Itinerary Summary

Day	Place	Highlights	Hotel Options
1 - 3	Yangon	Shwedagon Pagoda, Sule Pagoda, National Museum, Capital City Tours	Best Western Chinatown Hotel, Kandawgyi Palace
3 - 5	Hpa An	Kyauktan Ye Le Pagoda, Limestone Kaw Goon Cave, Lumbini Garden, Kyauk Kalap Monastery	Hotel Zwekabin (Hpa An)
5 - 6	Kyaiktiyo	Golden Rock, Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, Mountains, Burmese Pagoda at Bago	Mountain Top
6 - 7	Nay Pyi Daw	National Museum of Myanmar, Uppatansanti Pagoda, Gem Emporium	Kempinski Hotel Nay Pyi Daw
7 - 10	Loikaw	Breathtaking scenery, Cultural experiences, Thiri Mingala Hill Pagoda	Myat Nan Taw Hotel
10 - 12	Kalaw	Hill Station, Pine Forest, Hiking, Trekking, Nature Walks	Pine Hill Resort, Amara Resort
12 - 14	Mandalay	Royal Palace, Mahamuni Buddha Pagoda, World’s Largest Book at The Kuthodaw Pagoda	Yadanarpon Dynasty Hotel, Rupar Mandalar

Itinerary Details

Day 1 - 3

International Arrival

Transfer from Yangon Airport to Hotel

Yangon

2 Nights

Yangon is the erstwhile capital of Myanmar that still proudly lives on as the country’s commercial hub.

Included Activities

Ride on Yangon’s Circle Train
Journey into Yangon’s past and gain glimpses of local life aboard the Circle Train. The historical train ride lasts two to three hours as you loop around the city outskirts. Depart from the grand Yangon Central Train Station, which fuses Burmeses architecture with functional British colonial elements. Voyage through the changing urban to rural scenery. In the city you’ll see street food hawkers selling paan (betel nut) and sweet coconut-condensed milk buns, vendors balancing plastic barrels on their head, and children playing. The countryside offers a more tranquil scene with watercress fields, ponds, farms and stilted bamboo houses. Witness how local villagers live and work. Before returning downtown stop at Insein, the infamous prison that holds Burmese political dissidents and once housed Nobel Peace Prize winner and democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi.

Highlights of Yangon
Venture into the Garden City of the East, with its evergreen and cool tropical trees, shady parks and lovely lakes. Start your day in the colonial district at the heart of the city, where you can discover the 2,000 year old Sule Pagoda, which holds one of Buddha’s hairs. Explore the major cobblestoned bazaar of Bogyoke Aung San Market, where you can practice your bargaining skills. Witness Royal Family treasures, including the pure gold and intricately carved Royal Lion Throne, at the National Museum. The highlight of Yangon is the stunning Shwedagon Pagoda! Built over 2,500 years ago and towering over the city’s skyline, you can breathe in a most enchanting and spiritual sunset. Please note that shoes must be removed during your temple visits.

Hotel Options

Best Western Chinatown Hotel – Opt 1

Room	Business Deluxe
Meals	Breakfast
Style	International

Kandawgyi Palace – Opt 2

Room	Superior Room
Meals	Breakfast
Style	International

Day 3 - 5

Drive from Yangon to Hpa An (appx 6 hrs)

Hpa An

2 Nights

Hpa-An, also known as Pa An, is a charming town and capital of the Kayin state, located north of Mawlamyine and near to the Thai border.

Included Activities

Highlights of Hpa An
Hpa-An is famous for caves, hillside Pagodas and colorful markets. Noteworthy places to explore are the Kyauktan Ye Le Pagoda with its impressive collection of artwork; the historic natural limestone Kaw Goon Cave; and the Lumbini Garden that boast 1,000 Buddha images. See also the Kyauk Kalap Monastery; the Bayin Nyi Cave, perched atop a hill having a large entrance chamber filled with many statues; and the Shwe-yin Myaw World Peace Pagoda at the bank of Thanlwin River.

Hotel Options

Hotel Zwekabin (Hpa An) – Opt 1

Room	Deluxe Room
Meals	Breakfast
Style	Guest house

Day 5 - 6

Drive from Hpa An to Kyaiktiyo (147 km, 3 hrs)

Kyaiktiyo

1 Night

The sacred rock of Kyaiktiyo is situated in the midst of densely wooded mountains.

Included Activities

Highlights of Kyaiktiyo
Trek uphill to admire the amazing and almost gravity-defying Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, or Golden Rock of Kyaiktiyo. A renowned Buddhist pilgrimage site, this temple was built on top of a massive granite boulder that has been painted in gold leaf and shimmers beautifully throughout the day. There are many legends to the pagoda and some believers say it is precariously perched on a strand of Buddha’s hair, which was given to a traveling hermit who passed it to a king who constructed the pagoda with his supernatural powers. En route to Yangon, you can also visit the ancient Royal City of Bago (Pegu), which boasts the old palace, a giant Buddha statue and one of Myanmar’s highest pagodas.

Hotel Options

Mountain Top – Opt 1

Room	Deluxe
Meals	Breakfast
Style	Guest house

Day 6 - 7

Drive from Kyaiktiyo to Nay Pyi Daw (300 km, 6 hrs)

Nay Pyi Daw

1 Night

Naypyidaw, meaning ‘Abode of the king’, is the capital city of Myanmar, formerly Burma. This artificial city offers curious travelers a mix of gigantic avenues with intersecting lanes and colossal buildings.

Hotel Options

Kempinski Hotel Nay Pyi Daw – Opt 1

Room	Deluxe Room
Meals	Breakfast
Style	International

Day 7 - 10

Drive from Nay Pyi Daw to Loikaw (230 km, 7 hrs)

Loikaw

3 Nights

The beautiful town of Loikaw is located at the northernmost tip of the Kayah State in Myanmar.

Included Activities

Highlights of Loikaw
Loikaw is brimming with culture. On Wednesdays and Saturdays you can experience the colorful Demawso Market, where different ethnic groups come together in traditional outfits and sell their wares. Explore Sam Boon village, inhabited by the Padaung people who adorn copper neck rings. Venture to a weaving center for an insight into making the native Kayar dresses. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Discover the Shwe Let War Pagoda (Golden Palm Pagoda) with its scenic views across the valley, and the animist worship place of Tha Khon Tai, tucked amidst banyan trees. Thiri Mingalarpon monastery, the former palace of the Shan feudal chief is also well worth a visit as are, of course, the Thiri Mingala (Taungkwe) Pagodas.

Hotel Options

Myat Nan Taw Hotel – Opt 1

Room	Superior Room
Meals	Breakfast
Style	Guest house

Day 10 - 12

Drive from Loikaw to Kalaw (160 km, 5 hr)

Kalaw

2 Nights

Surrounded all over by pine forests the small hill station of Kalaw is an ideal destination for nature lovers and hikers.

Included Activities

Full Day Village Trek in Kalaw
Post breakfast, embark on a 3hr trek to Ywarthit Village via aromatic pine trees, grazing livestock and see tribal agricultural activities like tea planting, sesame crops, etc. Enjoy a local village lunch and trek about 30min to Taryaw Palaung Village. See Sebastian leaf plantations used in cheroot making and also tea leaf making process. Visit a monastery. primary school and Palaung traditional long house where dozens of families live together. On return, see the bamboo Buddha Image.

Hotel Options

Pine Hill Resort – Opt 1

Room	Pine Hill-Superior Room
Meals	Breakfast
Style	Resort

Amara Resort – Opt 2

Room	Deluxe Room
Meals	Breakfast
Style	Heritage

Day 12 - 14

Drive from Kalaw to Mandalay (240 km, 5 hrs)

Transfer to Airport

Mandalay

2 Nights

Mandalay is Myanmar’s royal capital and lies in the northern heart of the country, on the eastern bank of Irawaddy River.

Included Activities

Half Day Excursion to Mingun
Discover the road to Mandalay! Enjoy an hour’s private ferry boat ride before disembarking on the western banks of Ayeyarwaddy to see Buddhist shrines and meditation centers. Discover Mingun Pahtodawgyi, the world’s largest incomplete pagoda that would easily rival the Great Pyramid of Giza if it had been completed. Observe Mingun Bell, the world’s largest uncracked bronze ringing bell, cased in 1808 AD, and Mya Theindan Pagoda built in memory of King Bagyidaw’s favorite wife. Take a horse-drawn carriage ride to Nan Myint Watch Tower, the Maha Aung Mye Bon Zan Monastery, and Babaya Kyaung Monastery. Your final stop is the Mingun Home for the Aged, founded in 1915 by Daw Oo Zun. The return boat to Mandalay is downriver, taking just 40 minutes. To respect local customs, please dress conservatively and be sure to bring sun lotion and sunglasses with you. Kindly note that footwear is not permitted within the main temples.

Full Day Trip to Mingun: Shwe Bo – Kyauk Myaung (Mandalay ~ Mingun – Kyauk Myaung – Mandalay)
Enjoy a full day trip to Mingun, Schwebo and Kyauk Myaung. You will be fetched from your hotel around 0700 hrs and transferred to the jetty for a morning excursion by private boat. The one hour boat ride takes you 11 kms upriver from Mandalay to the western banks of the Ayeyarwady river where you can observe abundant river life. See Mingun Paya (Mingun Pahtodawgyi), a huge unfinished pagoda; the 90 ton Mingun Bell, until 2000 AD, the world’s largest un-cracked bell; Mya Theindan Pagoda or Hsinbyume Pagoda, built 1816, highlighted by its unusual, striking architecture. Visit the Home for the Aged, the first of its kind established in Myanmar by Daw Oo Zun. Continue driving about 3.5 hours to Kyauk Myaung, stopping en route for a simple lunch at Shwebo. Kyauk Myaung, a riverside town on the Ayeyarwady, is famous for glazed pottery works – toys, cups, letters, bowls, pots, and huge water jars tied in hundreds and floated downriver as rafts. Visit a pottery workshop, heading to the Irrawaddy riverbank to see how the pots are transported downriver. Drive back to Mandalay (about three hours), reaching around 1800 hrs.

Hotel Options

Yadanarpon Dynasty Hotel – Opt 1

Room	Deluxe Room
Meals	Breakfast
Style	International

Rupar Mandalar – Opt 2

Room	Deluxe Room
Meals	Breakfast
Style	Resort

International Departure

Price & Inclusions

Option 1 From $ 3,090 /person
Option 2 From $ 3,290 /person

Prices are in USD and exclude international flights. This trip price is based on low season rates for accommodation and other applicable services, and may change depending on availability, currency fluctuations and number of people traveling together. For high season prices, please contact us with your exact travel dates and preferences.

Price Includes

Accommodation and meals, as specified in the itinerary
Activities and excursions, as specified in the itinerary
Transportation services, as specified in the itinerary
Your Trip Coordinator: a 24/7 point of contact supporting you during your trip

Not Included

Entrance fees and meals, unless mentioned in the itinerary description
Tips and personal expenses
Visa and tourism fees
Travel, health, and cancellation insurance
International airfare

Myanmar: Beaches to Golden Rock

Itinerary Summary

Ideal For

Itinerary Details

Yangon

Hpa An

Kyaiktiyo

Nay Pyi Daw

Loikaw

Kalaw

Mandalay

Price & Inclusions

Price Includes

Not Included