9-Day Myanmar Highlights Tour: Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, Inle Lake

Being isolated for so many years, Myanmar remains a land of less-touched highlights. Today you will arrive in Yangon Mingaladon Airport and be greeted by your private tour guide and driver. Transfer to hotel for rest.

Nowadays, many locals still stick to its formerly-known name as Burma; give yourself a chance to learn how the history has made the country as the way it is.
Hop on Yangon Circular Train in the morning. It is the fundamental transport means for people in Yangon to get around. During the 30 minutes of slow riding, you will be exposed to interesting daily life and different people from various social classes. Private car will pick you up at a small station and take you to the National Museum.
Have some local cuisine for lunch. Proceed to Chaukhtatyi Paya, where a giant Buddha image reclining on the ground. Stop at Aung San Suu Kyi House, where she has been held captive for over 15 years.
Despite its modest scale, U Thant House offers a comprehensive insight at the former UN secretary's life. When sky turns dark, here comes the best time to visit Shwedagon Pagoda.

The glittering Shwedagon Pagoda is the landmark of Yangon

Take a morning flight to Mandalay. Check in hotel and have some time to rest. Our sightseeing tour starts in the afternoon, after a lunch on at a local restaurant.
Mandalay is a city breathing the air of Buddhism and our first stop will be Shwenandaw Monastery. This exquisite monastery used to be a part of the royal palace and a textbook example of royal teak wood architecture.
Saunter in the ground of Kuthodaw Pagoda and the World's Largest Book and your tour guide will explain some scripture carved in the tablets of the "book". As the sun slowly dims out, you will get onto the top of the Mandalay Hill and enjoy a sunset view of the city.

White chambers housing important Buddhism scriptures at Kuthdow Pagoda

Hope you had a good sleep last night. Today we will start early at 4 o' clock in the morning to watch the "Face-Washing Ceremony" at Mahamuni Pagoda.
Every morning before the sun even rises, local believers will offer fresh towels, food and other items brought from their homes to the deity. The presiding monk will firstly wash the face of the Buddha image, followed by one sequence of brushing its teeth and apply some sandalwood paste on the Buddha's face before cleaning again with scented water. The devotee who brings the towel gets to take it back to his own home shrine after the ritual is over.
After the ritual, you will return to your hotel for breakfast. Afterwards, we will set out on the road to Amarapura. On the way, you will see monks getting around the villages to collect alms, which contributes their daily austerities and food.
Driving out of Mandalay, you will be in time to visit Mahagandayon Monastery when thousands of monks waiting in line for their lunch. Most tourists come at 10:30am and the place gets really crowded. We will pick a later hour to visit to avoid the crowd. What's more, you will have a chance to offer alms to those young noivices at the back of the line, who rarely get any alms when the big crowd clears away before noon.
Inwa Ancient City, was the imperial city of Burma from the 14th to 19th centuries. Take a horse cart to get around the ancient city with many royal remains and religous sites, including Ava Palace, Maha Aungmye Bonzan Monastery and Yadana Hsimi Pagodas.
Getting back to Amarapura, you will take a boat trip under the U Bein Bridge for a breath-taking sunset view.

Monks waiting in line to get their lunch in Mahagandayon Monastery

Take an early flight to Nyaung U Airport and transfer to your hotel in Bagan.
This afternoon, we will stretch out to Minanthu Village, a peaceful village about 7km southeast of Bagan. It sees fewer travelers and remains a quiet village where people make a living by tradition handcrafts such as lacquer ware and weaving. You will also see some Chin women who tattoo their faces as a way to distinguish their group, social and marital status and possibly age.
Later, visit Kyat Khayon Cave Monastery. This underground monastery is located outside the old Bagan and was built to isolate the monks and novices from the outside world for better training.

An old Chin woman smoking a big cigar in Bagan

Listed as a World Heritage Site, Bagan Archaeological Zone is simply astonishing with its over 2,200 ruins scattering on the vast plain of Bagan. There used to be more than 10,000 in its day of prime and most are of 10 centuries old. Some are large and tall while others are hidden among the grass and hard to spot out.
Today you will visit Ananda Pagoda, Dhammayangyi Pagoda, Maha Bodhi Pagoda and possibility to get around by bike. At dusk, you will get up to one of the pagodas to view amazing sunset over the plain.
The best sunset viewing points, allowing a panoramic view of the archaeological zone would be Shwesandaw Pagoda and Pyathatgyi Pagoda. Shwesandaw is very popular among tourists while Pyathatgyi offers you a chance to get inside the pagoda.
* Optional: Hot Air Balloon Flight:
Flying up in the sky, overlooking all the temples at sunrise, a 1-hour hot air balloon ride can be something special to tell your friends back home. It is available for booking during October to next March, morning time schedule every day and sunset flight upon request.

Bagan plains dotted with pagodas at dusk

After some free time in the morning, you will be taken to Nyaung U Airport for onward flight to Heho Airport, 40 minutes away to Inle Lake. Transfer to your hotel and free at leisure. In the afternoon, we will take a boat trip in Inle Lake to observe local life.
Boat is the premier means of transportation in Inle Lake. Although most boats are installed with noisy diesel motors, the local fishermen still prefer an old-school rowing technique. They stand at the stern of the flat-bottomed boat and wrap one leg around the oar to direct the boat, while the other leg is to control the hull of the boat. In this way, not only can they see across the water to avoid twining weeds and gardening beds, but also easier to spot the telltable bubbles of fish.

Fishermen in Inle Lake waiting for tell-tale of fish

Get a touch of the vibrant lifestyle of Inle Lake, today your tour guide will take you to a local market in a village of the lake. Known as the 5-Day Market, trade fair will be held in some major villages around lakeshore following a 5-day rotation.
We will have some simple lunch at a floating restaurant overlooking the busy lake traffic.
And then, paddle into the narrow riverbanks where you will reach the Indien Pagoda Complex. The biggest highlight of the peaceful village Indien of Tuangyi. There are countless ancient pagodas springing out of the water. It is so easy to get soaked up in the timeless atmosphere as your boat weaves through the creeks.

Indien Pagodas

Say goodbye to the peaceful lake and you will be taken to Heho Airport. Fly back to Yangon and connect with your international flight.
Thanks for making your first-time trip to Myanmar with Asia Highlights. Hope to see you again soon!