Itinerary FLT 07

[Name] Myanmar exploration V

23 Days / 22 nights (For people who want to explore the mountainous regions of Shan State with their ethnic groups, see all the classic sites and want to relax at the beach as well).

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The length of your stay in Kyaing Tong may need to be extended due to flight availability to Kyaing Tong. Flights are not operated daily.

Day 1. Yangon arrival
Day 2. Yangon - Heho - Pindaya - Kalaw (by flight and car)
Day 3. Kalaw (Trekking)
Day 4. Kalaw - Nyaung Shwe / Inle Lake (by car and boat)
Day 5. Inle Lake - Indein (by boat)
Day 6. Inle Lake - Sanghar (by boat)
Day 7. Inle Lake - Nyaung Shwe - Kakku - Aye Thar Yar (by boat and car)
Day 8. Aye Thar Yar - Heho - Kyaing Tong (by car and flight)
Day 9. Kyaing Tong (Trekking)
Day 10. Kyaing Tong (Trekking)
Day 11. Kyaing Tong - Mandalay (by flight and car)
Day 12. Mandalay - Mingun - Mandalay (by boat and car)
Day 13. Mandalay - Pyin Oo Lwin (by car)
Day 14. Pyin Oo Lwin - Gotheik Viaduct - Mandalay (by train and car)
Day 15. Mandalay - Bagan (by boat Malikha or Shwe Keinnery)
Day 16. Bagan (by car)                   ("Balloons over Bagan" is possible at extra cost)
Day 17. Bagan (by car)
Day 18. Bagan - Yangon - Ngwe Saung Beach (by flight and car )
Day 19. Ngwe Saung Beach
Day 20. Ngwe Saung Beach
Day 21. Ngwe Saung Beach
Day 22. Ngwe Saung Beach - Pathein - Yangon (by car)
Day 23. Yangon - International departure

Day 1. Upon arrival in Yangon, you will be welcomed by your FLT Tour guide and transferred to the hotel. Visit Yangon city center with many colonial style buildings, Sule pagoda, the reclining Buddha image of Chauk Htut Gyi, Karaweik Hall, a floating barge on Kandawgyi Lake and stroll around Scott (Bogyoke) Market with hundreds of food, clothes, handicrafts and gems stores. Your visit today will conclude with the Shwedagon Pagoda, one of the most awesome and spectacular monuments of Buddhists.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Yangon.

Day 2. After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport for your domestic flight to Heho. Upon arrival to Heho drive by car to Pindaya (60 km - 2 hours) passing through beautiful scenery of Shan State. Visit a local village on the way.
In Pindaya visit Pindaya cave, 160 m deep inside, enshrining 8,000 Buddha images. Your visit will also include traditional Shan Paper making industry.
In the afternoon drive to Kalaw (52 km - 1.5 hours), which is situated nearly 1,500 Meter above sea level, a charming former hill station with pine forests.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Kalaw.

Day 3. After early breakfast, walk up to Taung Ni Village (9 km - nearly 3 hours per way) where the animist Palaung ethnic group is living. You will pass tea- and orange plantations and other crops. On half way, you will reach to Peinnebin Village. There is a long house, where 5 - 6 families live together in 1 big (long) building.
Continue your trekking trip up to Taung Ni Village with beautiful landscape on the way going to this village.
After seeing the village life you will have a very basic lunch which is arranged by your trekking guide at the village.
An additional local trekking guide will accompany you today in addition to your tour guide.
Afterwards walk back to Kalaw.
Lunch provided, Dinner on your own account and overnight stay at Kalaw.

Day 4. After breakfast at the hotel, drive by car to Nyaung Shwe (65 km - 2 hours) passing through beautiful scenery of Shan State. You may stop at Aung Ban, a regional trading center for agricultural products.
From Aung Ban, you will continue to Nyaung Shwe, the gateway to the Inle Lake and transfer to your hotel (1 hour by boat before dawn if your hotel is located on the Lake).
Depending on your arrival time to the Lake, in the afternoon you can still make an excursion on the Lake.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay at Inle Lake.

Day 5. After breakfast at the hotel, visit the five day's market at nearby village (if coinciding with market day schedule). Continue your journey to the Western bank of Inle Lake upstream on a creek to get to Indein Pagoda where thousands of Shan style stupas exist. You will also get a chance to stroll around bamboo forest and visit local villages to experience village life of tribal people.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay at Inle Lake.

Day 6. After breakfast at the hotel, start your private long-tail boat trip to Sanghar village (preferably guests should stay at Golden Island Cottages (30 km - 2 hours from Golden Island Cottages)). Sanghar was in the 18th century one of the larger cities in Shan State (30 km - 2 hours). The highlights of this site are the remote village, stupas that sometimes get flooded in the rainy season and water lilies growing in mass. Have lunch at Thar Kaung village and visit a basic local rice liquor distillery and return to your hotel. The trip leads you through very interesting landscape, the lake becomes a creek to widen to a lake again before Sanghar.
Lunch provided, Dinner on your own account and overnight stay at Inle Lake.

Day 7. After breakfast at the hotel, drive to Kakku Pagoda complex in the territory of the Pa-O ethnic group (70 km from Nyaung Shwe - 2.5 hours; if your hotel is on the Lake, you will need to go by boat to Nyaung Shwe). The highlight of this site is the 2,500 temples and stupas aligned in rows, in a 1 sq-km area. Huge and shady Banyan trees and charming Pa-O villages surround it.
An additional, mandatory Pa-O guide will accompany you in addition to your tour guide.
In the afternoon, drive back via Taunggyi to Aye Thar Yar.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay at Aye Thar Yar Golf Resort

Remark: if guests stay at a hotel in Nyaung Shwe, a return to the hotel is possible and Kakku can be done as day-trip from Nyaung Shwe.

Day 8. After breakfast at the hotel, transfer by car to Heho airport for your domestic flight to Kyaing Tong, the capital of Eastern Shan State. Main attractions there are the primitive hill tribes such as Khun, Akha, Shan, Wa and Lahu. You can explore the town and One tree hill, with old big trees and a view over the area and Naung Tone Lake in town.
Depending on the arrival time of your flight, you can still visit a Palaung ethnic village nearby (Palaung are wearing red clothes and lacquered waist-bands) or visit town area.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Kyaing Tong.

Day 9. In the very early morning, visit the colourful market in Kyaing Tong.
Return to your hotel for your breakfast.
Continue visiting ethnic villages, at the area of Wan Pauk area where Akha and Ann ethnic groups are living. You will drive by car to start of the trekking spot and then walk uphill to those villages.
In the late afternoon return to Kyaing Tong.
Please arrange for your lunch in advance (not included), e.g. through your guide!
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Kyaing Tong.

Day 10. After breakfast at the hotel, proceed to Loimwe (33 km - 1 hour) where a number of colonial buildings and a century old Catholic Church exist. Continue visit to nearby ethnic villages (Ann, Wa, Lahu tribes) on foot.
Return to Kyaing Tong in the late afternoon.
Please arrange for your lunch in advance (not included), e.g. through your guide!
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Kyaing Tong.

Day 11.  After breakfast at the hotel, morning is at your leisure or visit the cattle market in Kyaing Tong.
After lunch transfer to the airport for your domestic flight to Mandalay.
Upon arrival transfer to your Hotel in Mandalay.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Mandalay.

Day 12. After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to jetty and go on a private boat on Ayeyarwady river (11 km - 2 hours) to visit Mingun. See the unfinished pagoda, the 90-ton, ringing bell of Mingun and Myatheintan Pagoda. Return by private boat to Mandalay.
In the afternoon, visit to Amarapura, Mahagandayon Monastery, where thousands of monks are studying as well as 200 years old U Bein bridge.
You will walk over to the end of the bridge and come back by riding a small rowing boat OR use the boat to enjoy the Sunset at U Bein bridge.Visit will also include silk weaving a factory.
Enjoy the sunset over Mandalay Hill.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Mandalay.

Day 13. After breakfast at the hotel, drive to Pyin Oo Lwin (67 km - 2 hours). You will leave the Ayeyarwady plains and ascend into the mountains. On the way there is a nice view, overlooking the plains. Further up, there is a place called "21 miles" where many food stalls and street vendors display their agricultural and food products. Shortly before Pyin Oo Lwin, there are flower vendors with a variety of colourful flowers from this region.
Your visit in Pyin Oo Lwin will include a Chinese Temple, hundred year old Candacraig Hotel and the local market.
In the afternoon, visit the beautiful Botanical Garden. A place to relax, one can see variety of trees and flowers, birds and a number of theme gardens.
Return to your hotel by horse cart.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Pyin Oo Lwin.

(Guests in very good physical condition can alternatively walk down to Anisakan Waterfalls (300 Meters difference in elevation - 2 hours walking - in parts a steep trek) 10 km before Pyin Oo Lwin. The waterfalls are really beautiful and worth the strenuous walk. The walk way descends in a thickly forested ravine. The view on arrival is stunning, the waterfall comes down to you from a cliff, there is a pool on the bottom - visit not recommended shortly after the rainy season!)

Day 14. After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to Pyin Oo Lwin railway station to experience a train ride. (Trains are not punctual and not comfortable). The highlight of your train ride is crossing the Gotheik viaduct, This railway Viaduct was built around 100 years ago and at that time was a masterpiece in engineering. It is an impressive steel structure over a deep valley. The ride is especially interesting as the train coming from Pyin Oo Lwin stops in front of the viaduct to let an oncoming southbound train pass. To put least stress on the structure, the train crawls over the viaduct in snail pace. You can look down into the deep valley from the train windows.
After crossing the viaduct, leave the train at the next station, Naung Pein Station. There you will be picked up by your car and drive back to Mandalay (160 km - 3.5 hours) and arrive back to Mandalay in the late evening.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Mandalay.

Day 15. Take away breakfast and very early morning transfer to the jetty for the boat "Malikha or Shwe Keinnery" to go downstream on Ayeyarwady River to Bagan. Enjoy a relaxing day with the landscape passing by and observing the people's life along the river. There is an air-conditioned room available. The trip takes approximately 10 -12 hours depending on the river conditions and water levels.
Upon arrival to Bagan, transfer to the hotel. Car and guide are available during the afternoon for a first sightseeing.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Bagan.

Day 16.  After breakfast at the hotel, visit the most significant Pagodas and Temples of Bagan including Shwezigone Pagoda, built in the early 11thcentury, Ku Byauk Gyi, a temple with superb mural paintings and Ananda temple with four standing Buddha Images and a huge teak door.
After lunch, visit to one of the lacquer-ware workshop. Visit will follow to Manuha temple, built in Mon style, Nanbayar Temple with a unique sand stone monument. Your visit will also include Myinkaba Gu-Byauk-Gyi Temple, a temple known for its mural paintings.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Bagan.

Day 17. After breakfast at the hotel, visit the site of Tayoke Pyay Temple and some further Temples.
After lunch, continue to a farming village around Bagan to know life of local people and local rice-noodle making. Few tourists go to those villages, you have time to explore the village life. In the late afternoon, return to Bagan.
Remark: Rice-noodle making at Taung Bi farming village is from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. But guests should check with guide / driver first whether it is worth going there on the particular day.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Bagan.

Day 18. After early breakfast at the hotel, transfer to Nyaung Oo airport for domestic flight to Yangon. Transfer to Ngwe Saung by car (200 km - 5 hours)
Upon your check-in in Bagan, your tour guide's service ends. If you wish your tour guide to accompany you until arrival to Ngwe Saung Beach, it can be arranged at additional cost.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay at Ngwe Saung Beach.

Day 19. Leisure at Ngwe Saung Beach
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay at Ngwe Saung Beach.

Day 20. Leisure at Ngwe Saung Beach
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay at Ngwe Saung Beach.

Day 21. Leisure at Ngwe Saung Beach
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay at Ngwe Saung Beach.

Day 22.  Before lunch, drive back to Yangon (230 km - 5 hours) via Pathein town. Optionally if you leave early from Ngwe Saung, you can visit Pathein town, a nice sleepy town with monk's umbrella manufacturing on the way.
Continue your journey back to Yangon, rest of the day is at your leisure for relaxing, shopping or sightseeing, the car will be at your disposal. (Tour Guide will only be provided on request)
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Yangon.

Day 23. Yangon - International departure
After breakfast, day at your leisure for relaxing, shopping or sightseeing until transfer to airport for departure. The car and Tour Guide will be at your disposal.

(Guests arriving to Myanmar by morning or mid-day flight will follow the above-mentioned program. But if you arrive only in the afternoon, you will be directly transferred to your hotel and Yangon sightseeing will be provided on the last day.)

 

Hotels	Aye Thar Yar	Mandalay	Pyin Oo Lwin	Bagan	Ngwe Saung
Standard	Aye Thar Yar Golf Resort (Sup)	Hotel G-Seven	Hotel Rich	Sky Palace Hotel (Bagan) Arthawka Hotel	---
Middle	Aye Thar Yar Golf Resort (Jun. Suite)	Mandalay City Hotel	Win Unity Resort Hotel (Pyin Oo Lwin)	Bagan Thande Hotel	Palm Beach Resort
Deluxe	Aye Thar Yar Golf Resort (Dlx. Suite)	Rupar Mandalar Resort Mercure Mandalay Hill Resort Hilton Mandalay	Aureum Resort @ Governor’s House	Tharabar Gate Hotel Aye Yar River View Resort	Palm Beach Resort

 

PRICES

Validity: Prices are valid during the high season from 01 October 2018 until 30 April 2019 (there might be surcharges during peak season times, e.g. Christmas and New Year and depending on the hotels chosen - please inquiry with us for your travel date). Please ask for discounted rates for the low season.
All prices are in USD per Person
 

Add on for German speaking through-out tour guide: 285.-- USD for the whole tour (not per person). Tour guides speaking other languages can be arranged - please check with us)

Included:

• Accommodation (twin shared room)
  
• Breakfast at hotel
  
• English speaking local "through out" guide including all miscellaneous cost for the guide (but not at the beach!)
  
• Additional local trekking guide in Kalaw and Kyaing Tong, mandatory Pa O guide in Kakku.
  
• Lunch during Kalaw trekking.
  

• Entrance fees and camera fees

• Domestic airport tax

• "Balloons over Bagan" if booked
  
• Transport (domestic flights as advised / car-, train-, boat- and cart transport as mentioned in the itinerary / all airport- and jetty transfers as mentioned)
  
• Luggage handling
  
• Boat "Malikha or Shwe Keinnery"
  
• Bottled drinking water & refreshing towels in normal quantities

Excluded: