Our tour guide will meet you at your hotel and we start our excursion to Syriam in approx. 50 minutes. Our first trip will be Ye Le Paya (""Mid-Stream-Pagoda""),set on a tiny island in the river. Then we explore two further pagodas and the riverside market to enjoy shopping and feel the real ways of life.
On the way back to Yangon, visit Kyaik Khauk Pagoda and surrounding, which was built by the Mon King Cula Thirimasoka of Thaton in the Buddhist Era 241. If time permits, visit to the school at Suthaungpyay Monastery where about 1000 students, orphans and non-orphans. Return to Yangon and transfer to hotel.
A curiously cylindrical hill rising sharply from the surrounding plain, Mount Popa is considered to be the home of Myanmar s most important nats (spirits). Visitors ascend up a winding covered staircase encircling the mountain, observed by the curious monkeys that populate the area. At the top is a monastery and temple complex, with shrines to the 37 nats to visit and a spectacular view over the region.
Shwezigon Paya: Originally the Shwezigon Pagoda marked the northern end of the city of Bagan. The stupa's graceful bell shape became a prototype for virtually all later stupas over Myanmar.
Gubyaukhyi Temple at Wetkyi-Inn: This Temple was built in the early 13th Century and repaired in 1468. The great colorful painting about the previous life of Buddha and the distinguished architecture make this temple an interesting site for a visit.
Ananda Pahto: one of the finest, largest, best preserved and most revered of the Bagan temples. Thought to have been built around 1105 by King Kyanzittha, this perfectly proportioned temple heralds the stylistic end of the Early Bagan period and the beginning of the Middle period. Gubyaukhyi Temple at Myinkaba: Built in 1113 by Kyanzittha son Rajakumar, this temple is famous for its well-preserved Stuccos from the 12th century on the outside walls. The magnificent paintings date from the original construction of the temple and are considered to be the oldest original paintings in Bagan.
Manuha temple: The Manuha T emple was built in 1059 by King Manuha, the King of Thaton, who was brought captive to Bagan by King Anawrahta. It enshrines the unusual combination of 3 seated and one reclining image Buddha. It is said that this temple was built by Manuha to express his displeasure about his captivity in Bagan.
SHWESANDAW PAYA: In 1057 King Anawrahta built this Pagoda following his conquest of Thaton. This is the first monument in Bagan, which features stairways leading up from the square bottom terraces to the round base of the Stupa.
Lacquerware workshop: the villages around Bagan are known for producing the finest lacquerware in Myanmar. Stop by one of the workshops and learn about the painstaking process of lacquerware making and decoration.
Transfer from Yangon airport and sightseeing includes Chauktatgyi; the biggest colossal reclining Buddha image in Myanmar. Next stop will be at the great golden Shwedagon Pagoda; it is the prominent landmark visible from miles around, where the holy hair relics of the Buddha were enshrined more than 2,500 years ago. Then you will spend time walking in Yangon’s bustling China-town, it is a showcase of culture, enterprise & amazement.
It takes approx 45 minutes to drive from Yangon city to Taukkyan village, Mingaladon Township. The park is inclusive of a wildlife park (1650 acres). The Lake is home to over 70 kinds of herbivorous animals and 90 species of birds. Flocks of migratory birds frequently visit the park. It is a pleasant spot for picnickers, and of particular interest to naturalists, bird-watching, Elephant riding, and fishing.
This morning, leave your hotel to visit Taunggyi, capital of Southern Shan State and a former British hill station. Visit the local market where minority people sell their produce and a cheroot factory. Just a couple of hours from Taunggyi, discover the "long lost" ruins of Kak Ku in countryside inhabited by the Pa O people. Situated in the rolling Shan Hills, Kak Ku pagoda is very unusual and little is known about its origins. The Pa O people believe that the original pagoda was built on the site some 2,000 years ago. Dozens of small stupas surround the main pagoda in a huge circle. You can wander through the stupas which are decorated with fine stucco work and Buddha images. Visit one of the many Pa O villages near Kak Ku and see a huge monastery on the way back to Taunggyi. Transfer back to NyaungShwe/Inle.
Take a leisurely boat ride and capture some picture perfect shots of the striking monuments and fisherman on a long wooden boat equipped with their bamboo fishing nets. You will explore the stilted villages among the waterways and meet friendly locals. Visit floating gardens and find out how vegetables and flowers are grown. Be inspired by ancient Buddha images at Nga Phe Chaung Monastery where cats have been trained to jump through hoops. Savor an authentic traditional Inthar noodles at a local Burmese café.
After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel and transfer you to a jetty on the Yangon River. Board a riverboat for a 2-hour cruise to Twante. The boat features a covered, open-air, two-deck boat with ample space for relaxing and enjoying the views. As you leave the city, the river begins to narrow into smaller canals providing an up-close look at life on the river- fishermen, villages and small rowboats ferrying passengers and goods along the water.
Reaching Twante, we’ll go ashore to explore this peaceful town which is known for its pottery. During your visit, you will see many local potteries using traditional methods to craft earthenware, pass by rural neighborhoods and meet friendly locals. You’ll also travel by local horse cart through the town streets, passing by the market and Shwesandaw Pagoda
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Return to the harbor at midday and embark on the return cruise to Yangon. Lunch will be served on board and you will arrive back in the city around 15.00-15.30. Your car will be waiting to transfer you back to the hotel.
Yangon lies in the fertile delta of southern Myanmar, on the wide Yangon River. The city is filled with shaded boulevards, while shimmering stupas float above the treetops. The city became the capital only in 1885, when the British completed their conquest of Upper Myanmar and Mandalay's brief period as capital of the last Burmese kingdom ended.
Start the tour at the SULE PAGODA, a gleaming octagonal pagoda that stands squarely at the central point of the city. Afterwards, visit the NATIONAL MUSEUM to gain an insight into Myanmar. See the eight meter high Sihasana Lion Throne, used by the last Burmese king, and other fascinating artifacts from Burmese history and culture.
Finally, continue to the 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.
The sightseeing highlights include visits to more of Bagan’s impressive pagodas such as Nagayon, an elegant and well preserved temple containing many Buddhas, Nanpaya, was built about 13th century, has one of the best sand stone carving at Bagan, Gubaukgyi, in the old Bagan village of Myinkaba, it has very nice wall painting from 1113 AD and those painting have been preserved by Unesco.