Z - Classic Tour with arrival in Mandalay

Description

Program

Day 1: - Mandalay (Morning Arrival)
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 domination and the adventurous escape of the last Burmese King in 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, before the British occupation decreed its end, sending the unfortunate King Thibaw into exile, is today the second city of the country with a population of around one million. Arrival at the airport in Mandalay. Transfer to the hotel and time to relax. Second free breakfast. In the afternoon the visit begins with a stop at the artisans workshops of puppets and tapestries, the visit to the Shwenandaw monastery, with beautiful wooden inlays, a wonderful example of traditional Burmese art, the only survivor of the buildings of the Royal Palace 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 handed down the teachings of the Buddha. The text was carved in pali language on 729 marble slabs. It has been calculated that to read the whole "book" a person would take at least eight hours a day for 450 days. Continue to the panoramic view of the whole city from the hill of Mandalay. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Mandalay.

Day 2: - Amarapura - Mingun - Mandalay
After breakfast, you will immediately visit the fascinating Amarapura, the ancient capital, the Mahagandayon monastery where we witness the procession and silent community meal of about a thousand monks, the U Bein bridge, the longest teak bridge in the world on which to stroll. Then you can admire, from a vantage point, the magnificent panorama of the hills of Sagaing, dotted with temples and pagodas. Continue to the neighborhood where the marble works, where you visit the important Mahamuni pagoda with the large statue of the seated Buddha from Arakhan, covered with sheets of votive gold. Walk in the colorful street market. Lunch in a local restaurant. Continue to Mandalay, transfer to the pier. Excursion by local boat to Mingun, an ancient royal city. Along the banks of the river there are views and scenes of river life. Visit the archaeological area of ​​Mingun which includes the immense unfinished pagoda, the largest bell in the world, weighing 90 tons, and the Myatheindan pagoda, built with special white coils, symbolizing mythological mountains. Return to Mandalay. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight in Mandalay.

Day 3: - Inle lake - shan state - The remote pagungs of taung tho (inle east coast) Exclusive!
due to different environmental factors, the serenity of the people and the sweetness of the landscapes. In this exceptional place the 80,000 inhabitants of the Intha ethnic group that means "Sons of Water" live, work, study, pray: all on water!
Transfer to the airport and a short flight from Mandalay to Heho, in the Shan state, on the border with Thailand, called "Burmese Switzerland" for the beautiful mountain landscapes. Arrival and continuation of the Inle lake through a panoramic route, arriving in about 1 hour. You embark on motolance and immediately start the Inle Lake Tour, with breakfast in a restaurant on the lake: the lake is very beautiful and extremely picturesque!
It meets a world of itself, of a unique population, that of the Intha, who lives on the waters of the lake, and the lake draws life. You can see the fishermen rowing with the leg and fishing with a special conical lobster, floating gardens built with mud and water hyacinths and anchored to the bottom with bamboo poles. We visit the famous Nga Pha Kyaung monastery once used for monk-trained cats, the Intha villages built on water, and the great Phaung Daw U Kyaung pagoda, the most important of the Shan State. Dinner and overnight.

Day 4: - Inle - Monte Popa - Bagan
After breakfast departure for the whole day overland, which leads from the Shan State to the arid plains of the Burmese Center, you can admire interesting views, stop at Mount Popa considered the home of the Nat spirits. Then in the evening we reach Bagan, dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 5: - Bagan
Towards the middle of the 11th century Bagan, under King Anawrahta (1044-1077), became a unique kingdom beginning its golden age, where the Mon culture and above all its form of Theravada Buddhism exerted a dominant influence. The king became a staunch supporter of Theravada ideas and practices by starting a program of major constructions to support the new religion. From the reign of Anawrahta, to the conquest by the forces of Kublai Khan in 1287, Bagan was the vibrant center of a frenetic religious architecture.
Take advantage of the coolest hours of the day to visit Bagan, the most fascinating place in Burma. It is thought that probably more than 13,000 temples, pagodas and other religious structures have been built here, now there are about 2,000 remaining. A unique heritage, among the most significant archaeological sites of Southeast Asia and the world. In 2002 it was awarded the status of World Heritage. Two main types of historical architectural structures can be found in the Bagan area. The pagoda, or stupa (in Burmese Zedi) is one of the main Buddhist monuments. Originally a pile of stones became a funeral monument, then acquired cosmic symbolism of the Buddha containing his relics. The other is the temple, or pahto, which can take a variety of forms.
The temples (gu) were inspired by the caves carved by Buddhists in the rock in India. They were larger, multi-storey buildings, places of worship that included richly frescoed corridors with sacred images and statues. You can not miss a stop at the colorful market in Nyaung-oo, very lively in the morning hours, then visit the beautiful Shwezigon pagoda, whose bell-shaped stupa has become the prototype 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 beautiful lacquer factory, typical of Bagan. Visit the temple of Ananda, of the particular Manuha temple, until it ends with an unforgettable panoramic sunset at the top of a pagoda. Lunch in a local restaurant on the river, dinner in a typical restaurant with show. Overnight at Hotel.

Day 6: - Bagan - Yangon
The great Shwedagon pagoda is also called "the golden mountain", almost 100 m high, covered by 2 tons of gold, stands on a hill of 60 m. visible from all over the city, and the umbrella at its top is covered with thousands of precious stones. In 1920 Somerset Maugham described it as follows: "The Shwedagon stands proud, shimmering in its gold, like a sudden hope in the dark night of the soul".

Transfer to airport and flight to Yangon - Yangon tour with lunch included in local restaurant during visits: it was founded in 1755 and is one of the most fascinating Asian cities. The city has 6 million inhabitants of different Burmese ethnic groups living peacefully together with Indians and Chinese, and is a fascinating mix of constructions of different styles: English from the Victorian period, Chinese, Burmese, Indian riverside and with 2 lakes, parks shady and tree-lined avenues from which stand the pinnacles of the numerous pagodas scattered everywhere. The Burmese population wears the traditional "Longji" (sarong) and the women use to embellish the face with a whitish cream, the "tanaka", of vegetable origin.
The Strand Road, the main street, runs along the Irrawaddy River, which runs through the city and the bustling port area, the hub of commerce and communication. The tour includes: the gigantic reclining Buddha and the Shwedagon pagoda. A myriad of small pagodas, temples, reliquaries, pavilions and statues frame the powerful central stupa that rises for almost a hundred meters, entirely covered with gold leafs, and embellished with gems and diamonds in the umbrella on the top. Dinner in a typical restaurant, and overnight in Yangon.

Day 7: - Yangon
After breakfast, transfer to the airport and departure.

Price includes

- Tour with local Italian speaking guide
- Accommodation in hotels mentioned or similar
- Internal flights of private airline Air Bagan or similar
- Porterage at airports (1 suitcase per person)
- Meals as scheduled
- Transfers, visits, entrances to the indicated places, by private means.

Price does not include

- International boarding fee
- Drinks
- Tipping
- Extra personal
- Insurance
- Visa
- Supplement Christmas and New Year's Eve
- Anything is not mentioned in the quote included

Itinerary

Accommodations provided in each place

To be advised