Compare Myanmar Odyssey: Bagan, Inle, Monywa, Ngapali and Beyond by Myths and Mountains vs Myanmar Discovery Tour by Himalayan Glacier Adventure

Day 1: Arrive Yangon. Sunset at Shwedagon and Dinner

Meals:  Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Sule Shangrila, Strand, Or Belmond Governor’s Residence

Arriving in Yangon International Airport, you clear customs and immigration. Leaving the airport, you will be met by your guide and transferred to the hotel.

Late in the afternoon, you will be picked up in time for sunset at the Shwedagon Pagoda – a good way to start your visit to Myanmar. “Of all the shrines,” writes Shway Yoe in The Burman, “Shwe Dagon Paya, the great pagoda of Rangoon and the most venerable place of worship in all the Indo-Chinese countries, is the finest and most universally visited.” As Yoe indicates, the sanctity of Shwedagon is due to the fact that it contains relics not only of Gautama Buddha, but also of the three Buddhas that preceded him. Legend has it that there are Gautama’s eight hairs, the drinking gourd of Kaukkathan, the robe of Gawnagong, and the staff of Kasapa. Built by King Okkalapa about 525 BC, around the time of the Buddha, Shwedagon today is said to contain more gold than the Bank of England.

Spend a spiritual evening making offerings and watching the glowing colors of the golden stupas of Myanmar's most famous landmark. Every evening the residents of the city assemble at the pagoda to meditate and pay their respects to the Buddha. Enjoy the flickering lights and delicate aromas of candles and sticks of incense being lit as offerings and observe the saffronclad monks passing through the temple. Join in this very special and unique ceremony with an offering of oil lamps that will make your visit come alive.

Note: Dress code is as most religious temples in Asia; wear trousers or at least kneelength shorts or skirt; t-shirts with elbow length sleeves are also expected and you are expected to be barefooted when entering Shwedagon Pagoda.

From Shwedagon, you will head to a welcome dinner at the House of Memories.

Day 2: Tour Yangon

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel Sule Shangrila, Strand Or Belmond Governor’s Residence

You have a whirlwind tour of beautiful Yangon in store for you. The city itself is bordered on three sides by water - the Hlaing River on the west and south side and Pazundaung Creek to the east. History indicates that there has been a settlement in the area for more than 2500 years, although most books start with the founding of the Shwedagon Pagoda on the hill of King Okkalapa village of Dagon. It was not until King Alaungpaya captured Dagon from the Mons in 1755 and renamed it “End of Strife,” or Yangon, that Yangon became a city and thriving port in its own right.

So that you can have an overview of Yangon as a city, you head first to the colorful Hledan Market, always bustling at this hour of the morning. From there, you embark on Yangon’s circular train. The train weaves through Yangon's main townships and districts in a rough circle and is the lifeline for many of the working classes and offers an unparalleled insight into the lives of the Burmese. Observe the students and workers in their daily commute and the vendors and hawkers plying their trade. Return to Yangon by train.

Next you take a walking tour of the city to see the old British colonial buildings, law courts, post office, several embassies, and the wonderful old Strand Hotel. The walk also takes you past Sule Pagoda and ends at Scotts Market.

If Shwedagon is the heart of Burma, the Sule Pagoda, is the heart of the city, the place where many Burmese go after a busy day to find relaxation and tranquility. The pagoda was named after Sule Nat, an ogre and one of the mythical beings revered by all Burmans. It was Sule Nat who helped Thagyarmin, the Nat King, locate the relics of the Buddhas and pinpoint the location for Shwedagon. Sule Pagoda dates back to the 3rd century BC. What it lacks, perhaps, in magnificence, is more than compensated for by its homespun warmth and charm.

You have time to make a stop at the River Gallery, not for shopping, but to get a sense of some of the modern artists in Myanmar today and see what they are creating. The exploration ends at Scotts Market.

The day ends with a traditional puppet show at Htwe Oo Myanmar Puppetry Home. This is done at a very simple private house. You walk through a Yangon back alleyway to the door and up the stairs. Here, one one of the floors of the house, the family has set up a stage and chairs. After the show, they will be happy to answer questions.

Day 3: Portraits Of Yangon

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Sule Shangrila, Strand Or Belmond Governor’s Residence

Spend the day meeting some of the inspiring people that live in Yangon. Gain an insight into their lives by asking questions and listening to their fascinating stories.

Meet Ma Cho Lei Aung, an aspiring young entrepreneur who taught art in an orphanage before founding the 'Tree Food Company'. With a passion for food, this creative young woman produces traditional sweets from jaggery made from toddy palm juice.

Also meet Saya U Sai Aung Win, a famous English teacher of his generation. While at university in the 1960s, he was an active member of the protesting student movement and was incarcerated by the Ne Win military regime for more than five years. A simple, peaceful man, he now helps students of all levels with his educative books and articles.

After lunch at a nearby local restaurant continue to the small and cluttered house of the shoemaker, U Bo Took. He is the only producer in Yangon of handmade shoes for people with disabilities.

Continue to the Mandalay Library and meet the founder, Zaw Zaw. Brought up in a poor farming family, he read a lot of books to compensate for his lack of formal education. Earning a modest livelihood from selling grilled fish, he used the money to set up his own library, providing free rental books to the community. His contribution to Myanmar society has won him several awards.

In the evening watch a game of Chinlone. This traditional sport uses a cane ball and a team of six players. It is said to be over 1,500 years old and was once played by Burmese kings. Meet Chinlone master, U Thien Han, who coaches children in Chinlone for free. Join in a game and he will even teach you some of his tactics.

You end the day with a visit to U Thein Han, a chinlone master and learn about this national game of Myanmar, as well as the TatTitSa Chin Yong Fund.

Day 4: Fly Heho and Drive Inle Lake Via Taunggyi

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Inle Princess Resort

This morning, you will transfer to the airport and catch a short flight from Yangon to Heho on ND 610 (0845/0955). From here, you head to Inle, stopping on the way in the hill town of Taunggyi or “Big Mountain,” and the Central Market. The British, seeking a cool respite from the heat of the plains, frequented the village. The founder of the village, Sir James George Scott, took the name of Shway Yoe, and authored a marvelous book on Burmese culture, “The Burman: His Life and Notions.” Although the book was written in the 19th century, amazingly, much of Burmese life has changed little since that time. Taunggyi has an interesting market, frequented by a variety of hill tribe’s people, and is the administrative capital of Shan State.

You will also visit Flying Tiger Ma Shwe Wa (the cheroot factory). The hand rolling techniques here are impressive and cheroot handlers can bunch 50 cheroots in bundles without counting – simply by feel!

Lastly you visit the Aythaya Vineyard to sample some Burmese wine. At last you arrive in Inle Lake, where you transfer by boat to your hotel.

Day 5: Visit Inle Lake

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel Inle Princess Resort

If one had to pinpoint Peter Pan’s “Never Never Land,” Inle Lake is as good a place as any. Travel books use such adjectives as “mystical,” “magical,” or “fairy tale” to describe the 70-mile long, relatively shallow expanse of water that has become the home and lifeblood of the Inthas, or lake people. Originally from Tenasserim, a village in the south of Burma on a part of the narrow Malay Peninsula bordering on Thailand, the Inthas migrated north to Shan State from the 14th to the 18th centuries to avoid the continual territorial conflicts between Thailand and Burma. They brought with them their unique way of fishing and developed a fascinating lifestyle and system of cultivation. Around the lake is a network of water hyacinths anchored in a layer of silt. Some of the Inthas buy plots of this “land,” tow it off home, and use it to plant gardens. Those that don’t buy the plots, make troughs of floating weeds bound together and anchored to the lake bottom with bamboo poles. The troughs are filled with dirt, planted with vegetables of all sorts, and become floating gardens or kyunpaws.

Watching the Inthas fish is as fascinating as watching the gardening. Intha boatmen balance on the stern of the boat with one foot and maneuver through the clear water with the other leg wrapped around an oar. When they notice the movement of a fish, they drop a special trap, with a gill net supported by a ring, that captures any fish within its circumference. In addition to fishing and gardening, the Inthas are excellent metalworkers, carpenters, and weavers.

After  exploring the lake by boat, you disembark at the Intha Heritage House. Here you can learn a bit about this new project and how it operates. Then, with the locals, you head out to the garden to gather some vegetables for lunch. You will harvest, clean and cut the foods you need and have a full lunch cooking lesson. Afterwards, you can dine on the fruits of your work!

Your travels also take you to the home of an Inle Fisherman to talk with him about his life. If the opportunity is right, he can perhaps teach you how he steers his boat.

Next is a stop at the village of Ywar Ma with its gardens, floating market, handicraft center and Phaung Daw U Pagoda. The pagoda boasts five Buddha images brought from the Malay Peninsula by King Alaungsithu in the 12th century. Over time, these images have had so much gold leaf applied to them, that they have lost many of their human features, and resemble round metal balls. During the annual fall festival, villagers transport these images on a royal barge to all the villages on the lake and hold a major rowing competition. You can also take a bit of time and visit Ann’s Handweaving Center to see how the lotus fabrics are woven.

Day 6: Drive Pindaya And Visit Caves

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel Conqueror Resort Hotel

After breakfast, you take a boat back across the lake and drive to Pindaya. In March, you can enjoy the Pindaya Cave Festival.

Pindaya is a farming town of Danu hill tribes people, lying beside Lake Nattamiekan or “Angels” Lake. The name, “Pindaya,” comes from the word Pinguya, or “got the spider.” Legend has it that seven Kain ya’ princesses, swimming in the lake, were captured and imprisoned in its waters by a monstrous spider. Prince Charming finally arrived to slay the spider, muddying the lake with spider blood, and freeing the princesses.

Pindaya is famous for its cave with more than 8,000 Buddha statues, many covered with gold and dating back to the time of Anawrahta in the llth century. King Alaungsithu built the stupa in the 12th century. On the other hand, local people more recently carved some of the statues. Water drips from stalactites, and the path through the main and secondary caves can be damp and slippery. It is said that the last downward sloping gallery tunnels westward to the temple town of Pagan. In each gallery are Buddhas in different mudras, or positions, some standing, some in niches, and some on shelves.

If you do not visit the cave, you can explore the local market while others visit the caves.

Just below the ridge near the caves is the Shwe U Min Paya, built by Alaungsithu in the 12th century. On the full moon day in February/March, the village hosts a colorful pagoda festival here.

Day 7: Visit More of Pindaya And Fly Mandalay

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel Bagan King Hotel Or Mandalay Hill Resort

Today, you can visit the local market here and then see the paper umbrella factory. Leaving Pindaya, you will head back to Heho to catch the flight to Mandalay on W9 120 (1530/1600). Here you will transfer to your hotel.

Day 8: Tour Mandalay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Bagan King Hotel Or Mandalay Hill Resort

In the morning, you will begin to learn about the last seat of Burma’s kings before the British annexation in 1885. Legend has it that an ogress, Canda Mukhi, came to pay homage to the Buddha, who was giving teachings on the top of what came to be Mandalay Hill. Wanting to make a gift to the Buddha and having nothing worthy to offer, she plucked off her breasts and laid them at Buddha’s feet. Blessing her, Buddha said that she would be reborn one day as the prince who would be the founder and ruler of a future Mandalay. King Mindon, the founder of Mandalay, is believed to be the reincarnation of Canda Mukhi.

At the foot of Mandalay Hill is King Mindon’s Kuthodaw Pagoda, famous as the repository of the “world’s largest book.” The “book” consists of a series of marble tablets with a Pali script rendition of the Buddhist cannon or Tripitaka. The tablets were carved for the Fifth Buddhist Synod, convened by King Mindon.

One of the most interesting and beautiful sites in Mandalay is the Shwenandaw Kyaung, or Golden Palace Monastery. Once part of King Mindon’s palace complex and the building in which he died, Shwenandaw is a delicate example of a traditional Burmese wooden monastery. Dismantled and reassembled by King Thibaw in 1880 as a monastery, Shwenandaw today houses a large number of monks. Some of the carved panels on the inside represent stories from the Jatakas, tales of the Buddha before he became enlightened.

After lunch at a local restaurant, you can explore some of the crafts of Mandalay. Mandalay is renowned as a center of arts and crafts, with different quarters of the city dedicated to each art. Among the options to see are:

• The Jade Market – Myanmar produces some of the world’s finest jade. Here you can see some of the may different jade products.

• Puppetry Workshops - Puppetry is an art form in Myanmar, with many of the most exquisite examples made in Mandalay

• Tapestry and Wood-Carving Workshop - Delicately carved teak is found on Mandalay's most important monuments; see how this ancient tradition is carried on to this day by local artisans

Next you head past the huge Zeigyo Market to the waterfront and watch the water buffaloes hauling logs from the Irawaddy at Kywezun Jetty. If you are interested in another monastery, near the south staircase of Mandalay Hill is the Kyaukdawgyi Pagoda, begun in 1853 and housing a monumental marble statue of the Buddha.

Your last stop of the day is Mandalay Hill with others for sunset views of the city.

Day 9: Visit Amarapura, Sagaing Hills

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel Bagan King Hotel Or Mandalay Hill Resort

It is truly worthwhile to get up early and watch Buddha get a bath at Mandalay’s religious hub – the Maha Muni Pagoda. Believed to be one of only five likenesses of Buddha created during his lifetime, Maha Muni is revered by Burmese Buddhists as an opportunity to actually see the Buddha in person. In fact, legend has it that the Buddha himself embraced the statue seven times, imparting life to it, and exhorted it to represent him and his teachings. The statue was brought to Mandalay from Arakan by King Bodawphaya in 1784 as a war trophy. Buddha gets his bath at 4:30am; and that so many people are in the temple at that hour is a testimony to the reverence in which the statue is held.

After breakfast, you can head out to visit some of the villages in the Sagaing area, walking around to get a taste of how local people live and spend their daily life. You also have the opportunity to visit a local nunnery and a Buddhist school.

From here, you head on to Amarapura, the royal capitol until King Mindon moved the kingdom to Mandalay. Here, at noon, the 700 monks of the Bagaya Kyaung stream out of the monastery with their wooden begging bowls. Eyes downcast, they are in search of their breakfast of rice and perhaps a bit of gravy. Local villagers, hoping to gain merit for future lives, bring huge pots of rice into the road to feed the monks.

From Bagaya, you wind down a narrow road to the river and the U-Bein teak bridge, constructed from the planks of the royal palace when King Bodawpaya moved the capital from Ava to Amarapura. The wooden planks, bridging the Taungthanmon Lake, have lasted more than two hundred years.

Shortly below Amarapura, the new Ava Bridge spans the Irawaddy and leads to the Sagaing Hills. When Mandalay’s city dwellers tire of the grind of city life, they are wont to “go west,” or go into retreat among the Sagaing Hills on the west bank of the Irawaddy.

Day 10: Mandalay To Monywa And Phowin Taung Caves

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Win Unity Hotelmeals

Leaving Mandalay, you cross the Chindwin River by local ferry and continue westward by jeep on a rough road towards the Phowin Taung Caves. Here, off the main tourist route, you can find more than 900 man-made caves, with some of the best-preserved 14th-18th century Buddhist paintings in the world, as well as many statues.

The pictures are the highlight. Those along the walls illustrate the different lives of the Buddha, as told in the Jatakas. The caves are set in the hillside along a meandering path Shrines and pavilions are carved into the sandstone hillside here, colorfully decorated with mosaics and Buddha images. Adorning the path and walls are whimsical sculptures, such as a giant golden frog sitting by the road or an elephant carved to form a temple doorway.

The name Phowin Taung means “Mountain of Isolated Solitary Meditation and was said to be the home of a Zawgyi (alchemist), named U Po Win, for whom the cave was named. Legend has it that Up Po Win could fly, live under water, cure illnesses and transform base metals into gold.

Returning to town, you can wander the market, and, if he is available, visit with a local artist.

Day 11: Irawaddy Boat Ride to Bagan

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort

Leaving Monywa, you head by car to Pakkoku. On the way, you can stop at Ma-U Village to visit a family that makes incense sticks. In Pakkoku, you wander the local market and a cheroot factory, before boarding a boat* downriver to Bagan. In the early evening, around 6:30 PM, you arrive in Bagan and transfer to the hotel. Dinner is at a local restaurant.

*Note that this cruise does not depart every day, and it is possible that one might have to take another cruise with a small supplement.

Day 12: Tour Bagan

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort

If Angkor Wat amazes the visitor with its size, Bagan will stun with the extent of its building. Although in its heyday, from about the 11th to 13^th century, Bagan must have had thousands of temples, even today the remains of about 5000 temples dot an area of 16 square miles along the east bank of the Irawaddy. The history of Bagan can be traced back to about 108AD, but its glory dates from the reign of Anawrahta from 1044-1077AD. It was Anawrahta who was responsible for transporting Theravada Buddhism north from Thaton to Bagan, Mandalay, and the rest of Burma. A movement spread with a blend of magic, war, and fervent faith. Bagan is a land of ghosts, hermits, kings, Pali scholars and lovers on a site that once was nothing but jungle. The city flourished as a center of learning and architecture until 1287, when the great Chinese Emperor, Kublai Khan swept through, ravaging the countryside and destroying the temples. Bagan was violated twice more - by a serious earthquake in 1975, and by the forced eviction of the local people by the government in 1990.

Your tour today will begin with a balloon ride over Bagan to give you some idea of the scope of this huge area of temples.

Then you pay a visit to the Archeological Museum. With a sense of the history of Pagan under your belt, you will set off to see some of the temples and pagodas. Laungsithu built Thatbyinnyu or “Temple of Omniscience,” in the 12th century and, at 201 feet, it is the highest temple in Bagan. It is also the archetypical Burmese temple. The last of the Burman style pagodas is Htilominlo, constructed in 12ll by King Nantaungmya. Htilominlo contains some interesting frescoes representing the 28 Buddhas of the future. The masterpiece of Mon architecture is the Ananda Temple, inspired by the magical stories of 8 monks who visited King Kyanzittha.

Taking a break from temples, you can visit a local village and school, finishing the day with a home-hosted dinner in Phawar Saw Village, named after the great head queen of the Bagan dynasty. Because of her intelligence, political skills and tactical decisions, she is one of the most famous women in Burmese history.

Day 13: Visit Mount Popa And Salay – December Nat Festival

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort

You have a full day excursion to Mount Popa and Salay, and, in December, you can enjoy the Nat Festival. Mount Popa (the name means “flower” in Sanskrit), the abode of the nats amidst the woodlands, is an enchanted place where goblins and spirits still wander.

As a popular song intones: Popa, the Sacred Mount Popa, The Golden Popa, how I wish I could come to thee. How I wish I could be where in their grand shrine, Dwell happy the Blacksmith Maung Tint Dai and his sisters. O how I wish to be where the dark stranger Byatta, With his Golden Girs went a mating, And where two princely sons came forth.

The drive to Mount Popa from Pagan runs first through dusty, arid plains, then through vineyards, banana plantations, and woodlands laced with flowing streams. Suddenly, alone, rising 4,981 feet above the range of hills is Mount Popa, an extinct volcano thrust to the surface about 2500 years ago by an earthquake. It takes about an hour to make the steep climb up to the top of the mountain with its pagodas and Buddhist shrines, but the view of the countryside is perhaps the most beautiful panorama in central Burma. If you were Burmese, you might buy a green coconut encased in a  oven cane hanger, decorated with a spray of red ribbon and a longstemmed palm leaf fan. This offering is for Maung Tint Dai (Mr. Handsome), the “Lord of the Great Mountain”, who, with his sister Dway Hla or “Golden Face” and his daughter, Ma Nai Lay (“Little Miss Lonesome’), are the dominant deities of the Mountain. The shrine for these nats is about half way up the mountain.

If you are not so bewitched by Mount Popa that you want to stay, you can continue on to Salay, the sister town of Bagan. Here you can see pagodas from the golden era of Bagan, as well as a wooden monastery with exceptional wooden sculptures. You will return to Bagan for the night.

Day 14: More Bagan Touring And Later Fly Yangon

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel Sule Shangrila, Strand Or Belmond Governor’s Residence

When Anawrahta returned from Pegu with King Manuha in tow, he exiled Manuha to the town of Myinkaba. Lonesome for his home, Manuha helped to turn Myinkaba into a model of Mon art and architecture. The city is also famous for its laquerware industry, and you can visit a factory.

Most of your sightseeing today will be around Myin Kabar village. King Manuha’s home in Myinkaba was later converted into the Nanpaya Temple and illustrates the Brahman influence on Mon  architecture.

Having enough of temples for the moment, you will eat in a local restaurant, and take a look at the Nyaung U Market.

At the end of the day, you catch ND 604 (1715/1830) to Yangon. On arrival, you will be met and transferred to the hotel.

Day 15: Free Until Transfer Out Or Ngapali Extension

Meals: Breakfast

The day is free with a car available to you until time to transfer to the airport for your flight out.

Day 15: Fly Ngapali And Rest Of Day At Leisure To Explore The Resort

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel Bayview Beach Resort

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport to catch W9 309/310 (1130/1350) to Ngapali. Here, staff from your hotel will meet you holding a sign. They will transfer you to the resort.

Day 16: Free Day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel Bayview Beach Resort

All day at leisure.

Day 17: Free Day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel Bayview Beach Resort

All day at leisure.

Day 18: Fly Back To Yangon

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel Sule Shangrila, Strand Or Belmond Governor’s Residence

The morning is at leisure. Resort staff will transfer you to the airport to catch W9 309 (1405/1455). You will be met and transferred back to the hotel for the night with a car at your disposal.

Day 19: Depart For Home

Meals: Breakfast

Pick up and transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Day 1: Arrival Yangon

Welcome to the Garden City Yangon.  International flights arrive into Yangon International Airport. Our representative will give welcome gifts including postcard and Map of Myanmar.Then transfer to hotel for check in. After that visit Botataung Pagoda, a famous landmark on Yangon’s waterfrontwhere one can see Buddha’s hair relic and Nanthida Jetty to see people coming and going for work from either side of Yangon River. And then continue to Sule Pagoda, MahaBandoolaPark with IndependenceMonument, located at the heart of the city, Chaukhtatgyi reclining Buddha image.Evening visit to the 2,500 years old magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda sheathed in 11 tons of pure gold and 4,350 diamonds weighing 1800 carats!  At sunset, the Shwedagon offers visitor a spectacular show of lights and shadows. Overnight at Hotel in Yangon.

Day 2: Yangon Kyaikhtiyo

After breakfast at hotel, you will start trip to Kyaikhtiyo the “Golden Rock”, a huge boulder completely covered by gold leaves and delicately balanced on the edge of a cliff. From Kin Pun, we have to drive 11 km to the intermediate point by Local Truck and proceed to summit by palanquin (at own account), check in at Kyaikhto hotel. Visit Kyaiktiyo; Golden Rock, watch the beauty of sunset or dawn at this important pilgrimage site.Overnight at Kyaikhtiyo.

Day 3: Kyaikhtiyo Bago - Yangon by Car

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast return to Yangon. Before proceed on to Yangon and sightseeing at Bago, the ancient Mon Capital. Sightseeing tour highlights include Kyaik Pun Pagoda,Shwemawdaw Pagoda, over a thousand years old; its spire is even taller than Shwedagon Pagoda. The 55 meter long reclining Shwethalyaung Buddha image is among the country’s most revered and Kyaik Pun Pagoda. The HanthawadiPalace: Kanbawza Thadi, the famous palace of King Bayinnaung (1551 – 1581 A.D.) is being extensively excavated and some buildings are being rebuilt. Return to Yangon through rural landscape of paddy fields and small villages. Evening visit to the 2,500 years old magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda sheathed in 11 tons of pure gold and 4,350 diamonds weighing 1800 carats!  At sunset, the Shwedagon offers visitor a spectacular show of lights and shadows. Overnight at Hotel in Yangon.

Day 4: Yangon Bagan by AM flight (flying hour 1 20)-Cycling

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, you will be transfer to airport for flight to Bagan. On arrival to Bagan airport we pick up our bike and ride along the river side across the Natdaungkyaung, Taungbila village, university of lacquer ware then continue to explore the Nyaung Oo Market which is very active in the morning not only for the local people but also for the tourists, then continue to the Shwezigon Pagoda a prototype of later Myanmar stupa. You will visit the Wetkyi-in Gubyaukkyi Temple with fine mural paintings of Jataka scenes Ananda Temple, an architectural masterpiece resembling a Greek cross. After lunch at the local restaurant we will check- in to the Hotel. Afternoon sightseeing tour continues with bike to visits some of the beautiful monument and sun set at Pyathagyi temple. Overnight at Hotel in Bagan.

Day 5: Bagan-Popa-Bagan (50 Km Cycling)

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast at hotel, visit to Mount Popa,an extinct volcano,which is the abode of Nats(Spirits).On top of the mountain,there are monasteries,pagodas and shrines in different style.Then come back to Bagan by cycling. We first head to New Bagan to explore some of the monument and villages to study ways of life of people until Lunch time. Then visit to the lacquer ware industry where you can study traditional Myanmarlacquer ware making. In the afternoon, we continues riding to the Myinkabar village which we can study about the lacquer ware, Manuha Temple with gigantic Buddha images, a captive king’s impression of life in prison; Nanpaya, an Early-style temple with the finest stone carvings and Sunset at Shwesandaw pagoda . Overnight in Hotel in Bagan.

Day 6: Bagan-Mandalay-Amarapura by flight

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast at the hotel, you will be transfer to airport for flight to Mandalay. On arrival to Tada-Oo International Airport, you will be proceeding to visit an ancient of Amarapura, silk weaving industry and enjoy the great serenity of 1.2 km long U Bein wooden Bridge constructed in 1849 is about three quarter of a mile with 1086 posts and Taung- ta-man lake that will give you an enchanting experience.Visit Mahagandaryone monastery the largest teaching monastery in Myanmar. Daily at around 10:30 a.m. about 700 monks queue up for their last meal on this day.Then visit famous Mahamuni Pagoda, one of the most sacred Buddha Image in Mandalay. Then visit to Gold foil making cottage industry. Check-in at hotel and followed by afternoon sightseeing that begins with visits to Mandalay Palace,Shwenandaw Monastery, noted for its exquisite wood carvings; Kuthodaw Pagoda, known as the World’s Biggest Book for its stone slabs of Buddhist scriptures. Tour continues to Mandalay Hill, optional cycling around base of the hill, a vantage point for a panoramic view of the city and a spectacular sunset view. Optional stroll up the hill enjoying panoramic views from different location can also go by car. Return can also be made by car as there is also a car track by the base of elevator just before the platform. Overnight at Hotel in Mandalay.

Day 7: Mandalay-Heho-Pindaya-(60 Km Cycling)-Kalaw

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, transfer to airport for flight to Heho. On arrival to Heho airport we pick up our bikes cycling on beautiful undulating roads passing through vegetable farm and rice paddies. Enjoy the lunch enroute. We finish our ride at Pindaya and the rest of the day is at your leisure to rest or explore the small town. Optional points of interest – Pindaya Cave, Paper Making, Umbrella Making. Then continue to Kalaw by car and overnight at hotel in Kalaw.

Day 8: Kalaw-Taryaw (Trekking)-NyaungShwe

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

After Breakfast morning (8:00 am),depart from Hotel by car. Drive about (10 min