Burma Photography Tour

Burma photography tour – this trip is designed to ensure that you see the highlights at the appropriate time of day to get the best possible images. The emphasis will always be on getting ‘out and about’, taking great photos.  Local photographer will always be on hand for advice, tips and  he will open the doors to get you close to the locals and the real Burma ( Myanmar ). This trip will be so full of photo opportunities that it will be hard to return home without a magnificent set of pictures.

Tour duration: 12 days 11 nights
Start: Yangon – Finish: Yangon
Tour type: Photo, Classic
Tour operates: Year round/Upon request
Activity level: Moderate
Tour route: Yangon – Bagan – Mandalay – Heho – Taunggyi – Kakku
Price: Contact us!

Day by Day Tours

Day 01: Yangon Arrival
Day 02: Yangon – Bagan Heritages
Day 03: Balloon Ride – Bagan Local Life
Day 04: Mt. Popa Excursion
Day 05: Bagan – Mandalay – Mingun – Royal Palace
Day 06: Sagaing – Ava – Amarapura
Day 07: Mandalay – Heho – Pindaya – Nyaungshwe
Day 08: Nyaungshwe – Taunggyi – Kakku – Inle Lake
Day 09: Inle Lake – Indein ruined temples
Day 10: Inle Lake – Ngapali Beach
Day 11: Ngapali Beach – Yangon
Day 12: Yangon Departure

Tour Prices (US$/person)

Group of 02 persons  : OnRequest
Group of 04 persons  : OnRequest

Important notes:
Surcharge in Peak Times eg: Christmas, New Year Eve, and Water festival may be applicable.

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DETAILED ITINERARY:

Day 01: Yangon Arrival

Upon arrival at Yangon airport, you will own arrange the transfer to your hotel. Visit the huge Reclining Buddha Statue at the Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda, followed by a visit to the Shwedagon Pagoda – one of the world’s most spectacular monuments. You can enjoy the beautiful sunset at the pagoda and take the best photos. Return to the hotel for rest and free to discover the city at night.

Accommodation in Yangon.  Meal: Welcomed dinner

Photo themes: Shwedagon pagoda, Reclining Chauk Htat Gyi pagoda, street-life, architecture, Yangon City at night.

Day 02: Yangon – Bagan Heritages

This morning, fly to Bagan. Begin to visit the vibrant Nyaung Oo Market, the economic center of Bagan. Local people gather at this bustling market daily, to buy and sell a variety of goods, from fruit and vegetables to clothing, china, and lacquerware. Continue to the gold-plated Shwezigon Pagoda, Bagan’s greatest reliquary, built to house relics of the Buddha brought from abroad. From here, drive to the small village of Wetkyi-in to see the wonderful Kubyaukgyi Temple, renowned for its ancient murals. Your morning excursion also includes the Htilominlo Temple, which houses four Buddha figures on the ground floor and four more on the first floor. After lunch, continue your exploration of the city’s treasure trove of Buddhist art and architecture.

Accommodation in Bagan.  Meal: Breakfast

Photo themes: Sunrise, temples, pagodas, architecture, ‘on the road’.

Day 03: Balloon Ride – Bagan Local Life

Admire the beauty of Bagan from the space when floating on Balloon Ride. Spend the remainder of the day continuing to explore Bagan which consists of more than 2500 temples and pagodas and mingle with the daily life of the locals. This archaeological site brings us to the scared history of ancient Bagan capital with the development of Buddhism. Visit archaeological museum. As we travel further into the land of temple spires, Gawdamgangyi, and Manuha, Kaweyai villages. We continue to visit the lacquarware factory in the afternoon.

The highlight of this day is the sunset from the second highest temple the Shwenandaw. Enjoy a traditional puppet show at your hotel.

Accommodation in Bagan.  Meal: Breakfast

Photo themes: Bagan from space, village life, architecture, sunset view at Shwesandaw pagoda.

Balloon in Bagan, Burma

Day 04: Mt. Popa Excursion

Head southeast to Mt. Popa in the morning. Mt. Popa is well-known as a collection of 37 magical spirits both feared and honored by some Burmese people and the nat museum, which is home to 37 life-size nat statues sculpted from teak. Hike up for 777 steps to the summit for an exotic scene throughout the Bagan plain. Enjoy lunch in the restaurant with a stunning panoramic view to the Popa summit that stands straight from the central plain. Back to Bagan for a sunset boat cruise, on the way stop at a cottage industry village to learn the local product as well as to see the collection of juice made from the palm trees, and its conversed type to brown sugar.

Accommodation in Bagan.  Meal: Breakfast

Photo themes: Mount Popa, landscapes, ‘on the road’.

Day 05: Bagan – Mandalay – Mingun – Royal Palace

Depart Bagan for Mandalay by air in the morning. Start your sightseeing today with a boat ride upstream to Mingun, home to Uncomplete Wall, Sandamuni pagoda, Hsinbyume and Mingun ringing bell. Our local expert will be pleased to introduce you the life of people who live on the banks of Irrawaddy river. After lunch, we will discover the royal Mandalay vestiges and relics covering Mahamuni Image, Imperial Palace, Golden Palace Monastery and Kuthodaw Pagoda also known as the world biggest book. The highlight of this day is the panoramic sunset from the peak of Mandalay Hill. Free to discover the Mandalay night market.

Accommodation in Mandalay.  Meal: Breakfast

Photo themes: Ruined temples, riverlife, Mingun Bell, Royal Palace.

Day 06: Sagaing – Ava – Amarapura

This day we will travel outside of the city to the Buddha land of Sagaing. This religion hub is responsible for entire education for monks with different level in Burma. After visiting Sagaing University, we will continue to visit Buddha Cave and U Min Thonze Pagoda, Soon U Pon Nya Shin Pagoda, Tupayon temple where you can enjoy the great panoramic view of Mandalay. In the afternoon, we will travel to Ava, Amarapura to discover the Maha Aungmye Bonzan, Gabaya Monastery, Leaning Nam Myint Tower and the nearby attractions. Enjoy a walk over U Bein bridge, the longest teak wood bridge in Burma (Myanmar).

Accommodation in Mandalay.  Meal: Breakfast

Photo themes: River life, ruined temples, U-bein bridge, Ava Maha Aungmye Bonzan.

Ubein bridge – the longest teak wood bridge in Myanmar

Day 07: Mandalay – Heho – Pindaya – Nyaungshwe

Early morning drive to the airport for the flight to Heho. Upon arrival, enjoy a scenic drive to Pindaya. This mountainous area is famous for its cave which is full of Buddha statues. As you travel further into Shan state, you will encounter different ethnic minorities. Take a breathtaking walk to visit local villages, experience the way local people plan tea, rice, flowers. We then continue the trip with 2 hour drive to Nyang Shwe town then check in the resort. Free at leisure.

Accommodation in Nyaungshwe.  Meal: Breakfast

Photo themes: Pindaya Cave, handicraft industries, lake life, landscapes of Shan State.

Day 08: Nyaungshwe – Taunggyi – Kakku – Inle Lake

This day you will have a very interesting visit to Taunggyi and Kakku. On the way you can visit Shwe Yan Pyay in Nyaungshwe. After 1 and a half, you will reach Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State then visit the local market. Continue to Kakku, the non-touristic attraction with many stupas of Myanmar and Shan style located harmoniously. Return to Inle Lake. On the way back to Inle Lake, you can visit the Htan Cave which is a small copy of Pindaya and Indein.

Accommodation in Inle Lake.  Meal: Breakfast

Photo themes: Tanggyi ethnic market, Kakku, landscapes of Shan State, ‘on the road’

Kakku Pagodas, Inle Lake, Burma

Day 09: Inle Lake – Indein ruined temples

Skimming along the waterways in a long-tail boat, catch a first glimpse of floating gardens, stilt houses, and fishermen propelling their skiffs with one leg wrapped around an oar. Visit the infamous Phaung Daw U Pagoda, which enshrines five Buddha images believed to have been carried to this area by the widely-traveled 12thcentury King Alaungsithu then Nga Phe Chaung Monastery or Jumping Cat Monastery in other words. After lunch, we discover the ruined Indein, situated on the southwestern corner of the lake. Here you can wander through a typical lakeside village and observe local people in their daily activities. From the top of old Shwe Inn Dein, an impressive collection of ancient and unrestored Shan style stupas, enjoy a stunning view out across the lake and beyond.

Accommodation in Inle Lake.  Meal: Breakfast

Photo themes: Intha fishermen, lake life, ruined city of Indein, Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, Jumping Cat Monastery

Day 10: Inle Lake – Ngapali Beach

Flight from Heho Airport to Thandwe. Transfer from Thandwe Airport to Ngapali Beach would take 10 minute drive. Here, in the Bay of Bengal is the beautiful Ngapali beach with its charming fishing village and coconut trees. Overnight at Ngapali.

Accommodation in Ngapali.  Meal: Breakfast

Photo themes: Ngapali Beach, surroundings.

Ngapali Beach – the most beautiful beach in Myanmar

Day 11: Ngapali Beach – Yangon

Take a flight returning to Yangon. Free at leisure.

Accommodation in Yangon.  Meal: Breakfast

Photo themes: Yangon

Snorkeling in Ngapali Beach, Burma

Day 12: Yangon Departure

Rest and unwind then take your flight back home with impressive memory of Burma (Myanmar).

Accommodation: Not available.  Meal: Breakfast

 

Enjoy your tours with Our top favourite Burma package tours

Tour Prices (US$/person)

Group of 02 persons  : OnRequest
Group of 04 persons  : OnRequest

Important notes:
Surcharge in Peak Times eg: Christmas, New Year Eve, and Water festival may be applicable.

I NEED TAILOR-MADE

I’LL TAKE THIS TOUR

Essential Notes

Passports and Visas

The first thing goes first. You definitely must obtain valid VISA in order to travel into any country and so is Myanmar (Burma). Unless your country is in VISA exemption list, it is your responsibility to get valid VISA before arrival. There are two ways to get Myanmar VISA:

• Go to Myanmar Embassies and Consulates in your home country and you will be guided procedure. You may want to check the list of countries where Myanmar has embassies and consulate offices by clicking here.
• Obtain VISA On Arrival (VOA). For tourists coming from countries has no Myanmar Diplomatic Rep offices, you can obtain VOA online via www.myanmarevisa.gov.mm – the official portal for VOA by Myanmar government. The portal launched in Sep 01, 2014 and took its pilot operation for a month. Providing you encounter any issue, please contact us for support.

Climate & Clothing

Generally speaking, Myanmar is a tropical country with rather hot weather. Sometimes in year or in some Northern places, temperature cools down but not that can be called cold. Roughly saying that the best time to travel Myanmar is from Oct to March due to dry and cool season. Other months, however, you may get very nice deals of promotion.For clothing: comfortable clothes, absolutely. We suggest you should take at least one long pan, a long skirt and a sleeve top because we will visit some religious site and many of them require proper code of dress.All of temples and pagodas require you enter with bare feet. A pair of sandals is highly recommended.

Cell Phones & Calling Cards

You may wish to carry a cell phone while traveling. Check with your cell phone provider if your phone will work in the destination(s) you are visiting. Myanmar service is dominated by the GMS technology standard, while some of the world such as U.S uses the incompatible CDMA standard. We suggest that you should check carefully or you may incur high international roaming fees.We said previously “the SIM card in Myanmar is not very popular and still quite expensive”. But now, forget it! SIM cards in Myanmar now are cheap and easy to buy in any main city as cheap as about US$ 02 each. Cell phones, even smart phones are available on sales widely.

Making Telephone Calls from One Country to Another

When dialing a number from one country to another, you should proceed as follows: dial your country’s Exit Code + destination Country Code + Phone Number. Country Code of Myanmar is 95.

Wireless Internet Access

Passengers traveling with WiFi enabled devices (such as a personal computer, smartphone, tablet, or digital audio player) may be able to connect to the internet via a wireless network access point (or hotspot). Wifi is now popular in most hotels from three stars up. Most of them are supplying Free Wifi but some may incur extra charges. We suggest you should ask the receptionist before.

Cards and Currency

Myanmar’s national currency, the KYAT (pronounced chat, abbreviated in MMK) is divided into the following banknotes: K1, K5, K10, K20, K50, K100, K200, K500 and K1000.We once said “ATMs are still very hard to come” but from my latest inspection of Myanmar, the country now starts using ATMs. Most three stars hotels up often have at least one AMT machine right at their lobbies. Main hotels now accepts credit cards payment.Anyway, we suggest you should bring with some cashes just in case. Local buying there accept Burmese and US dollars widely. However please pay at attention when bring US notes with you:

• The US$ notes must be new.
• The US$ notes torn, marked, folded will not be accepted.
• The US$ notes having series before 2003 backward may not accepted.

You are allowed to bring up to US$ 5000 in cash per person to enter Myanmar.

Trip Preparation

A little pre-planning can make your trip go a lot smoother. We suggest you should taking a checklist below:

• Several weeks before your trip, make a list of what you will need to take with you.
• Make sure your personal documents (passports, visas, driver’s license) are in order.
• We suggest that you make photocopies of passports, visas, personal ID and any other important travel documents and pack them separately from the originals. If you lose the originals while traveling, you’ll have copies for easier reporting and replacement.
• You may consider bringing a small supply of over the counter medications for headaches and/or anti-diarrhea pills. Pack a list of medications including dosage and generic names.
• We recommend that you pack a portable alarm clock.
• Avoid placing valuables such as cameras in your checked luggage.

Happy Travelling with CRYSTAL HOLIDAYS ASIA!

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