the British colonial era. Many charming historical buildings are still located here. During our stroll through bustling Market Streets full of merchants and food stalls, we visit a local pharmacy and learn about Myanmar traditional medicine, stop for a tea and snack in the fashion of locals, and enjoy the sights and sounds of Yangon. Next visit Bogyoke (Scotts) Market, where hundreds of gemstone, handicrafts, art, clothes and food stores are tucked in a maze of color.

We complete the day with a visit to one of the world’s most spectacular monuments, the Shwedagon Pagoda, a gold covered bell dome structure that dominates the city’s skyline. Legends state that the sacred hairs of the Buddha are enshrined here. The Shwedagon is an iconic symbol of the country, a sight not to be missed.

For the experience of local transport and to escape Yangon morning traffic we transfer to Yangon railway station for a train ride to Bago. (luggage will travel with our coach)

During its heyday Bago (Pegu) was one of the great kingdoms in Southeast Asia ruled by lineage of Mon kings and a queen. Enjoy the sights and sounds and mingle with locals during the 2hr rail journey heading north from Yangon through rural farming region. The trains are old and facilities basic, but they are full of character and give an insight to local life and standards in Myanmar.

We will meet our driver in Bago and continue with a drive to Kin Pun base camp to change our mode of transport to an open truck. The ride is shared with local pilgrimage makers for the next 11km to Yathetaung base camp, from those who would like some physical challenge can hike up last 500 vertical meters to the summit ridge. Rest can take a ride all the way to the top.

The Golden Rock, or Kyaiktiyo as the Burmese call it, is a fascinating sacred boulder covered in gold leaf and balanced precariously on the edge of a cliff. Crowning the boulder is a small shrine believed to contain Buddha’s hair relics, the source of the gravity defying magic. A continual stream of pilgrims from Myanmar and Asia come to witness the wonder at least once in their life time. Enjoy the tranquil sunset, soak in the unique atmosphere and share in wonder with fellow monk, nun, and lay pilgrims.

Wake up early for lovely sunrise views and a quiet morning stroll. You will have some time to explore the trails and mingle with locals before we return back to our coach at Kin Pun basecamp and drive to Bago.
In Bago we visit a snake pagoda you’ll get to see how Buddhist pilgrims donate money to a giant python believed to be a reincarnated spiritual leader. We will take bicycle taxi “trishaw” ride to explore local neighborhoods where very few visitors go. It is further 80km/ 2hrs drive to Yangon. We will make important stop at a spirit tree where new and old cars get blessings for safe passage. Another short visit recommended is at Thaukkyan war cemetery, the final rest place of 6000 allied troops who perished during WWII battles against the Japanese. We will arrive to Yangon international airport early evening for your departure flight from Myanmar.