Adventurous Myanmar

Today you will be welcomed directly at the Yangon International Airport and  your guide will accompany you to the city where you'll start your sightseeing. Yangon is the former capital of Myanmar. Compared with other Asian cities of similar size, it gives the impression of being green and full of trees, above which shimmering pagodas seem to float.

Here you'll visit Sule Pagoda, situated in the very centre of downtown Yangon, British colonial era buildings of the City Hall, Immigration office and High Court building, then you'll have a stroll at Mahabandoola Park for a good photo stop.

You'll also see Chaukhtatgyi Reclining Buddha,  located in a large metal-roofed pavilion on Shwegondine Road, only a short distance east beyond the Shwedagon Pagoda, which you'll vist afterwards. This pagoda is the highlight of any trip to Yangon, and indeed to Myanmar itself. The 2,600 years old Shwedagon Pagoda appears most beautiful during the early morning or evening, when you are able to enjoy this gilded sight in different colours.

Stay overnight in Yangon.

After breakfast your guide and driver will meet you at your hotel. Today you will drive together to Kyaiktiyo. This city is one of the most interesting and sacred Buddhist sites of Myanmar. The sacred boulder, also known as Golden Rock, is covered in gold leaves and balanced precariously on the very edge of a cliff. The legend says that the rock maintains its balance due to a precisely placed Buddha hair in the 7.3 meter high stupa.

From here, at the base camp of Kinpun, we will take a mountain hill truck to the mountain. There are amazing sunsets and sunrises to see and the huge rock shows its most beautiful colour at dawn and dusk, while the pilgrims light candles and meditate all through the night.

Overnight at Golden Rock.

You will drive from Kyaiktiyo to Hpa-An for approximately four hours.

Hpa-An is the capital of the Kayin State with approximately 50.000 inhabitants, located on the banks of the tranquil Thanlwin River. Although it is indeed a small town, it is also a bustling commercial center. Hpa-An was only recently discovered as a tourist destination. The surroundings are famous for its large, bizarre cave labyrinths which are decorated with Buddha images.

After sightseeing around the town, you will be transferred to hotel. Overnight in Hpa-An.

In the morning, your driver and guide will pick you up from your hotel and you will start your trip to Mawlamyine. Mawlamyine (or Moulmein) is the historical capital of the Mon State and with about 250,000 inhabitants one of the largest cities in Myanmar.

The name comes from the legend of Mot-Mua-Lum (“destroyed eye”) which tells of a Mon king who had a third eye that was in the middle of his forehead and which had the power to see what was happening in the surrounding kingdoms. The ruler of a neighbouring kingdom gave him his daughter for marriage, but she maliciously destroyed the all-seeing third eye.

The atmosphere of post-colonial decay is more palpable here than in the fast-developing Yangon or Mandalay; it’s also an attractive, tropical town with hills on one side and the sea on the other. George Orwell (author of “Burmese Days”) was stationed here for a time in the 1920s during his service with the Indian Imperial Police. Overnight in Mawlamyine.

Today you will enjoy another full day of excursion in and around Mawlamyine. Mawlamyine’s central market, Zaygyi, is a rambling area on the western side of South Bogyoke Lan, just north of the main pedestrian jetty for Mottama. This market specializes in dry goods, from inexpensive clothes to house wares. Much of the merchandise includes items that have ‘fallen off the boat’ on the way from Singapore to Yangon, such as untaxed cigarettes and liquor.

Today you can see Gaungse Kyun (Shampoo Island): this picturesque little isle off Mawlamyine’s north-western end is named so, because during the Ava period the yearly royal hair washing ceremony customarily used water taken from a spring on this island.

You can hire a boat to get to the island. You can visit Sandawshin Paya, a silver zedi said to contain hair relics, and a nearby Buddhist meditation centre. Overnight in Mawlamyine.

Today you will drive via Mudon to Kyaikkami. In Mudon you will visit the longest reclining Buddha of the world. Kyaikkami was once known as Amherst, named after William Amherst, first Earl Amherst, then governor-general. It is situated on a peninsula about 48 km south of the town of Mawlamyine. It is a popular destination for local pilgrims and some tourists.

The town has an interesting pagoda (Kyaikkami Ye Le Paya) just constructed on the sea, using the natural foundation of its ocean reefs, which is connected with the corridor to the beach and always attracts the people for the festival of donations over the sea-tides. Overnight in Mawlamyine.

After breakfast you will drive back to Yangon. On the way you might make a stop in the city of Bago, famous for its huge reclining Buddha. You will have chance to explore Shwemawdaw Paya,  Kanbawzathadi Palace & Museum, Hintha Gon Paya, Shwethalyaung Buddha, Mahazedi Paya and Kyaik Pun Paya.

Then you will drive back directly to Yangon. On the way back, you'll visit the Allied War Cemetery in Htauk Kyant. This memorial cemetery was built in 1951 and the final resting place for over 27,000 allied soldiers who died in the Myanmar Campaign during World War II. Overnight in a hotel in the city.

Today you'll be picked up from the hotel and brought to the domestic airport for your flight from Yangon to Sittwe. Upon arrival you will be welcomed by the local guide and escorted to the hotel. Sittwe is the capital of the Rakhine State and since the town itself is for transit to Mrauk U, it is not a very touristic place but there are some interesting sights to visit.

If you'll have time you'll see Bhaddanta Wannita Museum then you will continue to Sittwe View Point to watch the sunset. Overnight in Sittwe.

After breakfast you'll leave the hotel and drive to Mrauk U by car. It takes around 4 hours driving via Ponna Kyun and Kyauk Taw with beautiful landscapes, rivers and many small towns. On the way to Mrauk U, you can walk and take a short visit to Kyauk Taw Taung Pagoda and Mahamuni Temple and then proceed to Mrauk U.

You will arrive by lunch time, check in to your hotel and have leisure time. Mrauk U is the old capital of the powerful Rakhine kingdom with a 3,000 years old history. In the 16^th century Mrauk U was a large and important free port. Today it is an archaeological complex with several extremely interesting buildings and temples built by sand stones and a good place to explore ancient architecture of Rakhine people.

In the afternoon, you will start sightseeing around Mrauk U city and see Shit-Thaung Temple,  Andaw-Thein Temple and Htaukkhan-Thein Temple. Overnight in hotel in Mrauk U.

Breakfast at the hotel. Today you will continue your sightseeing in Mrauk U and see Koe-Thaung Temple, the semi-destroyed Pisie Paya, Mong-khong Shwegu Pagoda and Sakya Mar-aung Pagoda.

After lunch break, you will continue your tour to Latt-Saykan Gate, an artificial lake with city wall and a gate, Mahabandoola Kyaung, Sanda Muni Buddha Image and Ratna Mar-aung Pagoda. At the end of the day you'll watch the sunset from Shwegu Taung. Overnight in Mrauk U.

After breakfast, you will visit some Chin Villages north of Mrauk U, on the bank of Laymro River.You'll enjoy a boat trip lasting 2 hours and a half: on the way you can enjoy local life and scenic view of each side of the river. You will find the elder ladies who are famous for their completely tattooed faces.

You'll also visit Pan Paung Chin village and Shaw Mae village where you will have a chance to learn more about the local culture, see village houses made of bamboo and enjoy walking through the villages on the hill. Lunch box is highly recommended. Overnight in Mrauk U. 

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the jetty for the boat to Sittwe. The ferry ride takes about five hours and you can enjoy the view along the Kaladan River. Then we will bring you to the airport in Sittwe for your flight to Thandwe. In Thandwe you will be picked up at the airport by a colleague of the resort and proceed to the beach.

There are several beautiful beaches in Myanmar, all ideal for relaxation, but Ngapali is surely the most beautiful and most accessible one via direct flights to Thandwe from Yangon, Nyaung U (Bagan), Sittwe and Heho (Inle Lake).

In Ngapali you will find unspoiled white sandy beaches and crystal-clear water for snorkelling, sailing and wind surfing. Relax in the shade of palm trees, wander along the silver sands and watch the fishermen during their daily catch or just let the breeze from the Bay of Bengal clear your mind. Overnight at Ngapali beach.

In the afternoon you will be brought to Thandwe Airport and fly back to Yangon. You will be transferred to your hotel in Yangon for a last night in the South East Asian Garden City. The rest of the day is free. Overnight in Yangon.

Today your tour ends and you'll leave Yangon. You'll be transferred to Yangon International Airport. Your unforgettable memories of this unique country will accompany you.