Portrait of Burma

Portrait of Burma 12 days, you will fully enjoy the solemnity of Burma ( Myanmar ) – the country of Buddhist temple and Buddha images. Begin with the very first stop Yangon – the former capital of Myanmar – with many Buddhist temples before moving to Mandalay, the Burma’s city of culture, Bagan – the real plain of stupas – with thousands of temples, Inle Lake – Shan State’s amazing destination, dotted with Pindaya and Monywa cities.

Tour duration: 12 days 11 nights
Start: Yangon – Finish: Yangon
Tour type: Photo, Cultural
Tour operates: Year round/Upon request
Activity level: Moderate
Tour Route: Yangon – Mandalay – Monywa – Pakokku – Bagan – Heho – Pindaya – Inle lake
Price: Contact us

Day by Day Tours

Day 01 : Yangon Arrival
Day 02: Yangon – Mandalay – Amarapura – Ava
Day 03: Mingun – Mandalay Royal Palace
Day 04: Mandalay – Monywa
Day 05: Monywa – Pakokku – Bagan
Day 06: Bagan Heritages
Day 07: Bagan Local Life
Day 08: Bagan – Heho – Pindaya
Day 09: Pindaya – Phaung Daw Oo pagoda
Day 10: Indein ruined temples
Day 11: Inle Lake – Heho – 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 your arrival in Yangon, you will be transferred to the hotel for check in. Visit Chauk Htat Gyi famed with its giant Reclining Buddha Image, Sule Pagoda, the Mahabandoola Independent Monument. We also spend time studying the normal life of local people, followed by a visit to Shwedagon Pagoda, the most revered pagoda in throughout Burma – well-known by its golden stupa, dominating skyline of Yangon.

Accommodation in Yangon.  Meal: Welcomed dinner

Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Burma

Day 02: Yangon – Mandalay – Amarapura – Ava

Fly to Mandalay – the cultural and the commercial hub of the northern Burma. Visit Mahagundayone Monastery to know more about the daily life of the monks, then UBein Wooden Bridge across Taung Tha Man Lake. Proceed to Ava (Inwa) to do some sightseeing including Maha Aungmye Bonzan Monastery, the hand-made workshop industry producing lacquer alms for Monk. The next destination is Sagaing with Kaung Mu Daw Pagoda (which is the copy of Mahaceti Pagoda in Siri Lanka) and Sagaing Hill. Then drive to Mandalay and check in at the hotel.

Accommodation in Mandalay.  Meal: Breakfast

Ubein Bridge, Amarapura, Mandalay, Burma

Day 03: Mingun – Mandalay Royal Palace

Board an upstream boat to Mingun. Visit Patohdawgyi Unfinished Pagoda, Mingun Bell, the world’s second largest hanging bronze bells and Myatheindan (Hsinbyume) Pagoda. Sail back to Mandalay to visit Mahamuni Image, Zegyo Market.

After lunchtime, we explore the Royal Palace and its nearby attractions, covering Atumahsi Monastery, Shwenandaw Monastery and Kuthodaw which is considerred as the world’s largest book of many stone slabs on which is inscribed the whole Buddhist Literature. Admire the panoramic view of the city from Mandalay Hill.

Accommodation in Mandalay.  Meal: Breakfast

Day 04: Mandalay – Monywa

Drive to Monywa in the morning. En route we stop in Monywee Kayemon village to visit a blacksmith and a local cottage industry to explore the tactics they make slippers. Visit the cave chambers of Pho Win Daung and Shwe Ba Daung. The Po Win Hills houses a system of nearly 500 sandstone caves, with some 450,000 paintings, statues and carvings.

Accommodation in Monywa.  Meal: Breakfast

Day 05: Monywa – Pakokku – Bagan

This morning, we visit the colourful Thanbuddhyi Pagoda which is home to more than 500,000 images of Buddha and the Hiaungdawmu Buddha, the second largest reclining Buddha in Burma. In the afternoon, we enjoy a scenic boat ride along the Irrawaddy River to Bagan, via Pakkoku, the Burma’s bustling tobacco trading centre. Arrive at Bagan in the evening.

Accommodation in Bagan.  Meal: Breakfast

The colourful Thanbuddhyi Pagoda, Monywa, Myanmar

Day 06: Bagan Heritages

Bagan is no doubt one of the most impressive sites anywhere in Asia. 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 then Ananda temple, one of the most reserved monuments in the entire Bagan. 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

Day 07: Bagan Local Life

We spend the second day in Bagan mingle into the normal life of the local as well as exploring the other temples of Bagan which consists of more than 2500 temples and pagodas. This archaeological site brings us to the scared history of ancient Bagan capital with the development of Buddhism including Mahabodhi, Dhammagangyi, Sulamani, Nandamannya, Thatbyinnuy.

Enjoy sunset on a cruise along Irrawaddy river.

Accommodation in Bagan.  Meal: Breakfast

Sunset cruise on Irrawaddy Giant River, Bagan, Myanmar

Day 08: Bagan – Heho – Pindaya

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for flight to Heho. Drive to Pindaya through the Shan Plateau, through fields of mountain rice. Visit magnificent Pindaya caves set in a limestone ridge overlooking a picturesque lake where thousands ofdifferent types of Buddha images are a display in the various cave chambers, then Shwe U Min Pagoda. Continue visit some local houses where families produce Shan paper and parasols. Overnight in Pindaya.

Accommodation in Pindaya.  Meal: Breakfast

Day 09: Pindaya – Phaung Daw Oo pagoda

Drive to Inle Lake after breakfast. Continue on by road to Inle Lake. 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.

Accommodation in Inle Lake.  Meal: Breakfast

Day 10: Indein ruined temples

Boating to western part of the lake where we will be encountered by 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.

We then ride our boat to the Nampan and Innpawkhone villages. Here we get an ideal chance to see some traditional cigar making and silk weaving, and hopefully some local fishermen practicing their uniquely distinctive rowing technique.

Accommodation in Inle Lake.  Meal: Breakfast

Inle Lake, Burma

Day 11: Inle Lake – Heho – Yangon

Fly back to Yangon in the morning. On the way to hotel, you can pay a visit to Mahapasana Cave (if situation permits) where Sixth Buddhist Synod was held, then Kaba Aye Pagoda (World Peace Pagoda) and Karaweik Royal Barge. Free at leisure. Inthe afternoon, we will visit the Sule Pagoda, Chinatown and the downtown area before passing by the Bogyoke Market (Scotts market ) with hundreds of food, clothes, handicrafts and gems store.

Accommodation in Yangon. Meal: Breakfast

Day 12: Yangon departure

Free and leisure until transfer to the airport for the departure flight.

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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