Traveling Alongside Ayarwaddy

Arrive at Yangon international airport, meet your local guide. Transfer to the hotel and check-in.
Afternoon leisure time at Hotel. Then visit to the unforgettable, world-famous Shwedagon Pagoda.

Enjoy breakfast at hotel. Start your sightseeing tour with a visit of Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda and Nga Htat Gyi Pagoda. Then, drive along Kandawgyi (Royal) Lake and on the east side make a bride stop to take some great photos. In the afternoon, enjoy visit the National Museum (closed on Mondays and Public Holidays) where you can see the impressive Lion’s Throne. Visit the downtown area of Yangon city for walking tour. Transfer back to your hotel.

After breakfast at Hotel, start to drive to Pyay (179 miles, 6 hrs) which is located North West of Yangon on the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwady river. It is a transit city linking Lower and Upper Myanmar. On the way, pass Tharyarwaddy, Paung De and any others local villages. You can take photos of several beautiful scenes. Shortly before reaching Pyay, visit the Shwe Nat Taung Pagoda, whose higher position gives you a spectacular view, and the Shwe Myet Hman Pagoda with its bespectacled Buddha image. Transfer to Hotel for check in.

After breakfast start your sightseeing with a visit of Pyay’s main market located at the waterfront of the Ayeryarwaddy River. Afterwards head back to the other side of town and discover Sri Ksetra, Thayekhittaya or Hmawza, all of them simply refer to Pyay’s Ancient City, an important archaeological and historical site near Pyay. Then visit to the cemetery of Queen Beikthano, containing six funeral urns jutting slightly out of the soil. Continue the tour and pay a visit to some of Pyay’s most attractive pagodas “Shwe San Daw” and Se Htat Gyi Pagoda. End your day with a panoramic view of the city and of part of the Ayeyarwaddy River in the distance around sunset. On the way back to the hotel make a stop at Pyay’s busy night market selling fruit, vegetables, flowers and some local sweet delicacies.

Drive to Magway (120 Miles/ 4 hours drive). En route, pass the fields and small towns of Aung Lan, Taung Dwin Gyi. Visit the ancient city of Beikthano, over 2000 years old, located in the Taung Dwin Gyi Township. From here continue on to the Magway Division. En route see and take photos the local villagers’ ways of life. From here, visit to the famous Mya Tha Lun Pagoda on the banks of the Irrawaddy River. On arrival, check in your Hotel and overnight at Magway.

Enjoy breakfast at hotel. Start to overland drive to Bagan (03 hours driving). On route pass via Yenan Chaung, Central Dry Zone, located in the rain shadow of the mountain on the west coast of Myanmar and famous for Gas and Crude Oil. Visit Yenan Chaung Market, very big local market (close on full moon days and dark moon days) and local people trade various kinds of goods, especially famous for Green Banana. Also visit to Sa Nay Nan (Saturday) Pagoda. From there, you can see along the beauty of Ayarwaddy River for a lot of miles. Along the river, local people cultivate at sand bank yard except of raining season. From this Pagoda, you also can see “Yanan Thar House” it is contained about 100 windows and colonial style old building. Late afternoon, arrive to Bagan and overnight at Bagan.

After breakfast, your morning sightseeing tour will start by E-biking among some of the most significant pagodas and temples in Bagan. After noontime, stop at a popular lacquer ware workshops producing this most famous of Bagan handicrafts. Finally, enjoy a charming horse cart ride which will eventually bring you to one of the sunset platforms, from which you can enjoy the sun set over the impressive Bagan Ancient Site and the Ayerwaddy River. Transfer back to your hotel.

After breakfast, first visit Nyaung-U local market. The market is big and colorful, and quite busy at this time of day. Then, leave Bagan behind and drive south-east for a little over 45 km. to reach Popa. En route, stop for an interesting visit at “Paing” roadside shop. Here, you can observe how locals climb up toddy trees to harvest the toddy juice. Mount Popa itself is 1,518 m. high, but the Popa Taungkalat is 737 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 lunch than the terrace of Popa Mountain Resort, whence you can enjoy the most prestigious views of Popa, and mainly of Taungkalat itself. (Clients’ own account) Then, drive back to Popa and transfer to your hotel. Free at leisure for your own activities.

Early transfer to the banks of the Ayeyarwady River to catch the day cruise (check-in time: 05:00 AM) to Mandalay (Departure time: 05:30 AM). The River is difficult to navigate because of constantly moving sandbanks and, particularly between December and March,
the ferry may move very slowly. The trip normally takes a full day. Enjoy breakfast and simple lunch on board. The day express boat disembarks in Mandalay in the late afternoon or evening around 06:00 PM depending on the river condition. Transfer to hotel. Stay overnight at Mandalay.

Enjoy breakfast at hotel. Start visit to Mahamuni Pagoda, housing the most revered Buddha image in Mandalay and Upper Myanmar. Then, drive to the ancient capital of Amarapura, 11 km. south of Mandalay. First, visit to Mahagandayon monastery. Visit to U-Bein Bridge, over one km. long and almost entirely made of teak, and spanning the Taungthaman Lake. In the afternoon, drive across the recently built Sagaing Bridge and visit picturesque Sagaing Hill, still the beating heart of Buddhist faith in Myanmar today. Numerous monasteries and pagodas dot the hillsides. Visit Soon U Ponya Shin Paya and U Min Thounzeh Pagoda. Continue, re-cross the Ayeyarwaddy River and take a very local ferry to visit Innwa (Ava). A fitting way to visit Innwa is by taking a horse-cart ride. Pass through the ancient city walls to visit Maha Aungmye Bonzan Kyaung, Bagaya Kyaung, and Maze Pagoda. In the late afternoon, you will return to Mandalay and back to your hotel.

Breakfast at hotel, drive to the bank of the Ayeyarwaddy river and board your private local boat to visit Mingun, 11 km. north-west of Mandalay. The boat trip is most pleasant and interesting because you can witness local life on the river itself and on its banks. Then, walk over to nearby Mingun Pagoda. After that, visit nearby Mingun Bell, the world’s largest intact hanging bronze bell. Finally, stop at Hsinbyume Pagoda and Mingun Bell. Return by boat to Mandalay. Afternoon, you will continue your tour to Shwenandaw Monastery and Kuthodaw Pagoda. Finally, watch the sun set from the top of Mandalay Hill with sweeping views of Mandalay and its surroundings.

Enjoy breakfast at Hotel. Transfer to Mandalay International airport for departure flight to your home.