Compare In-depth Travel to Myanmar by Bravo Asia Tours vs A Taste of Italy by Sarracini Travel

Day 1: Rangoon/Yangon
Upon your arrival at Yangon Airport, our tour guide will meet you with Welcoming Signage and then escort you to your hotel.Start your tour by visiting The National Museum.In the afternoon, enjoy the waterfront of busy Yangon River brief public ferry ride and after a stroll at the Maha Bandoola Park to see colonial-style high court and city hall, head to the lively Indian Town and Chinatown.Explore Bogyoke (Scott) Market to see Myanmar's wide range of handicrafts and exotic souvenirs.In the evening, enjoy the sunset to the Great Shwedagon Pagoda built the most prominent monument in Yangon which dominates the sky with a golden flash, giant spires and holy relics.Overnight in Yangon.

Day 2: Rangoon/Yangon - Taungoo
After breakfast drive to Bago, 50 miles from Yangon for about 2 hours. Upon arrival at Bago visit Bago Market where you will see the local foods, seasonal fruits, dried fish, fresh fish and so on and very lively with many trading activities. Visit Shwemawdaw Pagoda which is bigger than Shwedagon Pagoda from Yangon and the tallest Stupa in the whole country dating back to 2000 years of the 10th century and most beautiful Buddha in terms of its glass mosaics. Afterward, continue to drive to Taungoo approximately 4 hours another Capital City of the Second Myanmar Dynasty. Visit Royal Lake in Taungoo and also visit Shwesandaw Pagoda that is believed to have a Buddha’s hair is enshrined. Overnight at Hotel in Taungoo.

Day 3: Taungoo
After breakfast, travel to Phoe Kyar Elephant Camp. The driving will be firstly on the Yangon-Mandalay highway road for about one hour and then when you reach Thargaya village, turn to the left to drive along the red-earth country road into the Bago Yoma Mountain Ranges. After one hour, start your Elephant observation program, Elephant show, Elephant workshop in the forest, Elephant ride, and the life of Elephant trainers called Sin Oo Zie. Enjoy the jungle life at the Elephant Camp for the whole evening. Overnight at Phoe Kyra Guest House.

Day 4: Taungoo - Rangoon/Yangon
If you can leave out self-pity, that is getting up early in the morning, you can enjoy another detective ways of Elephant search. As the elephant cannot live by the food provided by the camp, they don’t sleep near the camp. And therefore they are always released after a day work for the night stay in the jungle. Thus, they go freely on their own, eat, search for food and sleep in the jungle. The amount of food they need is approximately 3 metric tons of leaves, twigs and the mother nature of jungle are the food reserve for them. So, early in the morning before the dawn, the Oo Zeus or the master, the trainers of them start their search for their respective Elephants. There are a lot of interesting stories to hear from them and also the techniques of finding the elephants. You should not miss that opportunity when you visit the Elephant Camp it is “Mercy La Pean” sort of chance during a visit to Elephants. In the afternoon, drive back to Yangon about 6 hours. Overnight in Yangon.

Day 5: Rangoon/Yangon - Mandalay - Pyin Oo Lwin
After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to Airport for a flight to Mandalay. Upon arrival, drive up into the hills from Mandalay for a full day tour to the visit of Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo) a former British Hill Station. The road winds steeply through the flower, fruit, and vegetable gardens. Drive through Maymyo on a horse-drawn “stagecoach”, giving you the chance to admire the brick and timber houses, complete with English style gables. Then continue a visit to Pyin Oo Lwin Botanical Garden and Paw Kauk waterfall turrets and chimneys for sunset watching at Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda. Then transfer to hotel and leisure.Overnight at Hotel in Pyin Oo Lwin.

Day 6: Pyin Oo Lwin - Mandalay
After breakfast, transfer to Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo) Railway station for an adventurous train journey to Nang Pin. The train passes over the amazing Gokteik Railway Viaduct. The view from the train is fascinating and the scenery is beautiful. Leave the train at Naung Pin and we back to Mandalay. Visit the Mahamuni Pagoda, the Golden Palace Monastery, a supered example of traditional wooden building and Kuthodaw Pagoda the world’s largest book, made of marble. Visit a traditional hand-woven silk workshop as well as Kalaga Tapestries craftsmen’s shop.Our last stop will be the Mandalay Hill. Atop the hill, Buddha once prophesied that a grand city. Taking in a panoramic view of the whole city, you might find yes sometimes prophecy does come true. Overnight at Hotel in Mandalay.

Day 7: Mandalay - Mingun - Sagaing - Mandalay
After breakfast, take a morning excursion tour to Amarapura; 11km from Mandalay to visit Mahagandayon Monastery where more than a thousand monks live and study the Buddha scripture. If time permits, you will have the opportunity to observe the monks having their last meal of the day in total silence. Then continue to 11km upriver from Mandalay. Cross Ayeyarwaddy River by boat nearly one hour. Visit around Mingun especially for well-known Mingun Bell; 90 tons in weight, the largest ringing bell in the world, unfinished huge Mingun Pagoda, Settawya Pagoda and Hsinbyume Pagoda. In the afternoon, visit a special place where hundreds of nuns live and study the Buddha scripture before continue to the temple-filled Sagaing Hill and put a perfect end to today’s trip with a sunset boat excursion around the world’s longest teak bridge at U Bein Bridge. Overnight at Hotel in Mandalay

Day 8: Mandalay - Monywa
This morning, depart Mandalay for a 3-hour drive to Monywa, a typical Burmese town on the banks of the Chindwin River. Upon arrival at Monywa, visit Thanboddhay Pagoda, a huge Buddhist temple covered with more than 500,000 Buddha images. Also stop at Boditahtaung Pagoda which houses the largest reclining Buddha image in Myanmar, at 100m long and 27m high. This afternoon, cross the Chindwin River by ferry and proceed to Po Win Taung by local open-air jeeps. This extraordinary complex consists of 947 sandstone caves dug out of the hills and contain what is considered by archaeologists to be the richest collection of mural paintings and Buddhist statues in Southeast Asia. After visiting Po Win Taung, continue a few hundred meters away to Shwe Ba Taung. Spend time exploring this interesting site where monasteries and temples are carved out rocky narrow cliffs. Come back to Monywa and overnight. Overnight at Hotel in Monywa.

Day 9: Monywa - Pakokku - Bagan
After breakfast, we long drive to Pakokku. On the way, you see the farmers, while they climb up the high palms, in order to make palm sugars. They hold the possibility at the small village Ma U Ma-Le and have more over the way of life and the lived culture of the land inhabitants to experience here. In the later afternoon, you reach in Pakokku. In this small town, many steeped in tradition arts and crafts enterprises reside, which woven covers, toys color-glad in manual work of stick Marché and typical Myanmar Joss Stick make. The way continues to lead you to the port of Pakkoku. Here you transfer into a typical engine boat and travel on the Ayeyarwady River completely relaxed approx. 2.5 h until Bagan. After arrival in Bagan in the afternoon, the transfer to the hotel takes place. Overnight at Hotel in Bagan.

Day 10: Bagan
Have a morning tour to the market in Nyaung U. Then full day sightseeing tour of Bagan with a diverse selection of the most important pagodas and temples, such as Shwezigon Pagoda,the Welkin Gu Byauk Gyi Temple, as well as the elegant Htilominlo temple, a temple with exquisite murals of Jataka scenes; the Ananda Temple, with four huge standing Buddha images and Ananda Okkyaung, a small red brick monastery.Continue to famous Dhammayangyi Temple and Sula Mani Temples. After lunch, Continue your tour to 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 Nan Paya Temple, said to have once been the residence of King Manuha and Gu Byauk Gyi Temple. Enjoy your soothing sunset at Shwesandaw Pagoda.Overnight at Hotel in Bagan.

Day 11: Bagan
After Breakfast, you will visit one of the local villages to discover the real life, how much different compare to another side of the world. Some candies or small gifts would be a great thing for local children. Then driving excursion to Mount Popa, an extinct volcano with its shrines dedicated to animist spirits known as “Nats”. For the energetic, time to climb up the 777 steps to the shrine at the top of the volcanic plug. Lunch would be served on the hill resort overlooked Mt. Popa. On the way back, visit palm sugar workshop. Overnight at Hotel in Bagan.

Day 12: Bagan - Heho - Pindaya - Kalaw
Morning transfer to the airport to take the flight to Heho.Then we drive to PINDAYA, which is located 40 km north of AUNGBAN and noted for its extensive limestone caves and picturesque lake. We will be passing through the pa o and Danu villages of Puebla endless fields of dry cultivated mountain rice and potato. Pindaya cave thousand of Buddha image placed there by pilgrimages over many centuries and paper making and umbrella making home cottage workshops.In Pindaya, sightseeing, shopping and you will see the Shan people who own fair and soft skin. And then proceed to Kalaw, a fresh and delightful hill station, on the rim of the Shan Plateau, which is a market center for ethnic picturesque old houses and the view of the surrounding regions. Sightseeing around Kalaw. Int eh evening sunset at the local monastery on the hilltop. Overnight at Hotel in Kalaw.

Day 13: Kalaw - Inle Lake
Today, we go to Nyaung Shwe about 3 hours, the gateway of Inle Lake. Enjoy the beautiful scenery of Shan Plateau, the vegetation and the Tribal people at work. Visit Red Mountain Estate Vineyards & Winery to understand about wine making process and the grape varieties. You may want to taste one of the best wine in the country during viewing over Inle Lake region. In Nyaungshwe transfer to hotel. Overnight at Hotel in Nyaung Shwe.

Day 14: Inle Lake
Inle Lake is often called the “Venice of the East.”This morning visit a traditional 5-day market. The 5-day market rotates around the villages and towns of Shan State.Next sightseeing by charter boat on Inle Lake floating village of Heya Ywama and weaving, Padaung tribes (long neck women) silk weaving village which the highlights are the unique and famous leg– rowing, typical floating hundred colorful markets; floating garden and fishing method; Visits to Phaung–daw-Oo pagoda; Nga Phe Chaung Monastery, one of the most impressive of the many monasteries on the lake.Continue visit to Inpawkhon weaving village, own fish farm, fisherman net and cheroot making at Pauk Par village. Return to hotel on the way we pass through the Floating gardens of Hydroponic system. Then back to the hotel in Nyaung Shwe for Overnight.

Day 15: Inle Lake - Heho - Rangoon/Yangon
After breakfast, go to Indian Village, the western end of the Lake. Take a boat trip through a long channel where you watch the farmers cultivate their produce. This ride is one of the most scenic boat tours on Lake Inle.In the afternoon, transfer to the airport for the flight to Yangon. Upon arrival to Yangon, leisure at the hotel. Overnight at Hotel in Yangon.

Day 16: Rangoon/Yangon
Tour ends today. Enjoy your free time until flight out of Myanmar. Today we will say goodbye to you at the airport.

Day 1: Rome

Welcome to Rome! After a meet and greet at the airport with your driver, you will be transferred to your hotel. At 8:30 pm reach the meeting point to be ready for the departure of the Rome by Night Tour. The local expert guide will lead you to discover the wonders of the Eternal City, charming by day, absolutely romantic by night. The tour ends in the Colosseum area. Enjoy on your own the rest of the night. Return to the hotel on your own and overnight stay.

Day 2: Rome > Assisi > Siena > Florence

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Early morning departure for Assisi. Visit the Basilica of St. Francis featuring masterpieces by Giotto and Cimabue. Continue to Siena, home of the Palio. End the day in Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Florence

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

After breakfast, you will spend the day venturing around beautiful Florence, the “Cradle of Renaissance, where, with the help of Michelangelo, Italian art reached its pinnacle. Spend the afternoon strolling the cobblestone streets of Florence on your own or take a short trip to Pisa (optional).

Day 4: Florence > Bologna > Padova > Venice

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Depart for Bologna after breakfast in Florence. Wander through some of the city’s many, elegant arcades (or porticos), for which Bologna is famous. In the afternoon, continue toward Padova, with its original Sant’Antonio Basilica. In the early evening, we will arrive in Venice. Check-in to your hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 5: Venice

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, enjoy your private water-taxi transfer to Piazza San Marco, with “Skip the Line” tickets to visit the splendid St. Mark’s Basilica and, after this, check out the most iconic places of the “Floating City”. Spend the afternoon roaming along Venice’s canals at your leisure and then return to the hotel and overnight.

Day 6: Venice > Montepulciano (Tuscany) > Rome

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

After breakfast, depart for Tuscany, known for its romantic churches, castles and beloved wines. Proceed to Val di Chiana with a stop in Montepulciano, a Medieval town rich with history and art. That evening we will arrive in Rome.

Day 7: Rome

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast depart from the hotel for the included tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St.Peter’s Basilica with our exclusive “Skip the Line” access. The tour ends in St. Peter’s Square. Afternoon and evening at leisure. Meals: B

Day 8: Rome

Meals: Breakfast

Final breakfast followed by check-out. Arrivederci!