Best Ever Myanmar Tour to Yangon – Inle Lake – Bagan – Mandalay – 9 Days

Day 1: Arrive Yangon, night street food walking tour

On arrival, you will welcome by local guide and will take you to the hotel.

Relaxing afternoon at hotel (hotel check in time 2:00 PM)

In the evening, we will start for Night Street Food Walking Tour taking by our local guide. From your hotel, the guide will pick up and we will walk through to some colonial building to the night market where located in Harbor area where you will taste many different kinds of local food at nigh time. Browse the variety of stalls filled with skewers ready to be grilled, and enjoy the bustling atmosphere of the neighborhood.

With your guide, sit down at a vendor for a cold beer or soft drink, and check out the barbecue items that your guide picks out for you or suggests from the array of meat and vegetable offerings. You can also try seafood.  When your food arrives at your plastic table, indulge in your meal while talking about Yangon with your guide. Your tour ends with a walk to the fruit vendors for dessert before returning to the hotel. Overnight at hotel in Yangon.

Day 2: Yangon free day (B/-/-)

You will be free on your own to explore Yangon (No car & No Guide)

Optional tour: (Half-Day Yangon city tour)

Your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel to embark on this half day of sightseeing. 

Head to the heart of downtown, where East meets West with a mix of pagodas, monuments and colonial buildings.  Walk around Sule Pagoda, City Hall, Victory Monument and some of the nearby colonial buildings. 

Continue to a local tea shop for a chance to experience an integral part of Burmese life: drinking tea! Select from an array of snacks and enjoy a coffee or tea as you sit amid businessmen, friends and families who gather at the tea shop to socialize or conduct business. 

Next, your guided tour goes to Kandawagyi Park, one of central Yangon’s greenest spots. Here you will see the glittering Karaweik barge, a replica of the royal barge, and the vast lake with views of Shwedagon in the background. Depending on the day of your visit Kandawgyi may be busy with local families who come here on the weekend to relax in the fresh air. 

From here, continue to Shwedagon Pagoda the most revered Buddhist temple in Myanmar. Although the origins of the pagoda are unclear, the local legend states that the original structure was built 2500 years ago then renovated several times until taking its current shape in the 15th century. The 8-sided central stupa is 99 meters tall and gilded with gold leaf and is surrounded by 64 smaller stupas and your guide will show you around the massive complex, explaining why this temple is so revered. Enjoy breathtaking views of the golden stupa from this vantage point. 

Time : 0800-1200 (or) 1300-1700

Recommended: Afternoon has more activity at Shwedagon

+ Price for 1 person is US$ 84
+ Price for 2 people is US$ 45/person
+ Price for 3 – 6 people is US$ 43/person
+ Price for 7 – 10 people is US$ 33/person

* Our services include:

+ English-speaking guide

+ private air-conditioned vehicle with driver

+ Entrance fees for Shwedagon Pagoda 

+ Snack and tea at local tea shop.

+ 1 water bottle

Day 3: Yangon – Flight to Heho, half-day walking tour in Nyaung Shwe (B/-/-)

After having breakfast at hotel, you’ll be at leisure till transferred without the guide to Yangon airport for a morning departure flight to Heho (Note: The morning flights could be swapped amongst different local airlines such as Air KBZ 828, Golden Myanmar Airlines, Asian Wings Airways, Myanma 113, Myanma 109). Upon landing at the airport, you will get to Nyaung Shwe. on the way of the road to Nyaung Shwe, visit to  Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery. Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery is known for its oval-shaped windows.  Beside the monastery is a temple with numerous little Buddha statues.  Left alone with all these little Buddhas, I felt eerie, took a few shots.

Then, heading back to Nyaung Shwe, and walking to the Hlaing Kyu monastery where you can discover the monk’s daily life with their study. In this monastery, over 50 monks are teaching by the headmaster monk. After visiting to the monastery, visit to Museum of Shan Chiefs.  Admission fee is $ 5 and photography is not allowed inside.  I was given a locker to leave my things and my shoes.  As a traditional practice, shoes are not allowed inside.

The museum, used to be a palace of the Royal family, is made of wood and has four attached large apartments, each with a door opening out to the stone terrace. Royal costumes and furnitures are also found inside. If still time permit, will visit the pagodas scattered around the Nyaung Shwe, after visiting you will walk back to hotel or drop at local restaurant and our guide will leave you wherever you decided to stay. Overnight in Nyaung Shwe.

Entrance Fee for the museum – 5 USD per person (Clients own account)

Day 4: Nyaung Shwe – Free day (B/-/-)

You will be free on your own to explore to Inle Lake (No car & No Guide)

* OPTIONAL TOUR: Inle Lake full day Sightseeing

After breakfast at the hotel, you will walk to jetty and take your boat ride to enjoy full-day tour to Inle Lake. Upon reaching the edges of Inle Lake, board a private motorboat to head out to Inle Lake, one of Myanmar’s most spectacular sights. Pass villages built on stilts over the lake, inhabited by the local Intha people.  Observe the leg-rowing fishermen and see their floating gardens built up from strips of water hyacinth and mud and anchored to the bottom with bamboo poles. Visit Nga Hpe Chaung Monastery, which houses dozens of Shan Buddha Images, but is more famous for its unique ‘jumping cats’ who jump through hoops in the air!  Continue to Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the lake’s main sanctuary, which contains five sacred Buddha images covered in gold leaf. 

Explore the local crafts of Inle Lake with a stop at the weaving village of Inpawkhone and a cheroot factory, where the typical Burmese cigars are made by hand.

If time permits, there may be time to enjoy a short walk through one of the lakeside villages.

+ Price for 1 person is US$ 104
+ Price for 2 people is US$ 64/person
+ Price for 3 – 6 people is US$ 46/person
+ Price for 7 – 10 people is US$ 35/person

* Our services include:

+ English-speaking guide

+ Private local boat

+ Entrance fees for the visits mentioned in the program only

Day 5: Nyaung Shwe – Bagan by daytime Bus (B/-/-)

After having breakfast at the hotel, you’ll be transferred without the guide to the bus station for a daytime bus leaving to Bagan. Normally the bus will take at least 7 – 8 hours to get to Bagan, en route you’ll have chances to experience the “window tours” with nice & peaceful countrysides, villages, the locals…and there will be stopovers for you to enjoy coffee breaks, restrooms & taste the local foods (No Car & No Guide).

Upon arriving in Bagan, you’ll be welcome to your hotel for a check-in.

Day 6: Bagan, half day bicycle tour (No car) (B/-/-)

After breakfast, your guide will pick you up from the hotel to explore half-day bicycle tour as we ride through the Monument Zone, calling in to visit the three most important temples – Ananda, Dhamayangyi, and Shwezigon. We’ll also show you some smaller, less well-known ruins in search of atmosphere and that elusive ‘Bagan Magic’. Our well-maintained bikes are the perfect vehicles for this, and you’ll be led by our young and enthusiastic guides who have all been professionally trained. It’s not just pagodas and ruins on this bike tour of course! – we’ll also visit local markets, cottage industries and even a curious factory making an interesting local delicacy, to give you an understanding of modern life in this ancient setting.

Day 7: Bagan – Free day (B/-/-)

You will be free on your own to explore Bagan (No car & No Guide)

* OPTIONAL FULL DAY MOUNT POPA & SALAY TOUR:

Breakfast at hotel. Full day trip from Bagan to Mount Popa, an extinct volcano with a height of 1518 m, about 48 km south-east of Bagan. Mount Popa has played and important role in Myanmar culture, religion and history since earliest times. Its shrine is dedicated to the worship of the 37 Nats, the Burmese ancient animist spirits. The view over the Myingyan Plain from the top of the Popa-Taung Kalat volcanic peak is impressive (the climb is optional!). Lunch at the restaurant of Mt. Popa Resort.

Continue in direction of Salay, known today as an important center of Buddhism with many living monasteries. Throughout its past, Salay created its own unique style of Bagan era architecture and you can see one of the nicest and oldest wooden monastery halls at Yok Sone Kyaung monastery.

Transfer back to Bagan in the afternoon.

+ Price for 1 person is US$ 160
+ Price for 2 people is US$ 92/person
+ Price for 3 – 6 people is US$ 80/person
+ Price for 7 – 10 people is US$ 69/person

* Our services include:

+ English-speaking guide

+ Transfers and excursion with private air-conditioned vehicle with driver

+ 1 lunch at Popa Mountain Resort

+ Entrance fees for the visits mentioned in the program

Bagan | Flight in a hot air balloons over Bagan (early morning) – OPTIONAL SERVICE
Take off in a hot air balloon to drift peacefully over the plain of Bagan. Upon landing, passengers are served champagne. Total flight time is 45 minutes.
Note: 
– Guide is not included.
–  Balloon not operate from Apr to Sep
– Include transfer to/from hotel (SIC)

Day 8: Bagan – Mandalay by day time bus, evening walking tour in Mandalay city (B/-/-)

After breakfast, check out from hotel and drive to bus station to take a bus to Mandalay at 8:30 AM (4 hours’ drive) You will arrive Mandalay at noon time and check in hotel if room available.

In the late afternoon, you will pick up by your guide to start for walking; this tour will take around 3-4 hours depending on how long you spend at each site.  We first are heading to the Shwe Nandaw Kyaung – Golden Palace Monastery. This stunning teak monastery is the multi-tiered building is covered with ornate carvings depicting mythical animals and Buddhist legends among other items.

From there, we will walk to Kuthodaw Pagoda known as ‘The World’s Biggest Book’, Kuthodaw Pagoda comprises of 729 marble slabs etched with the words of Tipitaka, the sacred texts of Buddhism and on the way you can see Atumashi Monastery. After visiting you will heading to the Mandalay Hill, having reached the base of the hill, it may be worth stopping for a short break. There is several small tea shops located near the southern staircase, a good place to enjoy people watching. Enjoy a cold drink or cup of sweet tea and traditional snacks while resting. Before sunset, we will walk back to Hotel and overnight in Mandalay.

Entrance Fee– 8 USD per person (Clients own account)

Day 9: Mandalay  Departure (B/-/-)

After having breakfast at hotel.

You’ll be at leisure till picked up without guide at your hotel then transferred to Mandalay airport for a departure flight.

End of Services!

Hotel List (3 star)

Prices are valid from 01 June 2018 to 31 December 2019

Remark: 

• These prices are not valid during the time of Christmas, Westerner New Year and Public Holidays. Please contact us for a precise rate of fixed traveling date.

INCLUDING:

• 8-night accommodation on half-twin room basis with daily breakfast/subject to the availability
• English speaking station guide for one-half day only in all cities
• Half day bicycle in Bagan
• Separate vehicles for transfers in/out in each cities with private air-conditioned with drivers
• Bus tickets for Nyaung Shwe to Bagan and Bagan to Mandalay
• Mineral water during the sightseeing
• Service charge and Government taxes

EXCLUDING:

• International ticket to/from Yangon
• Entrance fee for visit mention in the program
• Meals other than mentioned (B = breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
• Visa arrangements for Myanmar
• Visits nom
• Drinks and personal expenses
• Domestic flight
• Tips and porters at the hotels
• International departure Airport Tax Yangon (subject to change according to the Government rule)
• Any other items not mentioned
• Optional tours