Yangon to Mandalay

In the afternoon, visit the Bogyok Aung San Market, the city’s liveliest bazaar, for a spot of souvenir shopping, and then on to Botahtaung Pagoda, in the city centre. Late afternoon, enjoy a stroll in Yangon’s busy Chinatown and market area before returning to your hotel.

Sheathed in 11 tons of pure gold and 4,350 diamonds, Shwedagon is Myanmar’s most magnificent religious structure. At sunset, the pagoda is lit up and always busy with pilgrims, offering visitors a spectacular show of lights and shadows.

Overnight in Yangon.

Your tour stars with Shwezigon Pagoda, an early model of the ‘bell’-shaped stupa that would later become synonymous with Burmese religious architecture. From Shwezigon, you continue to Gubyaukkyi (Wetkyi-in) Temple, famous for its Jataka murals, and finally the elegant Htilominlo Temple, notable for its plaster carvings. Early afternoon, return to your hotel for lunch and rest.

Later this afternoon, continue your tour of Bagan with a visit to Ananda, one of the earliest and most spectacular temples in the region; Ananda Okkyaung, an early surviving brick monastery; Thatbyinnyu Temple, the highest pagoda in Bagan, at 61m; and Dhammayangyi Temple, notable for its intricate brickwork. In the evening, climb Shwesandaw, the so-called ‘Sunset Pagoda’. The views from the top of this pagoda are famous (though beware the steep steps!)

Visit one of the laquer workshops, then continue your temple tours with a visit to Myinkaba Gubyaukkyi, an early Pyu-style temple with a clear Hindu influence; Manuha Temple, notable for its gigantic Buddha images; and Nanpaya, an early Bagan temple with fine stone carvings.

In the afternoon, enjoy a relaxing excursion to the countryside village of Minnanthu. If you’re not templed-out, you can also visit some of the other intriguing temples that fill the landscape (there are over 3,000 in Bagan, so you’re spoilt for choice!) In the evening, watch the sun set over the Irrawaddy River at Bupaya, where, if the view is not quite as spectacular as that from the Sunset Pagoda, the crowd is usually smaller.

In Amarapura, visit the Mahagandayon Monastery—a large, orthodox Burmese monastery housing over 1,000 monks—and the Mahamuni Pagoda, which houses a Buddha statue coated in gold leaf. Early afternoon, continue to your hotel in the city centre for lunch and rest.

In the afternoon, visit the Shwenandaw Monastery, situated in the centre of the city. Exquisitely carved from teak wood, this discreet monastery is one of the most beautiful in Myanmar. Built in 1880, it was not originally constructed as a monastery but rather the royal apartment of King Mindon, only to be donated to the monastic cause after his death and transferred from the Royal Palace compound to its current site. This allowed Shwenandaw to escape the extensive bombing that obliterated the Royal Palace during the course of WWII, making it the only structure from the original Palace to have survived to this day. Fascinating for its history, it is also quite simply a stunning example of Burmese teak wood-carving.

From Shwenandaw, visit the nearby Kuthodaw Pagoda. Often referred to as the world’s largest book, Kuthodaw is famous for its 729 marble tablets inscribed with Buddhist scriptures. The stone slabs are a stunning sight, each contained within its own stupa and set out in neat lines.

In the evening, ascend Mandalay Hill (you can either go by car or join the local pilgrims in walking to the summit, but keep in mind that it’s a long climb and must be made barefoot!) Crowned by the gleaming Sutaungpyei Pagoda, Mandalay Hill is a famous site of pilgrimage, but it’s also a popular public space with locals and tourists alike, who gather at the top of the hill in the evening to watch the sun set over the city.

Once a favourite retreat of the Burmese Royal family, Mingun is home to a number of historical sights, including the huge, unfinished Pahtodawgyi Stupa (or Mingun Pagoda) and the Mingun Bell, the largest and heaviest ringing bell in the world. But beyond its sights and historical attractions, Mingun is simply a pleasure to explore, with lots of market stalls to browse and beautiful views of the Irrawaddy River to enjoy.

After lunch, return to Mandalay via the U Bein Bridge, a 1,208m teakwood bridge that covers the span of Taungthaman Lake. Much like Mandalay Hill, U Bein Bridge is a popular spot with local picnickers.

On your return to the city centre, end the day by visiting several local workshops to learn more about the crafts for which Mandalay, once the trading capital of Burma, is famous—gold pounding, wood and stone (marble) carving, and bronze casting, among others.

You’ll be met on arrival in Heho by your local guide and driver, and set off immediately for the town of Nyaung Shwe, on the shores of Inle Lake. The drive from Heho to Nyaung Shwe is beautifully scenic, taking you through hills, rice paddies, and swathes of pine forest.

On arrival in Nyaung Shwe, board a private boat and transfer to your lodge on the shore of the lake. After checking into your room, set off on a tour of Inle. Travelling by private boat, you’ll stop at several workshops, including a cheroot making factory, boat building workshop, silk weavers, and silversmith factory, as well as a number of religious sites, including the famous jumping cat monastery and Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda. Perhaps the greatest pleasure, however, is exploring the lake itself, where you’ll see fishing villages, lakeshore paddy fields, and floating gardens of water hyacinth and bamboo.

Late afternoon, return to your lodge.

The site is home to hundreds of gently-decaying stupas of varying sizes, neatly set out in compact lines, and partially obscured behind the dense foliage.

The complex is said by some to have been built in the first-century BC by King Ashoka, the great Indian tyrant turned Buddhist reformer, though archaeologists prefer to date them to the 12th or 13th century AD, making them roughly contemporary with the temples of Bagan.

Allow 2 hours to explore the site in full, before returning to your lodge for lunch. The rest of the day is at leisure to relax at your lodge and enjoy the views of the lake.

In the afternoon, visit the Maha Pasana Cave, a close replica of India’s Satta Panni Cave, and Kabar Aye Pagoda, or the World Peace Pagoda. Of historic rather than aesthetic interest, the Cave and Pagoda were constructed in 1952 by the first president of Burma, U Nu, for the sixth Buddhist council.

End of tour.