8 days / 7 nights Classic tour with extra day in BAGAN

Bagan
Bagan

General information

DurationDestinationDeparture
8 days and 7 nights
Myanmar (Yangon, Bagan, Monywa, Mandalay, Inle Lake)
Myanmar (Yangon)

Description

This tour can be:

- on private basis (daily departures, rates based on 2 person)

PLEASE NOTE!
On the last day, the flight Heho / Rgn (Yangon) arrives in the morning, so it is necessary that to book the international flight for the return of passengers in the AFTERNOON.

Otherwise you will need to spend another night in Yangon. In this case, you can add an extra during the booking process which will include dinner on the last day + overnight at hotel in Yangon with breakfast + transfer to the airport the next day.

Category

 
4 Stelle locali - con pensione Completa (Scheduled Tour)
Full Board
it
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4 Stars / pvt tour (Private Tour)
Full Board
it
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4 Stars acc fly&drive b/b (Private Tour)
Bed & Breakfast
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Program

day 1 – YANGON
Arrival at Yangon International Airport - transfer to hotel (free lunch) - Yangon tour: it was founded in 1755 and is one of the most fascinating cities in Asia. Until 2006 Yangon was also the country's capital, before it was officially moved to a city built from nothing hundreds of kilometers further north and in the middle of the tropical jungle, Naypyidaw. However, it remains one of the most important shopping centers. Much of the exports and imports go through the port of Thilawa, the largest and busiest in Burma. The city has 6 million inhabitants of different Burmese ethnicities who coexist peacefully together with Indians and Chinese, and is a fascinating mix of buildings of different styles: Victorian English, Chinese, Burmese, Indian ... bathed by rivers and with 2 lakes, shady parks and tree-lined avenues from which the pinnacles of the numerous pagodas scattered everywhere stand out. The Burmese population wears the traditional "Longji" (sarong) and women use to embellish their face with a whitish cream, the "tanaka", of vegetable origin. Strand Road, the main street, runs along the Irrawaddy River, which runs through the city and the busy port area, the hub of commerce and communication. The tour that will introduce you to this fascinating city includes: the gigantic reclining Buddha and the Shwedagon Pagoda. A myriad of small pagodas, temples, reliquaries, pavilions and statues frame the mighty central stupa that rises almost one hundred meters, entirely covered with gold foil, and embellished with gems and diamonds in the umbrella on top. The day ends in style with dinner in a typical restaurant, to taste the local specialties. Overnight in Yangon.

day2 – BAGAN – be amazed by discovering "Little Bagan" SALAY !!!
Breakfast, transfer to the airport and flight to Bagan. Arrival in about 1 hour and immediate continuation by private vehicle to Salay, an ancient and colorful religious center about 60 km from Bagan, rarely frequented by tourists, nestled along the Irawaddy river. Here there are numerous ancient monasteries, palaces from the 1800s, solitary pagodas and temple ruins, where it almost seems to be the first to discover them !!
Short stop along the way to admire a peculiarity of nature: a large 200-year-old tamarind that hosts hundreds of small fruit bats among the branches !! Walk to the large local market in Chauk. Upon arrival in Salay, we immediately encounter the cultural heritage wooden monastery "Yoke-Sone-Kyaung" with its spectacular intricate carvings, surrounded by houses from the 1800s. Next to it, the pagoda with the largest hollow Buddha made entirely of lacquer, a masterpiece of Burmese religious art, with a miraculous history. Lunch and relax in a restaurant housed in the restored warehouse of a trading company from 1906, overlooking the river and a beautiful tropical garden. In the afternoon we continue to the picturesque and super-photographed countryside monastery with long passageways of wooden columns. Finally, visit to the "little Bagan" where large pagodas and temple ruins rise abandoned in the countryside, like dreamlike apparitions, in an unreal silence. ... then we take the way back, towards Bagan. Accommodation, dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

day 3 - BAGAN carriage ride among the pagodas ... the famous sunset and dinner with entertainment!
Towards the middle of the 11th century, Bagan, under King Anawrahta (1044-1077), became a unique kingdom starting its golden age, where the Mon culture and especially its form of Theravada Buddhism exercised a dominant influence. The king became a staunch supporter of Theravada ideas and practices by starting a major construction program in support of the new religion. From the reign of Anawrahta, until the conquest by the forces of Kublai Khan in 1287, Bagan has been the vibrant center of a frenetic religious architecture.
Early in the morning transfer to the airport - Yangon / Bagan flight - arrival in about 1 hour. Take advantage of the cooler hours of the day to visit Bagan, the most fascinating place in Burma. It is thought that more than 13,000 temples, pagodas and other religious structures were probably built here, now about 2,000 remain. A unique heritage, among the most significant archaeological sites in Southeast Asia and in the world. Stop at the colorful market in Nyaung-oo, very lively in the morning hours, then visit the splendid Shwezigon pagoda, whose bell-shaped stupa has become the template for all the other pagodas in Burma, followed by a visit to other pagodas and temples among the most important and spectacular, and to the factory of the beautiful lacquer, typical of Bagan, to buy a nice souvenir. Visit of the temple of Ananda, of the particular Manuha temple, you cannot miss the ride with the local buggy in the plain of the pagodas, to conclude with an unforgettable panoramic sunset. Lunch in a local restaurant on the river, dinner in a restaurant with typical Bagan entertainment. Thus ends a memorable day in one of the most important and beautiful archaeological sites in Asia. Overnight stay at a Hotel.

day 4- BAGAN (overland) MONYWA / THE LOCALITY OF MYSTERY - Crossing the Irrawaddy and Chindwin rivers on the new long bridges,
We move away from the more touristy places and go back in time ... to the more genuine and mysterious Myanmar.
Exploring the site of Po Win Daung is like savoring the atmosphere of evocative places in an open-air museum, a sacred place that leaves a moving memory of the discovery of secret treasures hidden from view.

Recommended optional: AT SUNRISE, BALLOON FLIGHT OVER THE PAGODA VALLEY, price on request.
" More than 3,000 elephants worked in the impenetrable forests of Myanmar, recently this commercial activity has been drastically reduced. The government has planned to support about 260 of the weakest elephants, in 18 fields scattered throughout the country. A 15-minute drive from Bagan, in a pleasant area in front of the river, is the Palin Camp, with 8 elephants. Do not miss the opportunity to immerse yourself in nature near these wonderful animals !!!! With the entry fee we contribute to their maintenance.
Departure after breakfast, along the way we stop at the Elephant camp in a pleasant area in front of the river. Continue to Monywa crossing the great Irrawaddy River on the new large bridge over 3 kilometers long. Along the way you can admire the landscapes of Central Burma: crops, villages, and rural life. Arrival in Pakokku, (really genuine local market, the square of the monastery where thanakha woods are sold by the kg, and the manual production of rubber slippers ...) Arrival after about 3 hours on the road. Second breakfast in local restaurant. We then leave for the visit of a spectacular location: Shwe Ba Thaung and Po Win Daung an extraordinary complex with more than 900 caves dug into the hills, which contain many statues of Buddha and well-preserved frescoes with Jataka (religious geometric symbols with stories of Buddha) in vivid colors dating back to the 14th or 18th century. Some scholars have indicated them as the richest collection of murals in all of Southeast Asia, but its history is still mysterious. You explore the caves freely .. here and there, some curious baboons appear. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Monywa.
FRIDAY – MONYWAR – SAGAING - MANDALAY ... a statue of Buddha as tall as a skyscraper!
With surreal views, Monywa is a small Burmese town but has two particular places that will certainly impress us: the Thambodday pagoda with over 500,000 images of Buddha crammed between the walls and ceilings, in splendid colors and with two imposing statues of white elephants guarding it, and the Bodhi Tataung, two huge statues of Buddha with one standing 116 meters (about the height of a skyscraper; the second tallest statue in the world !!) and another reclining 95 meters with the surrounding fields and woods crowded with statues of Buddha sitting in meditation: fantastic!! We then continue to Mandalay, arrival in about 3 hours by road and second breakfast in a local restaurant in Sagaing.
Capital from 1857 to 1885, it is today an important cultural, religious and commercial center of central Myanmar. Here the Burmese capitals alternated after the fall of Bagan, until its fall during the English rule and the adventurous escape of the last Burmese king to India. Various buildings in the city and its surroundings testify to the ancient splendor of the last Burmese kingdom.
The last capital of the Burmese kingdom, it is today the second largest city in the country with a population of around one million. The visit to this city rich in history begins, which includes a visit to the Shwenandaw monastery, with splendid wood inlays, a wonderful example of traditional Burmese art, the only survivor of the buildings of the Royal Palace that were completely destroyed during the Second World War. Then the Kuthodaw Paya, which was the result of a great synod of 2,400 monks, called by King Mindon in 1857 to establish the definitive canon of the oldest original text of the 15 sacred books that passed down the teachings of the Buddha. The text was carved in the language poles on 729 marble slabs. It has been calculated that it would take a person at least eight hours a day for 450 days to read the entire "book". If in time, continue for the panoramic view over the whole city from Mandalay Hill (closes at 6pm). After a busy day of discovery and incredible views, check-in at the hotel, relax, dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Mandalay.


day 5- MANDALAY - MINGUN - MANDALAY - The procession of a thousand monks
After breakfast, the visit of the fascinating Amarapura, the ancient capital, the Mahagandayon monastery begins, where you can witness the procession and the silent community meal of about a thousand monks, a daily activity of Burmese Buddhist life, which will leave you excited. Not far away is the UBein bridge, the longest all-teak bridge in the world where you can take a walk. Continue to the district where they work the marble, to visit the important Mahamuni pagoda with the large statue of the seated Buddha from the Arakhan, covered with votive gold leaves. Walk in the colorful market. Lunch in a local restaurant. Transfer to the pier and, with a local boat, navigation of the Irawaddy River towards Mingun. This river, in the Burmese language, is called the "Elephant River" due to its grandeur. Once off the boat, we will immediately meet the huge MingunPaya or PathoTawgyi. The construction commissioned by King Bodawpaya was begun in 1791 but was never completed. When the sovereign died, everything remained unfinished and the construction stopped at the current height of 49 meters, if completed, it would have reached 150 meters. and would become the largest pagoda in the world, rivaling the great pyramids of Giza. Another notable monument that we will visit is the MyaTheindan Pagoda. Built in 1816 by Prince Bagydaw, successor to the Bodawpaya throne, the structure is dedicated to his first wife, Princess Hsinbume, the "white elephant princess". The architectural style that develops in seven white and wavy terraces represents the seven mountain ranges that surround Mount Meru, the center of the universe in Buddhist cosmology. Return to Mandalay for dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight stay in Mandalay.

day 6 - INLE LAKE - IN THE SHAN STATE - the magic of INLE lake, life on stilts!
Inle Lake is a shallow mirror of water, about twenty kilometers in length and about ten at its widest point. It is clear, and particularly suggestive due to various environmental factors, the serenity of the people and the sweetness of the views. In this exceptional place, the 80,000 inhabitants of the Intha ethnic group, which means "Children of Water", live, work, study, pray: all on the water!
Transfer to the airport and short flight from Mandalay to Heho, in the Shan state, on the border with Thailand, known as the "Burmese Switzerland" for the beautiful mountain landscapes. Arrival and continuation to the Inle lake via panoramic route, arrival in about 1 hour. We embark on a motorboat and start the Tour of the Inle lake, with second breakfast in a restaurant on the lake: the lake is very beautiful and extremely picturesque! You meet a world of its own, of a unique population, that of the Intha, who live on the lake's waters. The fishermen row with their legs and fish with a special conical pot. They cultivate with the particular system of floating gardens built with mud and water hyacinths and anchored to the bottom with bamboo poles. Visit the Nga Pha Kyaung monastery once famous for monk-trained cats, the Intha villages built on water, and the large Phaung Daw U Kyaung pagoda, the most important in Shan State. Dinner and overnight stay in a hotel on the lake.

day 7 - RETURN TO YANGON AND DEPARTURE (AFTERNOON)
Transfer to the airport and flight to Yangon. The visit to the city of Yangon ends in time with the international departure. Second breakfast in local restaurant, transfer to the airport for departure.

Itinerary

Day Overnight Itinerary highlights
1 Yangon   Yangon - Aeroporto internazionale di Yangon (RGN)
2 Bagan
3 Bagan
4 Monywa
5 Mandalay
6 Mandalay
7 Inle Lake
8   Inle Lake

Accommodations provided in each place

To be advised