DAY 1

Soon after arriving at Yangon International Airport and transferring to your centrally located hotel, you get acquainted with your guide(s) over lunch. You set out on foot to explore the colonial heritage of one of Southeast Asia’s most evocative capitals, Yangon, with its unique spiritual atmosphere, broad tree-lined avenues, bustling waterfront, and teeming markets. Yangon, translated as “End of Strife,” was founded by King Alaungpaya in the mid-18th century. Now Burma’s educational and commercial center, it has a population of over five million people.

Starting from Chauk Htat Gyi, the largest reclining Buddha in Yangon, you walk the pedestrian streets lined with countless monasteries and lush trees. The route winds through shady side streets and behind the home where Nobel Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi grew up before ending at the dazzling Shwedagon Pagoda.

Rudyard Kipling described Shwedagon as “a golden mystery…a beautiful twinkling wonder.” The 2,500-year-old Shwedagon Pagoda is said to be the world’s richest golden stupa, or Buddhist spiritual monument. Also considered the most sacred of all Buddhist sites in Burma as it houses holy relics of the Buddha, the golden dome rises 323 feet above its base and is covered with 60 tons of pure gold. Pilgrims and monks offer their devotions as the last rays of the setting sun cast a brilliant light on the domes. Descending from the panoramic view over the city, you move on to a welcome dinner of traditional cuisine at a local restaurant before returning to the hotel.
Sedona Hotel, Yangon

DAY 2

Following breakfast, you are driven through the colonial heart of the city to the foot-passenger ferry terminal. From there, you catch a 10-minute ferry across the swiftly flowing Yangon River to the peaceful, rural area known as Dallah. In Dallah you walk through Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim villages where communities live together peacefully.

Returning to the city by ferry, you have the opportunity to stop and admire the colonial architecture. After a light lunch in a local restaurant, you can choose between a visit to the Gem Museum or an optional walk. The Gem Museum is meant to impress—and does! It is home to the world’s largest sapphire, the world’s largest natural pearl, the world’s largest rough ruby, and much more. The museum also contains three floors of licensed gem stalls selling both precious and semiprecious jewelry and loose stones as well as souvenir pieces.

The optional walk is an easy one-hour walk to Monk’s University and the World Peace Pagoda. Starting behind the Gem Museum you enter the quiet grounds of a small park surrounding the World Peace Pagoda and progress to a small lake where the carp and catfish will eat from your hand (bestowing good luck, according to the local Buddhist monks). Circling around, you come upon the two statues of Buddha’s disciples placed in the middle of the lake: portrayed are the Fortunate One (who protects sailors) and the Favorite One (who himself is protected by a Naga or snake). Entering a forest of enormous teak trees, you arrive at the monk’s ordination hall and then the monk’s conference hall, built into a cave. You exit along a wooded lane returning to the city street and your waiting bus.

This evening you enjoy a leisurely al fresco dinner at a restaurant on the shores of Kandawgyi Lake, shimmering with the reflection of Shwedagon Pagoda.
Sedona Hotel, Yangon

DAY 3

After breakfast, you board a plane for the approximately one-hour flight to Heho, the gateway to Inle Lake. Considered Burma’s most beautiful lake, Inle Lake’s calm waters are surrounded by high hills and dotted with floating gardens and villages on stilts. From Heho you board a private coach for a stunning drive (approximately one hour), which winds though heavily forested hills of banyan, jacaranda, acacia, and rubber trees, interspersed with monasteries, stupas, and small lakes. You descend to the wide plateau where most of the country’s rice is grown, along with a variety of fruits, vegetables, and sugarcane, and soon stop for lunch at a small hotel. After lunch, at a small jetty, a private boat picks you up for the 30-minute ride to your lakeshore hotel. En route you may pass local Intha fishermen, known as “leg rowers,” who are famous for propelling flat-bottomed boats by standing on one leg and wrapping the other around the oar.

After checking in to your gracious lakeside hotel, you walk to the nearby hot springs. The trail makes its way through small villages where you have an opportunity to visit a local home. Continuing through a bamboo forest, you reach the hot springs, where you are likely to meet local women relaxing by the warm waters.

Returning to your room to rest and freshen up, you later board a private launch for a sunset boat ride on the lake’s serene waters before dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.
Inle Princess Resort, Inle Lake

DAY 4

Inle Lake is the second largest natural lake in Burma and, while located in the low point of the Nyaungshwe Valley between two parallel north-south mountain ranges in the southern Shan State, it sits at an elevation of 4,358 feet among hazy blue mountains. Your exploration of this shallow 14-mile-long and 7-mile-wide lake continues this morning with a 20-minute boat trip to the village of Maing Thauk. Here you walk to the Forest Monastery along a trail shaded with tamarind trees, passing mango and sugarcane plantations. Ascending into the jungle (approximately 750 feet), the trail crosses a deep gorge with a stream running below. Bird calls punctuate the journey, and you may spot monkeys in the trees. Arriving at the monastery, Buddhist monks may be gathering for their mid-morning meal. Further along the trail from the monastery is a stupa, which overlooks Inle Lake and the surrounding hills.

Leaving the monastery, you enter the village of Maing Thouk and pay a visit to an orphanage for preschoolers and a sugarcane farm where fudge and syrup are produced. Later you cross to the southern end of the lake, through floating gardens of multicolored lotus flowers and hyacinths.

The local inhabitants, the Intha, have built up these fantastic floating gardens over the centuries from mud dredged from the lakebed. Adapted to the lake environment, villages, farms, and monasteries are all perched on stilts over the water. It is in one of these structures where you enjoy lunch in a restaurant with excellent views. Later, you board a boat for the leisurely return trip past villages and vegetable gardens. The region’s cottage industries are well developed; and you may see the devout Buddhist Intha hard at work along the route. Intha (men) are known for their farming and fishing skills, while Inthu (women) are known for their superb silk-weaving skills.

Returning to the hotel, there is time to relax in your deluxe lakeside chalet or stroll through the gardens before dinner in the early evening light.
Inle Princess Resort, Inle Lake

DAY 5

Early risers may greet the new day watching the sun rise through the mist over the lake. Following breakfast, your last boat ride on the lake returns to the jetty and waiting coach for the transfer to the Heho Airport for the 30-minute flight to Mandalay. Once Burma’s capital, Mandalay is still considered to be the country’s cultural and religious heart, with some of its most spectacular pagodas and temples.

Upon arrival at the airport, you are driven approximately one hour to your hotel just beneath Mandalay Hill. The city’s signature landmark, the hill has long been a holy place—in fact legend has it that the Buddha prophesied that a great city would be founded at its base. You enjoy lunch at the hotel as well as some time to relax from the heat of the day before departing the hotel on foot to walk to the top of Mandalay Hill. Walking along shady streets, you pass the ancient walls of the Mandalay Palace at the base of the hill. At just over 700 feet, the summit provides magnificent views over Mandalay Palace and the pagoda-studded countryside. The hill was also the site of fierce fighting at the end of World War II, when the British retook the hill from the Japanese in 1945. The original Mandalay Palace was also a victim of the Second World War conflict, as the original complex was entirely consumed by fire. Constructed of teak in the mid-19th century, the original thick brick walls, city gates, and moat remain. Some of the buildings have been faithfully rebuilt.

Descending from the hill in a tuk tuk (a distinctive southeast Asian motorized tricycle), we return to our hotel with time to freshen up before being treated to a one-hour Marionette performance. This ancient art encompasses all of Burma’s traditional arts including dance, music, woodcarving, sequin embroidery, and painting. Afterwards we dine in a local restaurant.
Sedona Hotel, Mandalay

DAY 6

This morning your guide(s) offer an optional pre-breakfast walk along the palace moat (located just in front of the hotel). Each side of the moat (and palace wall) is just over a mile long, and at this cooler time of day you can join the locals as they walk, jog, or practice Tai Chi. Following breakfast, a drive out of the city (approximately 45 minutes) takes you through open farmland, soon reaching the narrow river crossing point to Inwa, previously known as Ava. Crossing to the other side by boat, you then board horse-drawn buggies for a short ride to the old city wall. Passing through the ancient gate, you begin a walk through serene countryside, visiting historic sites along the way. There are virtually no cars in Inwa, and the farmland consists of fields of soybeans, rice, and sunflowers. The highlights of Inwa include an ancient monastery, made entirely of teak and supported by enormous teak posts, and a crumbling pagoda with large stone statues of Buddha dating back to the 15th century. Again riding in a horse and buggy, you reach a restaurant located on a quiet spot by the river to enjoy lunch.

After lunch, the horse and buggies return you to the jetty, where you board a local river cruiser for the two-hour journey to Mandalay on the mighty Ayeyarwaddy. This major river (formally known as the Irawaddy) bisects the country. You arrive in Mandalay as the sun sets and later venture out for dinner at a local restaurant.
Sedona Hotel, Mandalay

DAY 7

Today is a transfer day, and after breakfast you depart Mandalay for the short 20-minute flight to the historic city of Bagan, considered one of Asia’s richest archeological sites. Located on the lush delta plain, Bagan was once a great royal city, at its peak in the 10th century, during which time over 13,000 temples were constructed. Although the majority of the temples have been destroyed, hundreds of temples, shrines, pagodas, and monuments—from simple to magnificent—remain and are spread over 15 square miles, seemingly as far as the eye can see.

This exploration of Bagan begins by visiting the small 13th-century Gubyaukgi Stupa, known for its fine frescoes. Next is the Ananda Temple, one of the largest, best preserved, and most revered temples in Bagan. Also on the route is a visit to a local lacquerware workshop, where men and women ply their craft using traditional methods. By mid-day you are ready to check into your hotel and enjoy lunch by the pool as well as perhaps a cooling dip, before venturing out later for a walk in the cooler later afternoon.

The afternoon walk is designed to take you to parts of Old Bagan seen by few. You first enter Manhua Temple, which houses the largest seated Buddha in Bagan, and then follow quiet trails through the Myingabar Village, where farmers may be at work harvesting sesame seeds. You wind your way past several pagodas including Myazedi, Gu Byauk Nge, and Law Ka Ou Shaung. Culminating at the Guni Pagoda, the short climb to the top rewards you with inspiring sunset views over Ancient Bagan. Finally, you make your way back to the hotel for dinner, whose local architecture and gardens reflect the spirit of the place.
Thazin Garden Hotel, Bagan

DAY 8

If you reserved the optional balloon ride, you are picked up early in the morning to enjoy a spectacular sunrise over Bagan and the Ayeyarwaddy River. Gentle winds not exceeding 15 miles per hour guide the balloon, allowing passengers a serene, bird’s-eye view of ancient temples. On average the flight lasts between 45 minutes and 1 hour. (The cost of approximately $265 USD per person for this flight option is not included in your tour price and must be pre-paid to Country Walkers.)

You reunite at the hotel for breakfast before embarking on an easy walk through the Paya-thone-zu group of temples (a short ride east of our hotel). Also included is a visit to the archaeological museum, home to a collection of world-class Buddha images from the Bagan region.

On your afternoon walk you visit more of old Bagan’s rich archeological wonders. Today’s itinerary includes a visit to the Hindu Temple as well as the site’s oldest stupa and its tallest temple. You also have an opportunity to admire the frescoes at the Thamya Temple and stop for refreshments at an authentic teashop. The walk concludes at Bagan’s 9th-century gateway, which is guarded by brother and sister spirits (represented by gold statues). A bit later, a short ride brings you to the jetty to board a sunset cruise on the lower Ayeyarwaddy before returning to your hotel’s elegant dining room.
Thazin Garden Hotel, Bagan

DAY 9

The itinerary comes full circle as you return by plane to Yangon, arriving mid-morning. Immediately on the agenda is a walk through a leafy neighborhood inhabited by many of Yangon’s professionals. A brief stop in a local teashop provides a window into daily life before continuing on to the shores of Inya Lake, a favorite spot for students and young couples to stroll along the boardwalk.

This afternoon you may choose between a visit to Bogyoke Aung San Market or a relaxing afternoon at your hotel.

As Yangon’s best-known place for shopping, this is a perfect opportunity to shop for treasures from Burma. This fantastic prewar structure was formerly known as Scott’s Market. In this covered market you can find reasonably priced handicrafts, jewels, antiques, and traditional artwork. Some favorite items are lacquerware, wood and ivory carvings, tapestries, silver- and brassware, silk and cotton fabrics, and shoulder bags, as well as jewelry.

Or perhaps you simply want to sunbathe and swim in the tropical climate before the flight home, enjoying the comforts of your Yangon hotel poolside, on its tennis courts, or in its spa or fitness center.

Later, your delightful Burmese hosts invite you into their home for a delicious and heartfelt farewell dinner.
Sedona Hotel, Yangon

DAY 10

After a plentiful breakfast, you transfer to the airport where you bid farewell and begin your journey home or on to other exciting destinations.

Itinerary Changes

Please bear in mind that this is a typical itinerary, and the actual activities, sites, and accommodations may vary due to season, special events, weather, or transportation schedules. We reserve the right to alter the itinerary since tour arrangements are made up to a year in advance, and unforeseen circumstances that mandate change may arise. Itinerary changes are made to improve the tour and your experience.

Nights 1, 2 & 9

Sedona Hotel
Yangon, Burma

Situated on eight acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, the Sedona Hotel Yangon is just a 15-minute drive from the international airport and city center and within close proximity to the Shwedagon Pagoda. Its “Burma-style” architecture gives the hotel character while spacious, modern rooms offer contemporary comfort.

Nights 3 & 4

Inle Princess Resort
Inle Lake, Burma

The Inle Princess Resort lies within the Blue Mountain Range on the eastern bank of Inle Lake and is surrounded by rice fields. The architecture was drawn from the tradition and culture of the Shan and Intha people. The rooms are individual chalets, beautifully designed and decorated with terraced lakeside views.

Nights 5 & 6

Sedona Hotel
Mandalay, Burma

A sanctuary amidst four acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, the Sedona Mandalay sits in the heart of the city and faces spectacular sights, magnificent Mandalay Hill and the majestic Royal Palace. The rooms are graciously designed to blend contemporary elegance with touches of exotic charm.

Nights 7 & 8

Thazin Garden Hotel
Bagan, Burma

The hotel’s perch atop a high plain reveals panoramic views of serene surroundings. Constructed mainly of teak in traditional regional style, the Thazin Garden Hotel has its own pagoda. The spacious rooms have private verandas or terraces overlooking tranquil gardens.

Please note that this is a sample hotel itinerary for this tour. While these exact hotels are featured on most departures, we occasionally reserve other hotels of similar style and quality. If you are currently booked on a Country Walkers adventure, a hotel itinerary has been sent to you for your exact departure date. Please call Country Walkers at 800.464.9255 if you have any questions about the exact hotels selected for any of our tours.

Myo Set

A native of Burma, Myo holds a BA in philosophy from Yangon University. He is an English language licensed tour guide and has been guiding tours in Burma for over 16 years. During the off season (May through September), Myo Set runs his own English Language School. In addition to his extensive experience, we all benefit from his spirited personality and incredible knowledge.