Eco Myanmar Tour

Arrival at Yangon international airport. Meet & greet by your tour guide and transfer to your hotel for check-in. (Early check-in depends on official check-in time and room availability.) Time permitting (depending on your exact arrival flight time), take a leisurely orientation walk through the heart of downtown Yangon, and enjoy some of the best that colonial-style Yangon has to offer such as the High Court building and The Government Telegraph Office on Pansodan Street, both were built in the 1920s & 1930s. Visit to Shwedagon Pagoda, the highlight of any visit to Yangon. Towering over the city, this pagoda is the most sacred spot in the country, built to house eight hair relics of the Buddha. The Shwedagon and surrounding shrines are at their most beautiful during the sunset hour, as the golden stupa reflects the changing colors of twilight.

After breakfast at hotel, transfer to Yangon domestic airport for the flight to Nyaung-U. Upon arrival in Bagan, transfer to the hotel for check–in. Start with a visit to see the golden stupa of Shwezigon Pagoda, which is Bagan’s most important reliquary shrine. Walk around Phwar Saw village and lunch will be served at local house. Afternoon continue to Ananda Temple, a whitewashed masterpiece of Mon architecture with four standing Buddhas, and the adjacent brick monastery from the Early Bagan era with well-preserved murals. Make a photo stop at the tallest temple measuring 61 m. Thatbyinnyu known as ‘temple of omniscience’ and dating from 1144. Afternoon, transfer to jetty by car, then board a private boat for an island village visit. When you reach the island, walk through a farming village and visit a monastery. You can see different ways of life and lots of traditional village houses. After that, transfer back to Bagan by boat. You can enjoy some refreshment on board around sunset time on the way back to Bagan.

Breakfast at hotel. Leave Bagan area behind and drive to Mandalay. En route visit to Mount Popa itself is 1,518 m. high.Its cone-shaped form actually being the core of an extinct volcano. It is also the home of Myanmar’s 37 most important nats (spirits), housed in a shrine at the foot of Taungkalat. There is no better vantage point to enjoy the most prestigious views of Popa, and mainly of Taungkalat itself, than the terrace of Popa Mountain Resort. Continue to Mandalay, arrival transfer to the hotel for check-in.

Breakfast at hotel. Today you will experience some local cooking class. (09:00 – 09:30) Pick up at your hotel. A brief tour to the local market to collect ingredients and observe the daily life of Mandalay folks. Enjoy the famous Myanmar Tea and snacks in a local tea shop and chat with the people. Observe how Burmese prepare betel chewing and give it a try for those who dare to. Hands- on teaching of Burmese Cuisine. Enjoy your lunch and relax in a traditional Burmese hut. A brief bicycle tour to observe Burmese village and country side scenes. Go to historic Yan Kin Hill (unexplored by tourists) for sunset. (06:00 – 06:30 PM) Drop-off at your hotel.

Breakfast at hotel. In the early morning start drive to the Singu Village, drive through many village where you can see the daily life of rural Myanmar. Start a boat trip from Singu village to Hsithe village; you can get the chance to observe water birds and learn about the fishermen’s lifestyle. Stop at the visitor center for light refreshment. This attractive building is positioned on the east bank of the river with panoramic views. Often dolphins can be observed, feeding in the waters opposite. You can learn to be a fisherman/woman! The training lasts one hour but is great fun. First you will be shown how to cast a net and then it is your turn!! Then you can practice on a local boat. Simple lunch will be served at the visitor center. After lunch, relax for a while and stroll around nearby the visitor center. In the afternoon, visit the village itself led by one of the villagers. You can observe local village life in all its fascinating forms – the architecture, the people, the animals, the monasteries and daily activities. In the afternoon sail upstream to Singu by boat and continue by road back to your hotel.

Breakfast at hotel. Early morning transfer to Mandalay airport for departure to Heho. Upon arrival drive from Heho airport to the magnificent Pindaya Caves, set in a limestone ridge overlooking a small central lake, where thousands of different types of Buddha images are on display in the various cave chambers. Visit some local workshops where families produce Shan paper and parasols. Continue drive Kalaw, a former British hill station, also home to a variety of ethnic minorities including Shan, Pa-O, Danu, Palaung, and others. Transfer to your hotel for check-in. A short tour of downtown Kalaw will immediately transport you back into the laid-back ambience of a provincial town, with here and there some reminders of bygone British colonial splendor.

Breakfast at hotel. Visit Kalaw downtown where we visit some of the old colonial buildings to see their original glory. We also visit an Anglican Church, which was one of the many buildings built by the British in 1906. In Kalaw we explore central market often fill with colorful ethnic tribes (Closed on new moon and full moon days). We have simple lunch at Kalaw and walk to Kalaw railway station. Here we hop on the train bound for Thazi (ETA around noon). We get down at Myin Daik located at 4465 feet above sea level. Here we visit the old British built station and take part in some social and cultural interaction with the local community here. From here we trek back to downtown Kalaw. (Total walking hours 3-4 hours).

After breakfast, transfer to the Nyaung Shwe, the small town at the entrance of Inle Lake. Explore the charm of Inle Lake proper. Over 20 km. long and more than 10 km. wide, and at 875 m. above sea level, the calm waters of the lake contrast sharp with the surrounding high hills as a backdrop. Visit Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the holiest religious site in southern Shan State. Its five uniquely shaped, gilded, but relatively small images are carried around the lake by boat during the annual Inle Boat Procession (usually in the period September / October). Next, stop at Nga Phe Kyaung, primarily of interest for its extensive collection of Buddha images made of different materials, and in various styles and sizes. Finally, a genuine experience of the lake: visit Pauk Par village by local canoe paddled by local women rowers. This is an initiative by a NGO to empower local women, mostly active in the local cheroot (Burmese cigar)-making workshops, through this part-time job. There is ample opportunity to observe the local Inn Thar life style in this way. Transfer back to your hotel by boat.

After an early breakfast transfer to Heho airport for the flight back to Yangon. Upon arrival in Yangon, transfer straight to downtown Yangon. At Pansodan Jetty take a local ferry boat to Dala. On the way to the other side, on board, you get the opportunity to mix with the crowd and observe local people in their local way of life, some peddling their wares & produce, and hawking local snacks too. Dala suits itself very nicely for touring around by trishaw. Visit Shwesaryan Pagoda and continue to Fisherman village on the river bank. Then, see some uncommon local workshop activities such as spring roll making, candlemaking, and recycling of plastic. In the late afternoon return to Pansodan jetty and leisurely stroll around the Strand Road night market with plenty of food stalls to attract your taste buds.

After breakfast you can explore the city in a very special way: with the extra slow moving circle line! The train makes a sort of loop out of Yangon Central railway station, rebuilt in 1943-1944 and designed in traditional Burmese style, to the surrounding areas outside the city limits. The Yangon circular train is the essential transportation link, mainly for the lower social classes, as other forms of public transport are considerably more expensive. On the way, the action is not only taking place outside of the train, but you will get the chance to mingle with the local crowd. There is also opportunity to observe workers, students, government staff, and all sorts of vendors & hawkers plying their trade. Stop at a small station which is also close to a busy market place. During a rickshaw ride through a Yangon suburban area, experience the bustling daily life of typical Yangonites up close. Lots of interesting goods offered on the market and perhaps you may buy here a last souvenir to take back home. At the convened time, transfer to the Yangon International airport for your departure.