Compare Cultural Highlights and Himalayan Foothills by Remote Lands

Day 1: Yangon

Arrive in Yangon, the country’s former capital filled with beautiful colonial style buildings. Spend the evening familiarizing yourself with your surroundings and checking into your hotel. Relax at your hotel this evening. We recommend the Governor's Residence or The Strand.

Day 2: Bagan

After having breakfast at your hotel, fly to the ancient city of Bagan. The city once had over 10,000 Buddhist temples and more than 2,000 remain today. After checking into your hotel, take a tour of the Ananda temple. The temple contains four massive Buddha images and King Anawrahta’s famous golden stupa of Shwezigon Pagoda. Feel enlightened as you visit the Temple of Omniscience, known as Thatbyinnyu. See the grand interlocking brickworks at the famous, massive Dhammayangyi Temple. Watch the sun dip in the tangerine sky from Bagan’s ancient monuments and take a quaint horse cart ride through the old town in the evening, before retiring to Aureum Palace Hotel.

Day 3: Bagan

Catch a majestic Bagan sunrise to begin your day. Learn about village life as you visit Tayokepay Temple and Min Nan Thu Village. You’ll have the rare opportunity to learn how to extract coveted groundnut oil. Marvel at the intricate murals painting the walls of the Phaya Thonezu and Nanda-pyinnya Temples. Stock up on artisanal goods and snack on Burmese treats and ripe produce as you peruse the lively Nyaung Oo Market. Gain new cultural insight as you continue to Myinkaba to visit the Gubyaukgyi Temple, noted for its intricate stucco detail, as well as Nanpaya Temple, Manuha temple and its grandiose Buddha images. The day is complete as you relax on a sunset boat trip and cruise down the Ayeyarwady River.

Day 4: Inle Lake

Day four of your adventure is spent traveling through Heho and arriving in Inle. Enjoy a ferry ride and catch a glimpse of the beautiful floating gardens and the unique one-legged fishing style specific to the area. Spend the night at in Lake Inle at the Inle Princess Resort or Aureum Inle Resort & Spa.

Day 5: Inle Lake

You’re just in time for the fifth day market. Join in as the region’s ethnic tribes meet to buy, sell and exchange delicious home grown produce. Watch as local tribesmen create traditional handicrafts such as the local cheroot - a cigar with open ends on each side. Explore the well-known “Nga Phe Chaung” monastery and view the stunning collection of Buddhist statues.

Day 6: Mandalay

Take a boat ride to Nyaung Shwe to reach Heho airport for your flight into Mandalay - the last royal capital of Burma. See the world’s largest book at the golden Buddhist Stupa - Kuthodaw Pagoda. The pagoda is made up of 729 marbles slabs. Visit the Mahamuni Pagoda that is regarded as one of the holiest Pagodas in Myanmar’s history. Walk through the Golden Palace (Shwe Kyaung) monastery, decorated with elaborate wood carvings. Spend the sunset in peace as you watch the evening prayers. That night, rest at your hotel in the city.

Day 7: Putao

Lounge in leisure until it’s time for your mid-morning departure to Putao. Putao is the gateway for trekkers looking to explore the snow-capped mountains and sprawling flat valleys. Enjoy dinner and a quiet overnight in a white canopied bed at the Malikha Lodge.

Day 8:Machanbaw - Namkham

Begin the morning by strolling through a local Putao market ran by the area’s ethnic tribes. Enjoy a jeep excursion down a pebbled road and across the Malikha River to the quaint colonial style town of Machanbaw. Explore the candidly-named “Stone Dragon Park,” before taking a local river boat for a tour of the sprawling Rawan local village. Here, you have the rare opportunity to see the Kanugmulon Pagoda - a historic Buddhist monument built in 300 B.C.

Day 9: Mudon

Catch a glimpse of the country’s humanitarian efforts as you visit one of the local orphanage schools. Once you’ve finished your visit, walk and bike to the Paneling Hkamti Shan Village and find the exotic Mahamuni picture displayed in the village. Journey through Putaung Shan, Gyin Lisu and Malawagy villages all against an incredible backdrop of picturesque, snow-capped mountains. Make your way back to the Malikha Lodge through the village of Lonsut.

Day 10: Malikha River

Get ready for an adventurous day as you take a jeep ride into the Mulashidi village. It’s time to grab an oar and raft down the pristine freshwater of Mula river. Post-rafting, you can explore the exotic white river beaches before returning to Putao by jeep.

Day 11: Hopaing

Walk or bike your way through the Lonsut village and the unending paddy fields. Cross Namhtun creek, the Hopaing Shan Village, the village’s exquisite monastery and see a different way of life as you stop and discover how the locals live.

Day 12: Mandalay

Stock up on last minute souvenirs from the area’s local market before catching your flight back to Mandalay. Rest up at your hotel that evening.

Day 13: Mandalay - Mingun - Yangon

Travel to the jetty by an exclusive private boat trip on the Ayeyarwaddy River that will take you all the way to Mingun. Take a picture with the world’s largest functioning bronze bell: the Mingun bell. See the unfinished Mingun Paya that once aspired to be the world's largest pagoda, though this has yet to come to fruition. Take a late afternoon flight to Yangon and enjoy an evening of leisure in your hotel.

Day 14: Yangon

Walk along the streets of Yangon to discover the city’s picturesque colonial architecture, the Karaweik Royal Barge suspended over the quiet Royal Lake and a last chance shop through the massive Bogyoke Aung San Market. Your adventure ends here, as you travel from Yangon and make your way home.