9 Days Myanmar, including balloon ride over Bagan

starting from $1.800

Explore the former capital city of Yangon (Rangoon) with its colonial atmosphere and the world-famous Shwedagon Pagoda. Fly to Inle Lake, famous for its unique one-leg rowers, typical floating gardens, local methods of fishing and village life out on the water. Travel to Pindaya, a charming village with a paper umbrella cottage industry. Fly to Mandalay, the last royal capital of Burma and continue to Bagan, a fascinating archaeological site of 2,000 pagodas. Bagan, as you’ve never seen it before! With a bird’s eye view - travelling wherever the wind takes you. You will be able to see Bagan come to life in the morning. You will see many temples in the distance and get an aerial view of the whole region. It’s an amazing experience.

YANGON - HEHO - KAUNG DINE - INLE-LAKE - NYAUNG SHWE - PINDAYA - HEHO - MANDALAY - MINGUN - MANDALAY - AMARAPURA - BAGAN - YANGON

Type of trip:
Individual tour
Duration: 9 Days
Price:
starting from $1800 (based on 2 travellers)
Availability: October till March
Start of trip: Daily
  • Bed and breakfast
  • High Tea at the Strand Hotel
  • 1 x lunch as detailed in itinerary
  • English-speaking, local travel guides for all transfers and tours
  • All domestic flights with private airlines
  • Air-conditioned car/van/bus for all transfers and tours
  • Admission fees according to itinerary
  • Balloon ride over Bagan (approx. 45 minutes)
  • All boat trips as detailed in itinerary
  • 1 x daily hire of bike or horse-drawn carriage in Bagan
  • Baggage handling fees at airports
  • International flights to/from Myanmar
  • Visa fees
  • Obligatory dinners at Christmas and New Year
  • Lunch and dinner
  • Drinks
  • Early check-in/late check-out
  • Personal expenses such as camera fees, tips, laundry, etc.
  • Hotel baggage handling fees
golden-team

You have questions? Then please contact us! We will be happy to help you customize your own dream trip.

Day 01 YANGON / Arrival

Upon arrival at Yangon International Airport: welcome by our local tour guide and transfer to your hotel. On your first walk through the city centre of Yangon and to the riverbank, you will see many notable sites from the colonial and religious past of this garden city. Old Rangoon was built based on designs by Dr William Montgomerie. He was a senior military physician who learnt about construction planning from Sir Stanford Raffles in Singapore. All culturally significant buildings in Yangon are listed as historic monuments. You’ll then enjoy ‘high tea’ at the Strand Hotel which was built in 1896 and was formerly known as the ‘the finest hostelry East of Suez’, and late afternoon, climb up the steps to the world-famous Shwedagon Pagoda, which Somerset Maugham described as follows: “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 100 metres above its hilltop surroundings. Wander through this magnificent structure and its courtyards, stupas, bells, temples and Buddha images and observe religious and secular visitors from all over the world. Shwedagon has become the symbol of Myanmar. Enjoy the sunset over the pagoda. You will spend the night in Yangon.

Day 02 YANGON – HEHO – KAUNG DINE – INLE LAKE (B)

Transfer to airport for your morning flight to Heho, in Shan State. Upon arrival, travel to the village of Khaung Dine (approx. one hour) on the north-west bank of Inle Lake. This Intha village is well known for its production of soya cake and noodles. Take a walk through the area and see the people as they perform their home-based work. In the afternoon, first boat trip along Inle Lake (25 kilometres in length), famous for its unique one-leg rowers, typical floating gardens, local methods of fishing and village life out on the water. Overnight stay on Inle Lake.

Day 03 INLE LAKE (B)

Morning boat excursion to Indein (approx. one-hour journey) through a beautiful countryside of tall grasses and little water steps, to view the historical Bagan- and Shan-style pagodas built during the Bagan period. The decaying pagodas, hidden in bushes, officially date back to the 12th-13th century.
In the afternoon, visit the silk weaving village of In Phaw Khon, have a look at a small family business that produces home-grown cigars (‘cheerots’) and take a canoe trip through the floating gardens. The floating flowerbeds are tied together in shallow water, which is mostly only around three metres deep, and produce abundant fruits which can be harvested several times a year. You will spend the night on Inle Lake.

Day 04 INLE LAKE – PINDAYA – HEHO – MANDALAY (B)

Early morning boat transfer to Nyaung Shwe, a small town on the northern end of Inle Lake, and onward journey to Pindaya (approx. three hours), a charming village with its paper umbrella cottage industry. Visit the Pindaya cave, famous for its thousands of Buddha images and the paper umbrella cottage industry. In the afternoon, transfer to Heho Airport and flight to Mandalay, the last royal capital of Burma. Transfer to hotel and check-in upon arrival. Overnight stay in Mandalay.

Day 05 MANDALAY – MINGUN – MANDALAY (B, L)

After an early breakfast, climb the 1,729 steps up Mandalay Hill, a vantage point providing breathtaking panoramic views of the city and visit the Shwenandaw Monastery, famous for its exquisite wooden carvings; the Kuthodaw Pagoda, which, owing to its stone tablets with Buddhist inscriptions, is famous for containing the world’s largest book; and the Kusinara Pagoda, with a small museum where the monks will be happy to show you the Peshawar Relics. Then set off on your half-day excursion to Mingun. At the jetty, you will have enough time to observe the lively riverside goings-on and take a riverboat trip to the ancient capital city of Mingun (approx. one hour each way). Lunch on the boat. Visit the Settawya Pagoda, with its Buddha footprint, and the Mingun Bell, the largest ringing bell in the world; view the nearby unfinished Mingun Pagoda, built to be the world’s biggest pagoda and visit the Hsinbyume Pagoda, a replica of the mythological Mount Meru. In the late afternoon, return to Mandalay by boat. Overnight stay in Mandalay.

Day 06 MANDALAY – AMARAPURA – MANDALAY – BAGAN (B)

After breakfast, travel to Amarapura. The ‘City of Immortality’, located around eleven kilometres south of Mandalay, was the capital of Upper Burma until 1850. Along with the surviving pagodas, the ancient silk- and cotton-weaving tradition using handlooms is very much alive there. You will take a rowing boat across Taungthaman Lake to the picturesque village of Taungthaman; return to Amarapura via the U Bein bridge, which, at 1,200 metres in length, is one of the world’s longest teakwood bridges; and visit a mill where the art of weaving is still performed using handlooms. Late afternoon transfer to airport for your flight to Bagan. Transfer to hotel and check-in upon arrival. Overnight stay in Bagan.

Fay 07 BAGAN (B)

Start your day with a magnificent flight by a hot air Balloon over Bagan. Then explore Bagan by bike or horse-drawn carriage--a city whose foundations were laid in the 2nd century AD and which was the Burmese royal capital until the 14th century. Here you will find the greatest historical buildings and richest ruins in Southeast Asia, which many view as surpassing even the temples of Angkor in Cambodia in size and presence. Nowadays, Bagan is a village that exudes an endless sense of tranquillity. The local inhabitants mostly make their living from agriculture and the production of lacquerware. You will constantly have wonderful views of the Bagan plains; countless pagodas and temples line the riverbanks. Overnight stay in Bagan.

Day 08 BAGAN – YANGON (B)

After breakfast, you will have enough time to go for a stroll around the picturesque market at Nyaung Oo. Then take a boat ride up the Ayeyarwady and visit the Kyauk Gu U Min Temple, a so-called ‘rock cave tunnel’ with interesting stone reliefs. On the way back down the river, the boat stops off at the Bupaya Pagoda, which, due to its cylindrical shape, is considered to be one of Bagan’s oldest pagodas. From there, it is just a short walk to the Mahabodhi Temple. Late afternoon transfer to airport and return flight to Yangon. Upon arrival, transfer to hotel, check-in and overnight stay.

Day 09 YANGON / Departure (B)

You will have the morning free. Explore the Burmese metropolis on your own! If you’re feeling in the mood and want to experience the Burmese culture up close, then just take an interesting tour on the public ‘City Circular Train’ (circular railway) or a leisurely stroll through the Bogyoke market (closed Mondays and public holidays) for some last-minute shopping. There is a wide range of items for sale, including: wooden carvings, bronze statues, lacquer, mother-of-pearl cutlery, longyis and much more. Afternoon transfer to airport for your return flight.

PRICES IN US$ PER PERSON VALID FROM 01.10.20 – 31.03.2021

COMFORT 01.10.20-31.10.20 01.11.20-28.02.21 01.03.21-31.03.21
1 person
2.625
2.727
2.625
2 people
1.800
1.863
1.800
3 people
1.679
1.737
1.679
4-5 people
1.604
1.660
1.604
Single supplement
345
360
345
Half board supplement
119
Full board supplement
203
FIRST CLASS 01.10.20-31.10.20 01.11.20-28.02.21 01.03.21-31.03.21
1 person
3.016
3.135
3.016
2 people
2.004
2.076
2.004
3 people
1.883
1.950
1.883
4-5 people
1.808
1.872
1.808
Single supplement
541
564
541
Half board supplement
139
Full board supplement
228
DELUXE 01.10.20-31.10.20 01.11.20-28.02.21 01.03.21-31.03.21
1 person
3.729
3.999
3.729
2 people
2.376
2.526
2.376
3 people
2.255
2.400
2.255
4-5 people
2.180
2.322
2.180
Single supplement
897
996
897
Half board supplement
146
Full board supplement
239

Supplement for German-speaking tour guide: US$ 494 per group

Supplement for Italian- or Spanish-speaking tour guide: US$ 444 per

COMFORT
Yangon
Rose Garden Hotel
superior room
Inle Lake
Ananta Inlay Hotel
deluxe room
Mandalay
Triumph Hotel
villa deluxe room
Bagan
The Hotel Umbra Bagan
grand deluxe room
FIRST CLASS
Yangon
Chatrium Hotel
deluxe room with lake view or pagoda view
Inle Lake
Novotel Inle Lake Myat Min Hotel
deluxe room
Mandalay
Mercure Mandalay Hill Resort
deluxe room
Bagan
Ananta Bagan Hotel
deluxe room
DELUXE
Yangon
Savoy Hotel
deluxe room
Inle Lake
Villa Inle Resort & Spa
lake front villa
Mandalay
Rupar Mandalar Resort
premier suite pool side
Bagan
Bagan Lodge
villa room

Do you have questions?

Feel free to contact us. Our team will be happy to help you.

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