From Mandalay to Yangon ....

You will land at the Mandalay International Airport, and the person in charge will welcome you. You reach the city center (1 hour drive) and be transferred to your hotel. You will end free day to relax or make a first discovery of the ancient royal capital before the arrival of the English.

Mandalay is the second largest city. It is located on the banks of the Irrawaddy River and the foothills of the Shan state. there you will find many historic buildings, as it was repeatedly capital of kingdoms at different times. The second most sacred pagoda is located in Mandalay: Mahamuni pagoda and Buddha image covered with tons of gold leaf. The center is made of parallel and perpendicular streets, so we found it easily, and often falls on the impressive citadel of the royal palace, made perfect square of walls 2 km long. In this part of town, you can visit the monastery Shwenandaw, made entirely of teak. It was originally inside the royal palace, but was dismantled and rebuilt outside the Thibaw king who does not like. Near the monastery, you will also discover the Kuthodaw Pagoda, white. She is known as “the world’s largest book,” because it is composed of 729 small stupas with inside writings taking a collection of Buddhist texts. By late afternoon, climb to the top of Mandalay Hill (240m high), by car or via the stairs for the bravest. The hill is home to several monasteries, statues, pagodas. The view from the top is magnificent: you see the city, the river, the first mountains of the Shan state.

In the morning, you will join in the vehicle the banks of the Irrawaddy River to board a small private boat you will sail north, until Mingun. There are about 45 minutes of sailing.Accost you and leave on foot discover the site, which houses an impressive pagoda built in 1790, but unfinished: the Bodawpaya pagoda, the name of the same king. It is split in several places due to an earthquake in 1839. A huge bell is also on site. It was to be part of the pagoda. Nearby, you can visit the pagoda Hsinbyume, white, before joining your small boat to descend on Mandalay. After lunch, you will leave the river from Mandalay via the Ava bridge until Sagaing Hill, which was capital of the kingdom of the same name from 1315 to 1364. The site is a place of pilgrimage and teaching Buddhism to Burma, so there are many monasteries and pagodas. At the top of the hill you will have a lovely view of the river and its bridges, and on the roofs of many pagodas. By late afternoon, you cross back over the river to the lake Taungthaman and discover the famous U Bein Bridge, constructed entirely of teak in 1849 and has a length of 1.2 km. Stroll to sunset.

You will leave early in the morning your Mandalay hotel to take a boat that will make you go down the Irrawaddy country’s main river, all day. The boat has a comfortable air-conditioned bridge and a semi-outdoor deck and a small restaurant / bar. The arrival in Bagan is to 17h. Then you will reach your Bagan hotel for a free first visit.

You will have all the free day is to enjoy your hotel or to rent a bike or electric bike to wander as you wish on the plain. If you prefer, you can visit with guide and car (surcharge) to go on a little further away temples (Temple Pahto Thamya, Sulamani the temple, etc.) and discover workshops lacquer crafts deemed Bagan.

You will discover this morning one of the most beautiful sites of Myanmar, and certainly the best known: the plain of Bagan. There are thousands of temples, more or less large, more or less in ruins over a large area on the banks of the Irrawaddy River. The construction date is between the 11th and 13th century. Some are really majestic, like Gu Byauk Gyi temple which houses many ancient paintings on its walls. Manuha the pagoda is also interesting, with its very square shapes. It is in the same area Nan Paya temple near the river. In the afternoon, you will go discover the old Bagan, fully walled part originally. There are still many remnants of the ramparts. You will visit at your own pace Bu Pagoda, a river, the temple Shwegugyi Temple, the Temple Maha Bodhi. Then you will reach the temple That Byin Nyu, the highest of Bagan, built in 1144. Finally you reach the end of the afternoon the temple Dhammayangyi Temple, the largest in its form, and Shwesandaw pagoda.

Leave the morning Bagan starting to Mount Popa, a 1 hour drive. You will discover this magnificent extinct volcano that offers beautiful views of the central plain. You can the rise that leads to the temple Taung Kalatt (777 steps). Then you will go to the mountains of Shan state to reach the village of Kalaw (5 hours’ drive), which was an important villegiature place during the colonial period. You can walk freely in the village.

You will leave with an English speaking local guide for a hike of two days in the hills of Shan state. There are about 6 hours of walking Day 1 and 4 hours on day 2. You will take just a small backpack for the night (big your luggage is transferred at Inle Lake). Accommodation is in monastery or homestay. 2 lunches and dinners are prepared by the guide. So you will discover the rural life of this state across many varied plantations (rice, tea, tobacco, etc.) and villages in which live and Palaung ethnic Danu. It is an opportunity to friendly meetings.The second day, after lunch, you will reach the village of Indein, on the west bank of Inle Lake. You can explore the archaeological site of the village before taking a boat that will take you to the pier village in Inle Lake.

You will go by canoe in the morning from the dock of your hotel or those of the village of Nyaung Shwe to spend a day on Inle Lake. The setting is beautiful. A lake at about 1200 meters above sea level, surrounded by green hills. An ethnic group lives on the lake and its shores, the Intha ethnicity. So you will stroll in the dugout in villages on stilts, seeing the people in their daily lives, and through the floating gardens (various fruit and vegetable crops which are then sent across the country). You will then discover the pagoda Phaung Daw U Pagoda of the main area of ​​the lake. She sheltered 5 small statues of Buddha. They are so covered with gold leaf it is now 5 “golden balls” no longer having the form of statues. You will meet Burmese (s) of the entire region who come to pray here. In the afternoon, your boatman will continue to introduce you to various monasteries on stilts, various craft workshops scattered throughout the villages. The most impressive craftsmanship is the manufacture of fabrics and lotus stems of fiber-based clothing. The departure to the hotel or the village will be in the middle of the afternoon because there is often 1h of navigation, and it’s a pretty cool area from October to March when the sun begins to set .

You will have the whole day free, without transport, to discover the Inle Lake and its surroundings as you wish. You can go to the local markets, rent bikes, go relax in the hot springs, do a wine tasting, etc. We can arrange if needed.

In the morning you will be taken to the Heho airport for your domestic flight to Yangon. You will start to discover Yangon (formerly Rangoon), the former capital of Myanmar (Burma), but still the economic heart of the country with its 6 million inhabitants. The city is quite extensive, but the sites not to be missed are found mainly in the south, around the old colonial district (Downtown) and Kandawgyi Lake. In the colonial district, you can walk on foot to observe various buildings, more or less in good condition, some being renovated. The most impressive are “Yangon Region Court Building,” “Supreme Court of Burma Building”, “Port Authority Building,” and especially “The Secretariat”, in which he was assassinated General Aung San on July 19, 1947. You can then amble through the stalls of Bogyoke market (Scott or market). You can find everything there, mainly handicrafts from various states of the country. In the late afternoon, when the sun begins to set, you will discover the majestic Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar’s symbol and most important place of pilgrimage in the country. The site is constantly visited by local, family or couple, to pray or simply rest

You will be channeled to the international airport in Yangon. According to schedule your international flight, you can have a car with driver available (surcharge).

Table prices per person (to be confirmed depending on dates and disponibilites)