Myanmar Classic Tour
Overview
- Active Adventure
- Culture & Heritage
Day 1: Arrival in Yangon
Day 2: Yangon – Mandalay Ancient Capital
Day 3: Mandalay – Mandalay Royal Palace
Day 4: Madalay – Pyin Oo Lwin – Mandalay
Day 5: Mandalay – Monywa – Po Win Daung – Monywa
Day 6: Monywa – Pakkoku – Bagan
Day 7: Bagan Temple Plain
Day 8: Bagan Local Life
Day 9: Bagan – Heho – Pindaya Sightseeing
Day 10: Pindaya – Kalaw Trekking Day
Day 11: Heho – Inle Lake Sightseeing
Day 12: Inle Lake – In Dein
Day 13: Heho – Yangon – Golden Rock
Day 14: Golden Rock – Bago – Yangon
Day 15: Departure Yangon
Customizable itinerary
Mingalabar! Welcome to Yangon, Myanmar.
Upon arrival at Yangon Airport, your private guide and driver are waiting to meet you, holding up a welcome signboard with your names on it and take you directly to your hotel in the downtown. While every effort is made to have your room available upon arrival, check-in time is at 02:00 pm; your room may or may not be ready before this time. Your tour guide will provide additional details regarding your stay, and you will be able to ask any questions you may have. The rest of the day is at leisure.
If we arrive in the morning, we have time to visit the world-famous golden Shwedagon Pagoda in the afternoon, a breath-taking and colorful sight visited by Buddhists from all over Myanmar.
Evening culture show with dinner at Karaweik palace in Kandawgyi Park
Overnight in Yangon.
Meals: (_/_/D)

Early morning transfer to Yangon’s Mingaladon Airport for the flight to Mandalay.
Upon arrival, our tour guide and private car pick up from the airport for a full day sightseeing. The day begins with a visit to the 18th-century capital, Amarapura. Attend the daily meal of over a thousand monks at the country’s largest monastery Mahagandayon. Visit a silk weaving workshop, the craft specialty of Amarapura.
Proceed to Ava, the capital from 14th to 18th centuries and visit by horse and carriage the old wooden Bagaya Monastery and the remains of the Royal Palace and fort.
In the afternoon cross the bridge over the Irrawaddy River and continue to Sagaing. Covered with 600 white-painted pagodas and monasteries, Sagaing Hill is widely regarded as the religious center of Myanmar and is home to 3,000 monks and 100 meditation centers.
Finish the day with a walk at sunset over the 200-year-old U Bein Bridge, constructed entirely from teak.
Overnight in Mandalay.
Meals: (B/L/_)


After breakfast, transfer to the jetty and board private chartered boat for a cruise over the Irrawaddy River towards the former capital of Mingun. After a 45-minute cruise, arrive in Mingun famous for its huge unfinished pagoda also home to the Mingun Bell, considered as the world’s largest uncracked ringing bell. Also, visit the beautiful white Hsinbyume Pagoda.
Return Mandalay for lunch.
In the afternoon visit the Kuthodaw Pagoda with its 729 marble stone slabs of Buddhist scriptures (known as the world’s biggest book), Shwenandaw Monastery, noted for its exquisite woodcarving and the impressive Kyauktawgyi Pagoda with it’s huge sitting Buddha.
Enjoy the sunset from Mandalay Hill.
Overnight Mandalay.
Meals: (B/L/_)


Drive-up into the hills from Mandalay (80km, about 2 hours) for a full day visit of Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo), a former British hill station. Visit the local market and drive through the charming town in a horse-drawn ‘stagecoach’, giving you the chance to admire the red brick and half-timbered houses, complete with English-style gables, turrets, and chimneys.
In the afternoon, visit the tiny Forestry Museum (if open) and the National Botanical Kandawgyi Gardens, which were laid out by Sir Harcourt Butler, a former Governor of Burma – the flower beds are similar to those you would find in an English country garden! Take a short jungle walk on a wooden walkway in the gardens. Then drive back to Mandalay.
Overnight in Mandalay.
Meals: (B/L/_)


Leave Mandalay for a 3-hour drive to Monywa, a typical Burmese town on the banks of the Chindwin River.
On the way, visit Thanboddhay Pagoda, where more than 500,000 Buddha images cover every wall and archway of this huge Buddhist temple. Also visit Boditahtaung Pagoda and the largest reclining Buddha image in Myanmar, 100m long and 27m high.
Then cross the Chindwin River by ferry, proceed to Po Win Daung by local open jeep. This extraordinary complex consists of 947 sandstone caves dug out of the hills and contains what is considered by archaeologists to be the richest collection of mural paintings and Buddhist statues in South East Asia. Recently opened to foreigners, Po Win Daung with its unique, precious frescoes, some dating from the early 17th century, is a must to see for anyone with an interest in Buddhist Arts.
A few hundred meters from the caves is Shwe Ba Daung, another very interesting site where monasteries and temples are carved out rocky narrow cliffs.
Return to Monywa.
Overnight in Monywa.
Meals: (B/L/_)

After breakfast at the hotel, leave Monywa along the rarely visited east bank of the river passing traditional villages where farmers climb the palm trees to extract the juice from which they produce palm tree sugar.
Stop in Pakkangyi to visit one of the oldest surviving wooden monasteries in Myanmar. Continue 20 km south to Pakokku. A lively, typical Burmese city with a strong craftwork tradition producing colorful woven blankets, paper-mâché toys, and the traditional sandals.
Continue by boat and cross the river to arrive in Bagan at the end of the day.
Overnight in Bagan.
Meals: (B/L/_)

After breakfast at the hotel morning sightseeing of Bagan features the colorful Nyaung Oo Market, the Shwezigon Pagoda, and its magnificent golden stupa, Wetkyi-In Gubyaukgyi, a cave temple with exquisite jatakas murals paintings and the elegant Htilominlo Temple noted for its fine plaster carvings and glazed sandstone decorations.
In the afternoon, visit Ananda, an architectural masterpiece of the early-style temple with two original standing Buddha images whose facial expression change depending on the distance the statue is viewed from. The Ananda Okkyaung is one of the few surviving brick monasteries from the early Bagan period and the next temple to be visited, Thatbyinnyu, is the highest in Bagan, rising to 61 meters.
End the day with a horse and carriage tour among the temples passing by the traditional village of Taungbi, Sulamani Temple, and the massive Dhammayangyi Temple noted for its remarkable brickwork.
Enjoy the sunset on the mighty Irrawaddy river by slow cruise.
Overnight in Bagan.
Meals: (B/L/_)

Optional: In the early morning, we take a sunrise Balloon flight over the plains of Bagan. From above looking down, Bagan is beautiful as a watercolor picture. Along two banks of the gentle Ayeyarwady River are small villages hiding in the bamboo trees. The top of golden pagodas glistens under the sunlight. The flight surely gives you an interesting and unheard-of experience of the country of Myanmar.
After breakfast at the hotel, proceed to Myinkaba village and observe the process of traditional lacquerware, one of the best-known Myanmar handicrafts and a specialty of Bagan. Visit the monuments of Myinkaba village, Gubyaukkhi, an early period Pyu-style temple of Hindu influence with some of the oldest mural paintings in Bagan, Manuha, and Nanpaya temples.
In the afternoon, enjoy an excursion to the countryside village Shwe Hlaing and enjoy the local cooking school restaurant before the visit of Minnanthu, and the least visited temple area in Bagan. Observe the local farmers‘way of life together with a visit to some of the most interesting temples such as Payathonzu, with its unusual architecture and Tantric Buddhism influence, Lemyethna, and Nandamannya temples.
Enjoy the sunset from the top watching sunset area.
Overnight in Bagan.
Meals: (B/L/_)


In the morning transfer to the airport for the flight to Heho.
From Heho, enjoy a scenic drive to Pindaya through the picturesque countryside of Shan State. Visit Pindaya’s limestone cave with its maze of chambers displaying more than 8,000 Buddha statues and local handicraft workshops producing Shan Paper made from mulberry bark and traditional umbrellas made from the same paper that is used by monks all around the country.
Overnight in Pindaya.
Meals: (B/L/_)
After breakfast, take 2 hours drive to Kalaw, the hill station that remains the charm of British Colonial with styled houses and gardens. Reach the junction of the trekking way.
After 30 minutes walk, you will cross the rain forest and reservoir. Near the reservoir, you can see the various kinds of tropical birds. After the forest and a 2 hours walk, you will reach Hin Khar Gone (Palaung) village. On the way, you can see the cheroot leaf, Orange trees, and some tea leaf garden.
One hour walk you can see the railway road and after cross the railway road you reach the Myin Sine Gone (Danu) village.
Lunch at Myin Sine Gone and excursion in the village. If you are lucky, you can see the cherry flowers, between December and February. At that time so many cherry flower are blooming on the trees.
After lunch go back to Kalaw by another way (30min), later you maybe reach to the railway station of Myin Taik and then proceed to the Kalaw
Overnight in Kalaw.
Meals: (B/L/_)

From Kalaw, enjoy a scenic drive to Inle Lake, one of Myanmar’s best-known sights. The Intha people, a tribe of Mon descent, mostly inhabit the lakeshores and floating villages.
On arrival at Nyaung Shwe village, transfer by boat to start a sightseeing tour of Inle Lake including a chance to see the leg-rowing fishermen. Continue to see the floating gardens, built up from strips of water hyacinth and mud and anchored to the bottom with bamboo poles. There are also floating villages like Ywama, the lake’s downtown, where a floating market is held every five days.
In the afternoon continue visit to Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the weaving village of Inpawkhon and the Jumping Cat monastery. Check-in at the hotel in the afternoon.
Overnight at Inle Lake/ Nyaung Shwe.
Meals: (B/L/_)

After breakfast, excursion by motorized boat to In Dein, an off-the-beaten-track site in the south of the lake. The boat leaves the lake and enters a narrow canal with a beautiful natural environment to continue to a small Pa O tribe village.
From the market place of the village, follow an old covered path to a 13th-century monastery and the very impressive ruins of hundreds of ancient pagodas, some hidden in the vegetation. The main stupa-area on the top of the hill offers breath-taking views over the surrounding mountains and down to the valley and the lake in the far distance.
Return to the lake and finish the visits to the lake in the afternoon.
Overnight at Inle Lake/ Nyaung Shwe.
Meals: (B/L/_)

After breakfast, transfer from Nyaung Shwe to Heho airport for a morning flight back to Yangon.
Upon arrival Yangon, enjoy a scenic journey by road to Kyaikhtiyo, 190km to the east. One of Myanmar’s great pilgrimage sites is the Golden Rock at Kyaikhtiyo, a huge boulder covered by gold leaf and delicately balanced on the edge of a cliff. The pagoda at the Golden Rock is said to hold a hair of the Buddha.
Late morning, arrive at Kyaikhtiyo base camp and transfer to the transit junction with one of the small open trucks in a 1-hour ride.
After lunch, start an easy one-hour walk up to the Golden Rock and enjoy the sunset from this unforgettable site.
Overnight in Kyaikhtiyo.
Meals: (B/L/_)


After breakfast, return to the base-camp by open truck and head in the direction of Yangon for 110km to Bago, an ancient capital dating back to the 6th century.
Sightseeing in Bago includes the beautiful 55 meters long reclining Buddha called Shwethalyaung and the Mon style Shwemawdaw Pagoda, one of the most venerated in Myanmar. Its spire stands 114m high and is taller even than the Shwedagon Pagoda. Visit also the old Palace “Kambozathadi” and the huge 4 sitting Buddha’s “Kyaikpun”.
Return by road to Yangon, visiting the Allied War Cemetery near Htaukkyan, the final resting place for over 27,000 allied soldiers, and a local woven bamboo factory.
Transfer back to Yangon at the end of the day.
Overnight in Yangon.
Meals: (B/L/_)


After breakfast finish the tour with a visit to downtown Yangon with its faded colonial atmosphere, Sule Pagoda, Mahabandoola Park, India town and bustling Chinatown.
Visits continue to Myanmar’s holiest monument, the Shwedagon Pagoda with its golden stupa covered with 60 tons of pure gold leaf.
In the afternoon there is free time for shopping at Bogyoke Market, formerly Scott’s Market before transferring to Mingaladon Airport for onward flight.
End of services.
Meals: (B/_/_)
Useful Information
This tour is built upon our firsthand knowledge & experience, offering you the best choices available. The price of this trip varies depending on the number of people in your party, dates of departure, and availability of ground services. Please click on REQUEST A FREE QUOTE (above) and supply the required information, enabling us to send you your personalized quote within 24 hours!
Note: Amendments CAN be made to this tour to suit your requirements.
What’s Included?
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- Accommodation with daily breakfast at selected hotels
- Private Vehicles and Drivers
- Private English Speaking Guides (Other languages if available, upon request)
- Meals as mentioned in the itinerary (B= Breakfast, L= Lunch, D= Dinner)
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- Domestic flights within Myanmar
- Entrance fees for all mentioned sights visited
- Service Charge & Government Taxes
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What’s Not Included?
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- Your International Flights to and from Myanmar
- Myanmar entry Visa Fees (contact us for further information)
- Personal Expenses (such as laundry, telephone, drinks, etc.)
- Any bank fees or charges at your end
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- Meals other than those mentioned in the itinerary
- Personal Travel Insurance
- Tips for guides and drivers
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Free service. No credit card required
Reviews on Our Service
We are committed to giving our customers unforgettable experiences in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and beyond, not just something staged for tourists. Read reviews written by our customers about their experiences in Indochina after they have returned home. These include the ratings and comments on attractions, guides, activities, hotels and food.
Vietnam Luxury Vacation Review: Sightseeing, Culture, 12-Day Travel
Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Sightseeing, Rice Fields, Boat Rides, 18-Day Trip
We started searching for our tour for Vietnam / Cambodia back in October 2022 to start the tour in the first week of January 2023. We selected this travel agency, and contact name provided to us was Elly. She was extraordinary with her communication with us. Excellent English speaking language capability & excellent in communication on Whats app and email communication. We went back & forth few times to arrange the tour we wanted. She was very accommodating in arranging our schedule. We requested automobile tour for both countries, just for two of us.
We requested SUV FOR OUR COMFORT AND WE GOT IT!
We requested to get the high end hotel in each city and she gave us choices and not only that but send videos of each hotel for each City and then waited for us to decide which hotel we select. All the Hotels turned out to be one of the best we would expect to be. M/s Elly, personally came to visit with us on the evening of our first day tour. Very respectful and asked if she could do anything for us.I had requested before in our communication, if she would arrange for power converter for us, since my camera chargers are all in 110. So brought two power converters for us! Something, not everyone will do this kind of service. So all the kiddos to her!
as to the drivers in each city were very courteous, very professional and very careful in how and where they have to do driving.
our Guides in each city were so friendly, courteous and knowledgeable in where ever we visited. How ever wish two guides in Hue An and Ho Chi Minh City spoke English more clearly.
We only wish we had one extra day in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, , however, there is so much to see in the world! Perhaps next time will visit Vietnam.
As to Cambodia, same thing to express about site seeing and our Guide and drivers. Guides and drivers really made our travel thro’ the countries where we do not speak that language, made it so comfortable and enjoyable.
Outstanding!
Hi Lam…hope you don’t mind me contacting you directly. My wife Barb & I (Paul) have just arrived home after completing a great tour of Vietnam which was organised through your company Asia Pioneer Travel.
We want to tell you personally how impressed were were with the level of service that we received…it was amazing and the best that we have experienced anywhere. After we made initial contact with you, you handed us over to Chloe to arrange the trip which she did in very quick time and the amount of detail that she went to was fantastic. From the moment that we walked out of Hanoi airport on arrival to see our guide waiting, we knew that we were in for a great trip. The drivers & guides were fantastic and Chloe was in contact by email constantly making sure that everything was going to plan & that we were happy. At one stage we need to vary the itinerary by extending accommodation & changing air tickets and Chloe did that without any fuss or bother.
We also met some wonderful Vietnamese people along the way and Ive got to say that they are our kind of people, very generous & friendly.
Enough of my ramblings, thanks for a great visit to Vietnam, and a special thank you to Chloe for looking after us in such a terrific manner…she is a very special caring lady.
Kind regards & I hope that we have the opportunity to use Asia Pioneer Travel again….Paul & Barb Little from Newcastle Australia
Superbly organised and very flexible
We travelled to Vietnam for two weeks, booking the whole trip through Lizzie at Asia Pioneer, including hotels, excursions, trips, guides and internal flights. Lizzie was so helpful and flexible, accommodating changes to our schedule until the last minute, especially as we missed our connecting flight in Dubai and arrived a day later than planned (our fault). Nothing was too much trouble, including getting my wallet back to me after I left it in the car taking us to the airport.
We started in Hanoi in the North and worked our way south to Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon), taking in Ha Long with its amazing sea stacks and sleeping on a boat, then to Sa Pa on the overnight sleeper train from Hanoi, with its wonderful countryside and rice terraces. Afterwards, we went to Hoi An for three days of relaxation. Hoi An probably my favourite place and three days are enough to cover it. Then onto Hue, the original capital, my least favourite place and then finally on to HMC, which was a real contrast to the North.
The 3-star hotels that Lizzie picked were very good and comfortable, and the guides were very knowledgeable. I would definitely use Asia Pioneer again for future Asia trips.