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11 Days/10 Nights in Myanmar

YANGON-MANDALAY-AMARAPURA-SAGAING-MANDALAY-MINGUN-MANDALAY-BAGAN-KANPETLET-MT.VICTORIA-KANPETLET-BAGAN-HEHO-INLE LAKE-YANGON

Day1.YANGON (arrival with morning flight)
Upon arrival at Yangon, check into your hotel. A uniformed host will invite you a welcome drink and collect your tour program from our tour guide. City tour includes downtown and Rangoon's riverfront. On the way see many of the remarkable sites of the colonial and religious past of this garden city. Old Rangoon was Dr. William Montgomery's design. He was the army superintendent surgeon and learnt his city planning skills from Sir Stanford Raffles in Singapore. Buildings of heritage in Yangon are now listed for protection. The old city centre includes: Yangon City Hall, designed by U Tin in 1925, the Strand Road with the Moorish arched General Post Office, The red brick Customs House, the towered Port Authority, The Queen Anne style Civil Court, the red brick General Hospital built in 1911 and the Railway Station. Take a break at hotel. In the afternoon, proceed to Botataung pagoda, where sacred hair relic of Lord Buddha is enshrined in it. Then, visit the Strand Hotel built in 1896 once described as the "leading hotel of the East" and drive to Mawtin Jetty and take a rickshaw for a short trip along the Rangoon River that offers a remarkable atmosphere with spectacular colors for Kodak moment. Overnight at hotel.

Day2.YANGON-MANDALAY-AMARAPURA-SAGAING-MANDALAY (by morning flight)
Take a morning flight to Mandalay; the last capital of Myanmar Kings. Upon arrival, proceed to Amarapura(the city of Immortal); visit the Mahagandayon monastery; famous for Buddhist learning centre. It is home to a thousand monks, who will from a procession as they to take their noon and final meal of the day. Amarapura was the capital of upper Burma until 1850. As it was the custom, most of the important wooden palaces and monasteries were taken down and transported to the new capital in Mandalay. Apart from pagodas that have survived, the ancient art of silk and cotton weaving, using handlooms is very much alive and visit U Bein wooden bridge, over 150 years old, which is still in use. In the afternoon, proceed to Sagaing and visit silverware making at Ywahtaung village, Kaunghmudaw pagoda, drive up to Sagaing hill and visit Umin-thonese pagoda and Son-U-Ponyashin pagoda. Enjoy the sunset from this pagoda. Overnight at Hotel.

Day3.MANDALAY-MINGUN-MANDALAY
After breakfast, drive to Kywezon jetty to watch the busy riverside activity and take a local riverboat to the ancient capital of Mingun (app. 1 hour per way). Visit the Settawya pagoda, walk to the huge Mingun Bell(90 tons), see the nearby unfinished Mingun pagoda and visit the Hsinbyume pagoda, a reproduction of the mythological Mt.Meru.Then come back to Mandalay and In the afternoon, visit the down town area with the sprawling old Zegyo Market, designed in 1903 by Count Caldari, the picturesque open air market west of Zegyo, the Shwenandaw Golden Palace monastery noted for its exquisite wood carving, Kuthodaw pagoda with 729 stone tablets (known as the World's Biggest Book) and finally drive up to Mandalay hill (Anti-ageing hill) and take a panoramic view of Mandalay city. Overnight at Hotel.

Day4.MANDALAY-BAGAN (by morning flight)
In early morning, domestic flight will take you to Bagan. Sightseeing start with Nyaung Oo local market, Shwezigon Pagoda, a prototype of real Myanmar stupa, built in 1087.Wetgyiin Gyubyaukgyi for its famous Jatakas mural painting, Htilominlo temple for its plaster carvings and famous Ananda temple with four standing Buddha Images. In the afternoon, visit Nan Phaya temple, Manuha temple, Myingaba Gyubyaukgyi temple, Shwegyugyi temple and Thabinnyu temple. Enjoy the sunset of Bagan from Shwesandaw Pagoda. Overnight at Hotel.

Day5.BAGAN
After breakfast, Bagan sightseeing continue to Minnanthu village and visit 13th A.D style pagodas and see the daily activities of local people at Pwa-saw village. Visit Lawkananda pagoda and Ashae-Pet-leik and Anauk-Pet-leik Pagadas. In the afternoon, visit the lacquer ware factory, Sulamani temple, Dhamayangyi temple and enjoy the sunset of Bagan. Overnight at Hotel.

Day6.BAGAN-KANPETLET
After breakfast, drive to Kanpetlet (101 miles) app.7 ½ hours by Jeep. A drop stop at CHAUK;a small town to see the countryside people and their daily lifestyle. On the way you may observe some of the prominent local birds of lowland scarf forest inhabitant. Have Lunch at Kazunma village or SAW town. The road, especially the approaching part to Kanpetlet is in hilly part. The road is mostly rugged and dusty. One may observe natural bamboo grove, deciduous forest along either side of road. Kampalat is the old British settlement town situated 4560 ft above sea level. The temperature at Kampalat is always cool and pleasant. Have dinner and overnight at local guest house.

Day7.KANPETLET-MT.VICTORIA-KANPETLET
Breakfast at the guest house. Drive to 10 miles camp (9000 ft elevation) where trekkers must start on foot to Mt Victoria (10200 ft elevation). Lunch will be served with take-away box. To study the mountain ecosystem and to watch a partial daily life of Chin people _ the trip can offer to all trekkers. Pine forest, Hill Savannah, hill evergreen forest, mammals like wild boar, guar, gibbon, etc. and bird species and rare species of butterfly are still can be seen. If you are neither birder nor botanic then simply enjoy the breadth taking beauty of this summit. The trip would take about5hrs.Return to Kanpetlet and Overnight at your guest house. (OR) One may visit nearby villages to see Chin people and their culture and ways of life.

Day8.KANPETLET-BAGAN
After breakfast, drive back to Bagan by crossing the Ayeyarwaddy River with Anawrahta Bridge. Have dinner and overnight at Bagan.

Day9.BAGAN-HEHO-INLE LAKE (by morning flight)
In the morning, fly to Heho with domestic airline. After arrival, drive to Nyaung Shwe; a gateway to northern bank of Inle Lake (the blue sea of Shan State). Take a long-tailed boat for excursion on Inle Lake(22 km long and 11 km wide) famous for its unique one-leg rowers, typical floating gardens, local method of fishing and village life. Continue visit to Phaung Daw Oo pagoda housing five sacred and almost shapeless Buddha images because of the quantity of applied gold leaf, gifts from the believers. In the afternoon, proceed to the silk weaving village of In Paw Khon and visit Nga Phe Chaung (one of the oldest monastery around Inle Lake) with jumping cats. After that, come back to hotel and you can enjoy the sunset from the middle of the lake with floating boat. Overnight at hotel.

Day10.INLE LAKE-HEHO-YANGON
In the morning, visit one of the markets in Inle Lake. They usually held with 5 day rotating schedules in Inle zone. And drive to Khaung Dine; at the north western shore of Inle lake. This Intha village is well known for the production of soybean cakes and noodles come back to hotel and check out. The boat will bring you back to Nyaung Shwe and take a short visit in nyaung shwe; a beautiful small town and you can walk around near the central market place and local restaurant along the street. Then drive to Heho Airport to catch the flight to Yangon. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel and check-in and overnight.

Day11.YANGON (departure with evening flight)
Sightseeing will start with the famous world renowned pagoda; the highlight of Yangon. Shwedagon pagoda described by Somerset Maugham: "The Shwedagon rose superb, glistening with its gold, like a sudden hope in the dark night of the soul of which the mystics write, glistening against the fog and smoke of the thriving city". This massive bell-shaped stupa rises nearly 100 meters above its hill-top surroundings. Wander through this magnificent structure and its courtyards, stupa, bells, temples and Buddha images and see religious and secular visitors from all parts of the globe. Shwedagon has become the symbol of Myanmar. And visit Chaukhtatgyi Pagoda (72m long Buddha image), Karawaik Hall (designed as a Royal Floating Barge on Royal Lake) for Kodak moment and finally visit the famous shopping centre in Yangon; the Scott Market and come back to hotel and free at leisure till transfer to Yangon International Airport for your departure flight.