# 9-Day Myanmar Highlights Tour: The Land and the People

Take this Myanmar tour to discover its beautiful landscape: rolling mountains, rustic villages, countless temples and calm water. It is also about the people: they chitchat in Scott Market in Yangon, give alms to monks in Mandalay and take you among floating gardens in Inle Lake. So hard to resist Myanmar’s charm when it throws you back to pure innocence.

## Highlights

- Get a glimpse at the house where Aung San Suu Kyi was put under house arrest
- Observe amazing sunset among thousands of temples in Bagan
- Approach to monks during their daily rituals in some monasteries
- Take a boat trip in Inle Lake through the floating gardens and villages

## What's Included

- Approval Letter for Myanmar e-Visa
- Private transfers and English-speaking tour guides in every destination
- All guided sightseeing as detailed in the itinerary
- Hotel accommodation mentioned in the itinerary
- Internal flights including taxes and fuel as specified in the itinerary
- Breakfasts at hotels, lunches for every guided day
- Governmental taxes

## Price per Person in US Dollars

Nov.1 - Mar.31 | Handpicked Comfort | Luxury
--- | --- | ---
2-5 People | $#AH-7,st,25,2016-11-10# | $#AH-7,lx,25,2016-11-10#
6-9 People | $#AH-7,st,69,2016-11-10# | $#AH-7,lx,69,2016-11-10#
Apr.1 - Oct.31 |  |
2-5 People | $#AH-7,st,25,2016-09-10# | $#AH-7,lx,25,2016-09-10#
6-9 People | $#AH-7,st,69,2016-09-10# | $#AH-7,lx,69,2016-09-10#

Note: We will grant you get the price as showed above except that there will be a price fluctuation in festival seasons (such as National Day, Myanmar New Year and etc).

## Suggested Itinerary

Day 1Yangon Arrival

Being isolated for so many years, Myanmar remains a land of less-touched highlights. Today you will arrive in Yangon Mingaladon Airport and be greeted by your private tour guide and driver. Transfer to hotel for rest.

- Connection & Extension:

1. Connection: There are international flights between Yangon and these cities: Beijing, Guangzhou, Kunming, Hong Kong, Hanoi, Singapore, Bangkok, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Mumbai. Beyond Asia, Bangkok is an all-time-good transit if you are flying from other continents. Note that flights from Bangkok to Yangon mostly take off from BKK and in the afternoon, so it's better to arrive in Bangkok early in the morning if you are not planning a night in Bangkok.
2. Extension: Myanmar is just a part of your globale travel plan? Yangon can be connected to China, Singapore, India, Hong Kong, South Korea and Vietnam directly; for other countries, take Bangkok as a transit. How about an extension to Angkor Wat? Roll down to the bottom of this page and you will find our special deal for a 5-day trip in Siem Reap.

- Approval Letter for Myanmar e-Visa:

People of all nationalities, except those from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), are required to obtain visa for Myanmar. Our Myanmar tours include the fee for Approval Letter (ranging from USD30 to 50 depending on nationality), which shall be applied and issued at least one month before your travel time, and your travel advisor will send it along with the tour confirmation. Approval Letter will be used for eVisa application for air entry. Take your passport and 1 passport-size photo to get your passport stamped at one of the airports of Yangon, Mandalay or Nap Pyi Taw, with no extra cost at the airport.

- Speak your language:

Although the country is now partly open, more and more people are encouraged to learn and use foreign languages. Besides English, we also have some Spanish, French, German, Italian and Russian-speaking tour guides.

- Food to your taste:

Just like other Asian countries, Myanmar cuisines is a bit heavy in taste and spices and with a menu based in rice, fish, chicken, beef and vegetables. All restaurants in the itinerary are simple, local but hygienic restaurants with tableware sterilized every day and setting well-kept. However, we can arrarnge Halal, Kosher and vegetarian meals upon your special request.

- Accommodations in Myanmar:

Most hotels for foreign tourists in Myanmar were built in the late 1990's without A/C and limited choices. It is until recent years that A/C rooms and family rooms have become a standard for hotels when more and more foreign-funded hotels are being built. Hotels of Asia Highlights' selection are all with A/C and rooms of at least 30㎡. To ensure a cozy stay, Asia Highlights would suggest you choose hotels at a higher ranking.

Accommodation:

2 nights at Summit Park View Hotel (Handpicked Comfort) / Novotel Yangon Max (Luxury)

Day 2Yangon

Yangon, also known as Rangoon, used to be the capital of Myanmar until superseded by Nay Pyi Daw in 2005 and now still the commercial center and definitely a must-see for any Myanmar tours.
Today, get to know its history and fascinating cultures with a city tour. First stop is the famous Shwedagon Pagoda, enshrining strands of Buddha’s hair and covered with layers of pure gold. Later, learn about the country’s history at National Museum before lunch at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, take a walk in the Colonial District in downtown of Yangon, lined with some beautiful colonial-era buildings such as High Court Building (built in 1914), Strand Hotel (built in 1896), Ministers' Building (built in the late 1800s) and your tour guide will reveal some secret stories behind them. Later, you will stop by Aung San Suu Kyi House, where Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League of Democracy was put under house arrest on and off for 15 years. Finish today’s visit at Bogyoke Aung Suu Market, also known as Scott Market (named after C. Scott, the Municipal Commissioner in the early 1920s), is an interesting place for people watching and great bargains.

- Travel time:

Myanmar has been seeing more and more international faces in recent years. Travel time is always a big factor to consider when you are planning a trip to Myanmar. Weather-wisely, the best time is during October to next March for it's sunny, not much rain and not too hot. Meanwhile, traveling during April to September, when it comes rain and wind, can be also beneficial for there is less people and you can enjoy good service at a lower price. Nevertheless, it is smart to avoid festival seasons (when price can go double and roads jammed with celebrating locals), such as Myanmar New Year in the middle of April, Bo Tree Watering Festival in May, Festival of Lights in October and Nat Festivals in December.

- Entering the temple:

Travelers should not wear sleeveless tops or short pants while visiting a religious site. Leggings and short skirts are not allowed, either. Take off shoes at the entrance. This applies to all cities in Myanmar.

Day 3Yangon - Bagan (1h20m by air)

Take an early flight to Nyaung U Airport and transfer to your hotel in Bagan.
This afternoon, we will stretch out to Minanthu Village, a peaceful village about 7km southeast of Bagan. It sees fewer travelers and remains a quiet village where people make a living by tradition handcrafts such as lacquer ware and weaving. You will also see some Chin women who tattoo their faces as a way to distinguish their group, social and marital status and possibly age. Later, visit Kyat Khayon Cave Monastery. This underground monastery is located outside the old Bagan and was built to isolate the monks and novices from the outside world for better training.

- Nyaung U, Old Bagan, New Bagan and what's the difference?

The three districts of Bagan, Nyaung U (also spelt as Nyaung Oo), Old Bagan and New Bagan, have their shares of fans:
1. Nyaung U, about 30 minutes of driving to the archaeological zone, is where the airport is and there are a lot of budget-friendly hotels to choose, the colonial atmosphere of the town makes a great walk-around, all buses and boats arrive at Nyaung U, too;
2. Old Bagan boasts for the perfect accessibility to the archaeological zone and hotels range from mid-range to luxury can be found here;
3. in 1990, the government relocated the villagers from Old Bagan down to the furthest south point that is today's New Bagan, 20 minutes away from Old Bagan by car, this is the place you can find budget and mid-range hotels and restaurants.
Asia Highlights chooses great value hotels in Old Bagan for your easy get-around and enjoyable stay.

Accommodation:

2 nights at Bagan Hotel River View (Handpicked Comfort) / Aureum Palace Hotel and Resort (Luxury)

Day 4Bagan

Listed as a World Heritage Site, Bagan Archaeological Zone is simply astonishing with its over 2,200 ruins scattering on the vast plain of Bagan. There used to be more than 10,000 in its day of prime and most are of 10 centuries old. Some are large and tall while others are hidden among the grass and hard to spot out.
Today you will visit Ananda Pagoda, Dhammayangyi Pagoda, Maha Bodhi Pagoda and possibility to get around by bike. At dusk, you will get up to one of the pagodas to view amazing sunset over the plain.

- Panoramic view of Bagan:

The best sunset viewing points, allowing a panoramic view of the archaeological zone would be Shwesandaw Pagoda and Pyathatgyi Pagoda. Shwesandaw is very popular among tourists while Pyathatgyi offers you a chance to get inside the pagoda.

- Hot air balloon flight (Optional):

Flying up in the sky, overlooking all the temples at sunrise, a 1-hour hot air balloon ride can be something special to tell your friends back home. It is available for booking during October to next March, morning time schedule every day and sunset flight upon request.

Day 5 Bagan - Mandalay (30min by air)

Get to Mandalay by air in the early morning. Transfer to hotel for a break.
Mandalay used to be Myanmar’s ancient capital, leaving the city with a graceful touch of its golden days. Today your private tour guide will take you to Amarapura, 11km south of Mandalay. Firstly we will visit Taungthaman Village by the lake shore and meet some friendly people.
After lunch, we will visit Mahagandayon Monastery when the monks and novices are doing their daily training. Every day the monks line up to get lunch offered by local people, which can be a great chance for photos. It's amazing that such a long line of people can be so quiet and so stoic as nothing else matters besides the pot in their hands.
Time comes to sunset and we will take a walk across the U Bein Bridge. The teak wood structure reaches nearly 1,200 meters over the Taungthaman Lake, known as one of the most photographic sites in Myanmar. Get back to Mandalay before the evening.

- Merit scam:

You may encounter some women on the bridge who claim that they will let go off an owl if you pay 1 dollar, as a good deed for merit. Don’t fall for it because those owls are trained and they are always ready to fly back to their owners.

Accommodation:

2 nights at Hotel Shwe Pyi Thar (Handpicked Comfort) / Mandalay Hill Resort (Luxury)

Day 6Mandalay

Today you will get to know Mandalay better. Start with a visit at Mandalay Palace. Constructed in 1859, Mandalay Palace is the last seat of Myanmar monarchy, following the rules of traditional Burmese palace design with four walls surrounded by moat and main palace facing the east. It was destroyed by bombing during World War II and been reconstructed to recapture the glory of the Mandalay Kingdom. Have a simple lunch at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, we will walk in Shwenandaw Monastery, originally a part of the royal palace and the only part of the palace that was not destroyed by that bombing. The verandah on the first level of the monastery is delicately carved.
At the north point of the city, by the foot of Mandalay Hill, the World's Biggest Book at Kuthodaw Pagoda sits in silence waiting for its gawking readers. Your tour guide will take you here in late afternoon when big crowds have been gone and the light is just fine for photos.
Get onto the top of Mandalay Hill and you will get a great view of the city at sunset.

Candle lighting is a tranditional Buddhist ritual for good luck

Day 7Mandalay - Inle Lake (35min by air)

Rise up early and you will be taken to Nyaung U Airport for onward flight to Heho Airport, 1 hour away to Inle Lake. Transfer to your hotel and take a short break.
Take a boat trip to Indien Pagoda Complex, the biggest highlight of the peaceful village Indien of Tuangyi. There are countless ancient pagodas springing out of the water. It is so easy to get soaked up in the timeless atmosphere as your boat weaves through the creeks. If you are coming on a market day, you will see Shan, Pa-O and Danu people coming down from their hill tribes to trade goods.

- 5-day Market in Inle Lake:

Villages around Inle Lake take a 5-day market day rotation. The hosting sites are Nyaung Shwe, Heho, Taunggyi, Mine Thauk, Shwe Nyaung, where people from over the lake area will gather by boats and trade their goods including home-produced vegatables, handicrafts and daily suppliers. If you are interested, your travel advisor will try to match your travel with one market day if possible.
Also, the 8-km boat trip is only possible during the rainy season and winter, which is May to next February. The water is too shallow for boating during other time of the year.

- Accommodations in Inle Lake:

Heho, Nyaungshwe and Inle Lake are the three major settlements around Inle Lake area.
1. Heho, 1 hour away by car from Inle Lake, has an airport and a railway station, also the termnial of some long-haul buses. Travelers who plan to spend at least 5 days in Inle Lake favorite this place for budget-friendly accommodations and easy transfer.
2. Nyaungshwe, the main town of Inle Lake area, is 45 minutes by car to both the airport in Heho and to the lake itself. It offers a big share of mid-range hotels, great value resorts, nice restaurants and the lively main town atmosphere is just good for people-watching.
3. Inle Lake, particularly around the lakeshore, is where the finest resorts are located. Featuring with nice lake view and mostly garden-setting, these hotels are made for great stay more than just 1 night, which makes up the limited choice of getting around in these laid-back villages.
Asia Highlights chooses hotels that are within half-hour driving to the lake with nice rooms and great services in Nyaungshwe.

Accommodation:

2 nights at Thanakha Inle Hotel (Handpicked Comfort) / Aureum Inle Resort and Spa (Luxury)

Day 8Inle Lake

Take a boat trip in Inle Lake to experience the unique lifestyles. Firstly, visit Nga Phe Kuang, a monastery built above the water. This monastery used to be famous for the jumping cats but now cats are not trained with this kind of prowess, instead, they will be just laying around and meow to greet you. Burmese believe building new pagodas and monasteries are part of their life merit, but not so in preserving the old ones, which is the reason why this ancient monastery is important as a preservation for ancient Buddha images and the wooden monastery itself holds a lot of history.
On the way to Phaungdaw Oo Pagoda, you will see many houses built on silts and people get around by boat waving hello to you. Have a simple lunch at a nearby floating restaurant on the lake.
Floating Gardens are like countless gems scattering all over the lake and you will see how farmers row their boats to tend every piece of small farming beds. Chance to watch the legendary "One-Leg" fishermen rowing and fishing at the same time.

For safety reason, one canoe can take only two people including the boater and each traveler will have a life jacket.

Day 9Inle Lake - Yangon (1h10m by air) - Yangon Departure

Say goodbye to the peaceful lake and you will be taken to Heho Airport. Fly back to Yangon and connect with your international flight.

- Departure flight:

The earliest flight from Heho to Yangon lands at 11am in Yangon. You may need to stay in Yangon for one more night if your international flight departs before 11am.

- Shopping in Bangkok:

Make Bangkok your exit and you will have a blast in this wonderful city for a couple of days. Let us know if you need further arrangement.

Tour Map

Angkor Wat Wonder Awaits You!

Extend your adventure to the wonderness of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap by taking Bangkok as a transit.

5-Day Siem Reap Tour at Depth5 nights handpicked comfort | from USD 838/person

Highlights:
- A local Khmer scholar sharing insights of Angkor Wat
- Sparkling diamonds of the Angkor -- Bantey Srei and Beng Meala
- Meet those who live above water in a floating village
- No time wasted - Airport Fast Track Services only for VIPs
- Helping while traveling - give back to the local community

## Asia Highlights Handpicked Hotels

Asia Highlights chooses hotels with a balanced mixture of traditional style and modern comfort, easy access to everything yet quiet enough for a good night's sleep.

Yangon - Hotel Grand United (Ahlone Branch)

- Ranked 19/137 hotels in Yangon on TripAdvisor.
- Centrally-located, Shwedagon Pagoda, Bogyoke Market and National Museum are within walking distance.
- Every room has private balcony and features view of the city or the glittering Shwedagon Pagoda.

Bagan - Bagan Hotel River View

- Winner of 4 years of Certificate of Excellence on TripAdvisor.
- Close to Bagan Archeological Zone, by the riverbank of the Ayeryarwaddy.
- Hand-built teak wood hotel, swimming pool, spacious A/C rooms and free Wifi available.

Mandalay - Hotel Shwe Pyi Thar

- One of the most popular mid-range hotels in Mandalay.
- Boasting for unbeatable location: 10 minutes of driving to Mandalay Hill, 10 minutes of walking to city center and 15 minutes of driving to Mandalay Palace.
- Burmese royal style throughout the hotel, wide-open view outside the window, soft beds, A/C, swimming pool and free Wifi.

Inle Lake - Thanakha Inle Hotel

- Ranked 4 of all hotels in Inle Lake, a winner of Certificate of Excellence.
- Wood-constructed villas located in a quiet village, 20 minutes of driving to Inle Lake.
- Rooms of 100sqm, nice natural views, swimming pool and gym for leisure.

Note: Your comfort counts! It's totally possible to change hotels based on your interests and budget. From guesthouses to high-end luxury resorts, just let us know your preferences and we will help you choose.

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