Exceptional Myanmar (Finish in Mandalay)

Place to visit :Yangon – Inle – Mandalay
Tour Type : Classic Tours
Price From: 510$
Physical rating : Moderate
Duration: 4 days 3 nights
Tour Style: Private

Day by Day Tours

Day 01: Yangon Arrival – Sightseeing (D)
Day 02: Yangon – Heho – Inle Lake
Day 03: Inle Lake – Mandalay Ancient Capitals
Day 04: Mandalay – Royal Palace – Departure

Tour Prices (US$/person)

From May to September
Group of 02 persons  : US$ 595
Group of 04 persons  : US$ 510
Single Supplement: US$ 75

From October to April
Group of 02 persons  : US$ 615
Group of 04 persons  : US$ 530
Single Supplement: US$ 95

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

Detailed Itinerary

Day 01 : Yangon Arrival – Sightseeing (D)

Welcome to golden land, 

Upon arrival, Myanmar tour guide will meet you at airport after your easy visa procedure. Spend about 45 minutes on car, we will reach to Yangon city Center.

The city’s historical colonial and religious influences have survived despite its status as a rising Southeast Asian city, making for a truly unique experience.

Walk through downtown a diverse mix of faded colonial architectures from the British times, and high-rises built by more recent investors.

Then, we will visit Sule Pagoda – a religious and historic site, built in the early 3rd century which located in the heart of downtown Yangon.

Late afternoon, visit the magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda of Rudyard Kipling fame and one of Myanmar’s most sacred places. The massive bell shaped stupa is plated with gold and the tip of the stupa is set with diamonds and rubies, sapphires and topaz – a stunning sight as the sun sets and a most fitting place to begin our trip in this “Golden Land”.

Enjoy a very nice welcome dinner with Burmese cuisine at a local restaurant.

Meal: Welcome Dinner.  Accommodation: Hotel in Yangon

Day 02: Yangon – Heho – Inle Lake

Board a morning flight to Heho and drive for an hour along a scenic route which leads to Nyaung Shwe village, the gateway to Inle Lake. Along the way, encounter workshops that specialize in traditional Shan paper and umbrella crafting.  Upon reaching the lake’s shores, a short orientation tour will introduce you to the temples, monasteries, and tea shops of Nyaung Shwe.

Then, ride a private motorboat across the surface of Inle Lake. As the hills and fishing canoes fade into the background, take your time to enjoy one of Myanmar’s most breathtaking sights. You will pass the stilt houses of the local Intha people, local fishermen, and floating gardens.

Next, visit Nga Hpe Chaung Monastery, which houses several Buddha images and was once known for its jumping cats. Proceed to the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the region’s main religious and ceremonial site, which contains five sacred Buddha images decorated with gold leaf. If you’re interested, you can even visit a local workshop and see silk-weavers, boat-builders, cigar-makers, blacksmiths, or silversmiths in action.

Back to Nyaungshwe town and relax in your own arrangement.

Meal: Breakfast.  Accommodation: Hotel in Nyaungshwe town – Inle Lake

Day 03: Inle Lake – Mandalay Ancient Capitals

This morning, transfer to the airport for your fligh to Mandalay – the second largest city of Myanmar and an ancient royal capital, is known for both its traditional, timeless allure and its booming vibrancy.

On arrival, we will visiti Amarapura, Ava, and Sagaing, starting at Sagaing Hill’s 600 ivory pagodas, 3,000 monks, and nearly 100 meditation shrines. You’ll also visit pagodas such as Swan Oo Pon Nya Shin, U Min Thone Sae and Shwe Taung Oo Maw. Continue to Sagaing’s local market, then head over to a small pottery village and observe the tradesmen hard at work.

Next, we go to Ava, the standing capital from the 14th through the 18th centuries. Ferry across the and travel in a traditional horse carriage to the wooden Bagaya Monastery renowned for its elaborate woodcarvings. Be sure to see the Nanmyint Watch Tower, the “Leaning Tower of Ava”.

In the afternoon, head to Amarapura, the “City of Immortality”. First, visit a silk weaving workshop, then stop by Mahagandayon Monastery, home to more than 1,000 young monks dedicated to strict study and discipline. Catch the sunset while strolling on the U Bein Bridge, the world’s longest teakwood bridge spanning 1.2km across the Taungthaman Lake.

Meal: Breakfast.  Accommodation: Hotel in Mandalay 

Day 04: Mandalay – Royal Palace – Departure

This morning, we will discover the royal Mandalay vestiges and relics covering Imperial Palace, Golden Palace Monastery and Kuthodaw Pagoda also known as the world biggest book. The stupa itself, connected to the outside entry by means of a long corridor, is set in the middle of a thirteen acre field of 729 pitaka pagodas or shrines.

Each shrine contains a marble slab, inscribed on both sides with the Pali script text of a portion the Tipitaka (Pali spelling, or Tripitaka, in Sanskrit), Theravada Buddhism’s sacred texts.

After your own lunch, we will transfer to the airport for your flight back home.

Meal: Breakfast.  Accommodation: N/A

TOUR ENDS

Tour Prices (US$/person)

From May to September
Group of 02 persons  : US$ 595
Group of 04 persons  : US$ 510
Single Supplement: US$ 75

From October to April
Group of 02 persons  : US$ 615
Group of 04 persons  : US$ 530
Single Supplement: US$ 95

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!

Free Quote