GH-18 Extension with Kyaing Tong

14 Days / 13 Nights in Myanmar

YANGON-HEHO-PINDAYA-INLE LAKE-KYAINGTONG-MANDALAY-MINGUN-MANDALAY-AMARAPURA-SAGAING-MONYWA-PAKOKKU-BAGAN-POPA-SALE-BAGAN-YANGON

Day1. YANGON (arrival with morning flight)
After your arrival in 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-HEHO-PINDAYA-INLE (by morning flight)
Morning flight will take you to Heho airport and drive to Pindaya (appr: 2&1/2 hours). Upon arrival, visit famous Pindaya Cave with 8049 Buddha images. In the afternoon, visit the paper umbrella and traditional Shan paper cottage industry. In the evening, drive back to Nyaung Shwe; a gateway town to the northern bank of Inle Lake ( appr: 3&1/2 hours ).Take a boat and check into your hotel and overnight at Hotel.

Day3. INLE LAKE
After your breakfast, visit 22km long and 11km wide Inle Lake (the blue sea of Shan State). visit Inpaw Khon village for its traditional silk-weaving, Nan-Pan village for its cheroot making, blacksmith and boat making. In the afternoon, visit the famous Phaung-Daw-Oo pagoda, Ywa-ma village for its silversmith, floating farms and gardens, floating huts and famous Nga-Pe-Chaung monastery (one of the oldest monasteries) with jumping cats. Overnight at Hotel.

Day4. INLE LAKE-KYAING TONG (by morning flight)
After breakfast, the boat will bring you back to the Northern bank of Inle Lake. Upon arrival, transfer to Heho airport and fly to Kyaing Tong. Upon arrival, check into your hotel. In the afternoon, Kyaing Tong sightseeing stats with Mahar Myat Muni Pagoda; beside of this pagoda, you can visit a monastery where young novices are chanting with one of old Shan Language. Visit the Shan Lacquer-ware that varies from Bagn lacquer-ware and selling the finest items with high-prices. Come back to hotel and overnight at Hotel.

Day5. KYAING TONG-PINDAUK-KYAING TONG
After breakfast take the car about 45 minutes for a hiking tour into the Pin Tauk area. The area is lush mixed monsoon forest with a view of the plain rice fields looking like a huge, green patchwork blanket. Visit the villages of Akha and Enn tribes. Some are baptized, some tribes still animists. The walk is not difficult and can be done slowly. They live on the higher slopes. The local guide will introduce you to the villagers. It will take about 4 hours to visit the villages. Take lunch at Pin Tauk water-fall. On the way back, visit Palaung tribe village (Wan Pauk). Late afternoon come back to Kyaing Tong and overnight at Hotel.

Day6. KYAING TONG-LOI TRIBE-KYAING TONG
After breakfast, drive (appr: 2 hours) on the road to Maila; which is a border town at the Chinese Border. The car will stop at a junction. From there it will take 1 hour hike to Wan Nyat village, one of the Loi Tribe villages. The Loi prefer to live in huge long houses, including at least 5 families. Before visiting the Lois there is an old monastery, a very beautiful one and very different fro the other monasteries .One hour from there is another Loi village (Wang Seng). Scenery is beautiful and hiking is not difficult. Return to Kyaing Tong (appr: 17:30).Overnight at Hotel.

Day7. KYAING TONG-MANDALAY (by afternoon flight)
Early morning, visit the lively central market offering a mixture of local products, handicraft wares of the tribal folk and merchandise from Thailand and China. Then drive to Naung Tong Lake; one of the recreation centre for the young people in Kyaing Tong. Then, transfer to airport and fly to Mandalay. Upon arrival, check into your hotel and overnight.

Day8. MANDALAY-MINGUN-MANDALAY
After breakfast, excursion to Mingun, 12km away from Mandalay and a very pleasant boat trip with plenty to see along the Ayarwaddy River. Tour highlight with Mingun bell (90 tons), Myatheindan pagoda and Phahtodawgyi Pagoda: an enormous unfinished temple. In the afternoon, visit Mandalay Palace, Golden monastery, Kuthodaw pagoda with 729 stone tablets (known as World's Biggest Book). Finally, drive up to Mandalay hill (Anti-ageing hill) and take a panoramic view of Mandalay city. Overnight at Hotel.

Day9. MANDALAY-AMARAPURA-SAGAING-MONYWA
After breakfast, morning sightseeing starts with gold-leaf making and visit the famous Maharmuni Image: you can see how pious Myanmar people are; the thick layer of gold-leaves at the Image. And then, proceed to Amarapura (the city of Immortal) and visit Mahargandayon monastery, famous U Bein Bridge and silk-weaving factory. 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 for breath-taking view. Then, drive to Monywa; located on the bank of Chindwin River and one of the big capital in Myanmar. On the way, you will see another discovery channel like in Australia. Check into your hotel and overnight.

Day10. MONYWA-PAKOKKU-BAGAN
Early morning, drive to Thanboddhay Temple, unique in all of Myanmar, highly decorated with 500,000 Buddha images just like Buddha museum dated back from the 17th century .Proceed to Alantayar (big reclining Buddha image) and visit 1000 Bodhi trees. And then drive to Pakokku(appr;5 hours) passing through plain zone. Visit Pakhangyi; a town with old city walls and a small museum, Pakangyi wooden monastery with 332 teak pillars and stop at Yaesagyo to learn the incense-sticks making. In the afternoon, transfer to a private boat at the jetty and cross the mighty Ayeyarwaddy river to Bagan (appr: 2 hours).Overnight at Hotel.

DAY11. BAGAN
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.

Day12. BAGAN-POPA-SALE-BAGAN
After breakfast, 1 hour drive to Popa (home for the 37 nats). At the bottom of the Mt.Popa, visit the enshrining place of 37 nats in life-sized statues. And then, climb up 737m high Popa Mountain plug with shady stairway. On top, you will see very pleasant panoramic view of surrounding areas. In the afternoon, drive to Sale about 1&1/2 hours. Upon arrival, visit famous Sale Yoke Sone monastery with nice woodcarving and collection of palm-leaf manuscripts, Buddha images and lacquer-ware boxes. You can also visit large Hni-Phaya (Buddha image made of saw-dust) .In the evening, drive back to Bagan and enjoy the sunset. Overnight at Hotel.

Day13. BAGAN-YANGON (by morning flight)
After breakfast, transfer to Bagan airport and fly back to Yangon. Upon arrival, check into your hotel and visit Scott Market; one of the famous shopping centre in Yangon, Chaukhtatgyi Pagoda(72m long reclining Buddha image), Karawaik Hall (designed as a Royal Floating Barge on Royal Lake) for Kodak moment and finally visit the famous 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. Enjoy your sunset from pagoda platform. Overnight at Hotel.

Day14. YANGON (departure with morning flight)
The tour ends with breakfast this morning and transfer to International airport.