Myanmar Essence

Handcrafted Travel
Daily Departure

Overview

  • Day 1: Arrival Mandalay – Visit Mandalay Hill
  • Day 2: Mandalay City tour
  • Day 3: Mandalay – Ayeyarwady River Cruise – Mingun
  • Day 4: River Cruise – Sagaing – Yandabo Village – Downstream to Sagaing
  • Day 5: Ayeyarwady River Cruise – Bagan
  • Day 6: Bagan – Chauk – Salay
  • Day 7: Bagan – Flight to Heho/ Nyaung Shwe – Transfer to Inle Lake
  • Day 8: Inle Lake – Indein
  • Day 9: Nyaung Shwe – Transfer to Heho – Flight to Yangon – Shwedagon Pagoda
  • Day 10: Yangon – Train Ride – Sule Pagoda – Colonial Walking Tour
  • Day 11: Yangon – Departure

Customizable itinerary

This ‘Myanmar Essence’ will show you the highlights of this wonderful country in 11 days. Starting from Mandalay, you will tour around the city to visit the most sacred pagodas and then hop on a river cruise to Bagan – the mecca of ancient temples. After exploring its major attractions, it’s time to travel to Inle Lake. You will go on a private boat trip around the lake for sightseeing and to the local villages to learn more about their life here. Fly to Yangon, where you will visit some of the most spectacular pagodas in Myanmar and enjoy a colonial walking tour to explore the charm of this city.

Upon your arrival in Mandalay, get welcomed by your tour guide and transferred to your hotel for check-in. This evening, enjoy a commanding overview of the city from Mandalay Hill.

Overnight in Mandalay


Morning
Visit Mahamuni Pagoda, the second most sacred image in Myanmar next to the Shwedagon Pagoda. Continue to visit local artisan’s workshops of gold leaf making, woodcarving and marble carving. Next, visit Golden Palace Monastery famous for its intricate woodcarvings.

Afternoon
After lunch, continue to the Kuthodaw Pagoda, which is known as the world largest book due to the Buddhist scripture carved on 729 marble slabs. Before sunset visit a 200-year-old teak bridge, the most photographic site in Myanmar.

Overnight in Mandalay
Meals: (Breakfast/_/_)



Morning
After breakfast at the hotel, enjoy your day at leisure until transfer to the jetty. The embarkation time is at 12.00 hrs at Gawein jetty. Then, enjoy welcome cocktails in the saloon.
Upstream to Mingun

Afternoon
Lunch will be served at 13.00. The sailing time is about 2 hrs. Your English speaking manager (or your private guide) will assist the guests during the visit of the Mingun Pagoda Complex.
Moor Overnight at a sandbank mid-stream. After dinner, guests can enjoy a dance and drama performance by the Mandalay Arts School on the sundeck (if available).

Overnight on board
Meals: (Breakfast/_/_)


Early in the morning, cruise downstream. During the 2 hour journey, passengers can admire the natural beauty of the river and the life on its banks while relaxing on the sundeck or just sitting outside their own cabin. Enjoy the sunrise over Sagaing Hill.

Morning
You will go ashore to visit Sagaing with the assistance of your Ship Manager or their own guide.

Downstream to Bagan. Cast off time is at 11.15 hrs and then lunch.

Afternoon
You will stop at Yandabo, a village specializing in pot-making and where the peace treaty of the First Anglo-Burmese war was signed on Feb. 24, 1826. Cruise all day and moor overnight near the river village of Shwe Nann Tint.

Overnight on board
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)

Proceed downriver to Bagan early in the morning. After breakfast (if time permits) you will visit another typical river village.

Check-Out Time
Enjoy the sunrise near Bagan. Disembark at Aye Yar jetty around 10.15 hrs. Then your private guide and driver will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel to check in. The rest of the day will be free at your leisure.

Overnight in Bagan
Meals: (Breakfast/_/_)


Morning
Begin with a drive south, parallel to the Irrawaddy River, en route to Salay. After one hour, you’ll make a stop in Chauk which has a colorful morning market to explore. Few tourists visit this market and it is a great place for local interaction and photos.

Continue to Salay (30 minutes) an important center of Buddhism in Myanmar with many active monasteries. Salay, many years ago, created its own unique style of Bagan-era architecture. While visiting Salay you will learn more about monastic life, Burmese Buddhism and this unique architectural style as you visit several sites including Yoke Sone Kyaung monastery, one of the oldest wooden halls in the area.

Afternoon
Wind our way back to Bagan. The remainder of the day will be free at your leisure.

Overnight in Bagan
Meals: (Breakfast/_/_)

After breakfast, fly to Heho, a gateway to Inle Lake. From Heho drive to NyaungShwe where you board your boat & transfer to your hotel for check in. Enjoy the full-day tour by private boat in Inle lake. Visit the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the holiest religious site in southern Shan State. Be amazed by the local handicrafts, silk weaving, wooden handlooms and traditional blacksmith methods along the way.

Visiting Inle Lake is not just about being on the water, but also about discovering the Shan and Intha villages on the banks of the river. Pass the endless floating gardens, houses, monasteries built on stilts on the lake. Proceed to the village of Nampan and see a local cheroot factory (where the Burmese cigars are made) and canoe carving.

Overnight in NyaungShwe
Meals: (Breakfast/_/_)


Begin your day with a visit to a market. This market, which rotates locations every five days, is frequented by the hill tribe people dressed in colorful, traditional who come here to barter for goods and produce.

You will continue your sightseeing in Inle Lake, maneuvering by boat though long, scenic channels. You will visit the fascinating village of Indein, with its complex of ancient shrines and stupas and walk though exotic colonnades of stairways and shop stalls. You’ll also visit the “long neck” tribal women, and weaving and craft villages perched on stilts. See the lake’s unique “leg rowers” – the Intha people row standing up with one leg wrapped around an oar. It is a feast for the senses and a photographer’s dream.

Overnight in NyaungShwe
Meals: (Breakfast/_/_)



Morning flight back to Yangon.

Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to the hotel in downtown to check in.

After a short rest, you will enjoy a guided tour of this fascinating city. Visit the famous Chauk Htat Kyi, home to a 70-meter long reclining Buddha. The feet of the statue is carved with traditional symbols and often many locals gather here to pay homage and pray.

Next will be the photo stop at the Karaweik Hall royal floating barge. Nothing will prepare you for Shwedagon Pagoda with its glittering gold stupa. At the pagoda, observe local pilgrims and monks offering their devotions and enjoy the amazing sunset view at Shwedagon pagoda.

Overnight in Yangon
Meals: (Breakfast/_/_)



Morning
After breakfast, drive to the train station for the train ride for about 1 hour. Enjoy the real lifestyle of locals and see the beautiful scenes. Then, enjoy a private tour and drive through downtown to explore the city centre and its fabulous mix of architecture and sites. The streets are filled with historical buildings many of which have a faded colonial charm not seen elsewhere in Asia.

Afternoon
Continue with a walking tour of the colonial street. You’ll start at the post office – a lovely historic building, pass by the Strand Hotel, the Buddhist landmarks of Sule Paya, Mahabandoola Garden and Independence Monument along the way.

Overnight in Yangon
Meals: (Breakfast/_/_)



After breakfast, day at leisure until your private driver collect you from your hotel and transfer you back to Yangon airport for your International departure flight.

Meals: (Breakfast/_/_)


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 suite your requirements, but may incur price changes

What’s Included?

  • 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)
  • Domestic flights within Myanmar
  • Entrance fees for all mentioned sights visited
  • Service Charge & Government Taxes

What’s Not Included?

  • Your International Flights to and from Myanmar (Burma)
  • 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
  • Meals other than those mentioned in the itinerary
  • Personal Travel Insurance
  • Tips for guides and drivers
                           

Request A Free Quote

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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.

Amazing trip to Vietnam!

This was the first time I’ve traveled through any company and let me tell you, it won’t be the last with this company! I was contacted by Cherry and she made this whole process a walk in the park! She was constantly emailing me and keeping me updated on any/everything and if I had any questions she was so quick to respond from early mornings to late evenings. She was not only very nice over emails/ texts but even nicer in person!

My husband and I traveled to 5 cities within North
Vietnam and enjoyed every single thing we had on our itinerary! We got a little bit of everything, from the beach, to the city, to a one night two day cruise, to even seeing some villages. Every driver and guide we had were on time, nice and would make conversations like suggesting restaurants or things to do on our free time and just make you feel comfortable. Our accommodations were gorgeous with beautiful views of where we were staying and the staff were also nice and welcoming. We were celebrating a special day and because of that they decorated our hotel room in every single hotel we stayed at which made this experience a little bit more special. I honestly have nothing bad to say about this experience with the agency or the trip itself. 10/10 recommend!

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NadiaCarp -
Mar 22, 2024

Spectacular Vietnam Pioneer tour

We were touring South East Asia and decided three weeks beforehand that we had an eight day window in our itinerary that was vacant. We looked online and discovered that many tour companies in Vietnam offered tours that fit our timeline. After contacting numerous companies, one company, in particular, stood out. Asia Pioneer travels, agent Chloe ,contacted us personally through what’s app. Other companies only emailed us. Chloe took the time to discuss our timeline and what itinerary would meet our needs and budget. The tour was quick but amazing. In eight days, we went from Hanoi to Ho chi Minh. At each stop, we had amazing tour guides and accommodations. We had motorcycle tours in Hoi An, jeep city tour in Saigon and everything in between. We told Chloe that we were foodys, and Chloe made sure that this was incorporated into the tour. On our second night, Chloe personally came to meet us at the hotel and made sure everything was meeting our expectations. She even presented us with gifts! Chloe reassured us that we had her support 24/7 in case there were any issues. There were none! We loved Vietnam and will not hesitate to let friends and family know about Chloe and Asia Pioneer travel tours. Everything was amazing 10 out of 10.

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Blair W -
Mar 21, 2024

Best trip I ever had in my 74 years !!

Greatest trip I ever had in my 74 years !!
We traveled to Hanoi , Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Siem Reap, Cambodia, and Bangkok, Thailand, all by full day private tour.
Tour guides, Jackie was great In Hanoi, Boo was great in Ho Chi Minh City , Bee was great in Siem Reap , and Tito was great in Bangkok.

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Marshall H -
Mar 18, 2024

Hanoi and Halong Bay

Ely At Asia Pioneer was amazing. Everything she did surpassed all expectations. The trip to Halong Bay and the Hotel In Hanoi was fabulous and the.accomadations were outstanding. I had some changes in my plans and Ely was so great in making everything run smoothly and being so accommodating. When I return to Vietnam or if someone asks me for a recommendation without question it is Ely and Asia Pioneer

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Hai W -
Mar 13, 2024

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