Welcome to Myanmar! Upon arrival at the airport in Yangon International Airport, clear Immigration and Customs and proceed into the arrivals area, where you will be greeted by your private guide and driver for your hotel transfer. When you reach your hotel, check in, get settled and enjoy your first evening! (This service is on a private basis.)

Yangon

Yangon, also known as Rangoon, is Myanmar’s largest city and most important commercial hub, located at the convergence of the Yangon and Bago Rivers. This former Burmese capital, creatively blends tradition, culture and modernity. It is home to the stunning Shwedagon Pagoda, which dates back more than 2,000 years. From pilgrimages and pagoda festivals, to ubiquitous tea shops and cosmopolitan avenues, you can find it all in Yangon. Often called the "Garden City of the East", nature lovers will enjoy the city’s pristine lakes, verdant tropical trees and spacious parks.

Yangon City Tour

Yangon is a sprawling city with a relatively small downtown area, which includes several markets, colonial buildings, the Yangon River and a very green area with tree-lined streets and several lakes. During this full day tour, you will be led through the different faces of Yangon, from the famous landmarks, to the hidden markets hardly ever seen by westerners.

Throughout the day, you will have the chance to visit the Sule Pagoda, colonial downtown, the harbor, the Strand and one of the colorful local markets. The reclining Buddha will be visited just before a delicious lunch is served. This meal will be comprised of typical dishes from tribes of all over the country, such as Kachin, Shan and Rakhine. A local market will lead you into a small station, where you will board the famous circular train, which will bring you right behind Bogyoke Aung San market. Enjoy one last exploration here, before heading back to your hotel. This excursion includes a drink at the Gekko, a cozy restaurant on Merchant Street in a historical building, as well as the lunch at a local restaurant. (This service is on a private basis.)

Early this morning, you will be picked up at your hotel in Yangon and transferred to the airport in good time to board your domestic flight to Mandalay. Upon arrival in Mandalay, you will be greeted at the airport by your driver and guide for an exploration of the city. (This service is on a private basis.)

Amarapura & Mahamuni

Today's tour is the perfect introduction to Mandalay. You will start with a visit to the old capital of Amarapura, in a quiet village where you will hear the sound of the weaving machines. Continue walking through the famous Mahagandayon monastery complex wandering with hundreds of monks, visit a 100 year old weaving vocational training institution and walk over U-Bein Bridge, where you will taste a sip of Mandalay rum, which has been produced since 1886!

Next, your tour continues to the Mahamuni pagoda to have a look at this century’s old Buddha statue originating from Mrauk Oo. It is a very lively temple compound where men can stick gold leaves to the Buddha statue. The Mahamuni is also an excellent place to shop around for the perfect Buddha statue (bronze or wood). If you can’t find what you are looking for, there's no need to worry, as you will have time to find a marble statue at the next stop, which is the marble carving street, before heading back to your hotel. (This service is on a private basis.)

Mandalay

Mandalay, the last royal capital of Burma, lies in central Myanmar on the eastern bank of the Irrawaddy river. The name "Mandalay" evokes visions of rich history and exotic cultures. However this relatively young royal city, considered by many to be the heart of Burmese culture, was built in 1857. Mandalayans are known for their generous and charitable nature primarily due to the fact that the area holds the world's largest number of monks to be found in any one place. A long procession of monks doing their alms-receiving-rounds in the mornings is a common sight in Mandalay.

The Royal History of Mandalay

King Thibaw and Queen Supayalat were the last king and queen of Burma until being sent to exile in India. It is believed that King Thibaw became king in 1878 after 79 other candidates were brutally murdered by his wife and mother-in-law. The famous book “The Glass Palace” by Amitav Ghosh describes this history in detail. You will start by visiting inside the Mandalay fort and exploring the rebuilt palace that was designed by King Mindon (King Mindon was the penultimate king of Burma from 1853 to 1878. He was one of the most popular and revered kings of the country). From here, you will continue to visit the most beautiful part which is the wood-carved Shwenandaw monastery just outside the palace in which king Mindon lived and died.

Next, you will continue to the lesser-known Setkyathiha pagoda with the 5 meter high bronze sitting Buddha statue that was brought by king Thibaw to Mandalay just before the beginning of the war. The royal family collected many religious artifacts and handicrafts made in Mandalay and you will have the opportunity to visit some of the old workshops where gold leaves are made, woodcarvings are created and kalagas (tapestry) are weaved with silver or gold colored thread. End today's excursion with a lunch of traditional Mandalay curries. After lunch, your driver and guide are available for additional visits around Mandalay until 6:00 PM. (This service is on a private basis.)

Journey to Bagan

Today it's time to say goodbye to Mandalay as you head to the next part of your honeymoon adventure. Today your guide will meet you at your hotel in Mandalay and you will travel by car to Bagan. During the journey, you will visit Paleik and Mt.Popa. The snake temple in Paleik is known for the 3 pythons sleeping at the Buddha statue that are being washed and fed daily by local worshippers. Lesser known are the ancient temple ruins in the same area, many of them over 200 years old and partly overgrown by vegetation. It’s a sort of “mini Bagan” and you probably find yourself alone, feeling like the first people ever to discover this place, surrounded by temples.

Next, you will visit Mount Popa is one of the places that simply cannot be missed, as it is the birthplace of the 37 “nats” of Myanmar, which are the protective spirits. Enjoy lunch at the Popa Mountain Resort before embarking on the 3 hour hike up Mt.Popa. The views on top will be worth the effort! After enjoying your beautiful surroundings, you will head to your hotel in Bagan.(This service is on a private basis.)

Bagan

Located on the eastern banks of the Irrawaddy River in central Myanmar, Bagan is famous for its picturesque Buddhist temples, pagodas, stupas and ruins. More than 2,000 of these extraordinary treasures cover an area of 16 square miles, many of which date back to the 11th and 12th centuries. Bagan is the ultimate photographer's paradise. No matter if it's the colorful hour of dawn or the balmy late afternoons, the impressive pagodas that decorate the landscape, is truly picture perfect.

Full Day Orientation Tour

Today, you will embark on a full day tour by car through Bagan. You will start the morning with a visit to the busy market in New Bagan. The market is a very lively affair when people from all around town come and buy their vegetables, herbs and meat and other ingredients for dinner. Next, you will head to the Taungbi village where you will visit the old wooden monastery built for royalty and two temples that are not well known but certainly worth a visit.

Your experienced guide will show you the best known temples of the area. Climb a pagoda, to reach a breathtaking view over the entire area. From here, you will explore other amazing temples that have been here for hundreds of years. Places like the Ananda, Dhammayangyi, Sulamani, and Thatbyinnyu that will certainly impress you.

Lunch will be enjoyed at a local restaurant and around 4:00 PM, you will continue the tour by horse cart to Pyathagyi pagoda. At the pagoda, you will have the opportunity to admire the sunset with some refreshing drinks! Oh, and of course the best part of this tour...whenever you pass by a temple that interests you, just ask your guide to stop to have a look at it! One of the many luxuries of private tours...the fact that you can cater it to your personal requests. After your excursion, you will be transferred back to your hotel. (This service is on a private basis.)

Sunrise Balloon Ride

Get ready for a legendary Bagan experience this morning! Before the sun comes up, you will be picked up from your hotel and driven to the launch site for a spectacular hot air balloon ride over the temple zone in Bagan. In the hands of your expert balloon pilot, you will enjoy the ride of your life, as you watch the sun rise against staggering temples in the distance. After soaring through the colorful skies, you will land safely on the ground, welcomed by a smiling crew, chilled champagne and the memory of a lifetime!

Half Day Food Tour

After your unforgettable morning, you will enjoy a taste of the local cuisine. The last king of Bagan was famous for his enormous appetite and he even demanded that every meal should include 300 different dishes! Today, you are going to discover what kind of food he must have eaten, to become so obsessed. You will learn more about herbs and greens at the market in Myinkaba, visit home-based cottage industries, where products like tamarind paste or candies are made and visit the Mingalazedi pagoda, which was built by the last king. in a local monastery you will have the chance to satisfy your senses with the various tastes of typical Burmese ingredients, from sweet, to bitter. End your excursion with a meal, just as the last king of Bagan would have requested it - only a bit more moderate - with “only” 30 different dishes to try! Cheers!

Minnanthu Temple Tour & Picnic Lunch

This afternoon, you will visit Minnanthu Temple. A favorite among frequent Bagan visitors, this historic temple is set in a quiet area, that is often entirely deserted. In this enchanting forgotten part of Bagan, your guide will lay down a blanket for a nice picnic lunch surrounded by the ancient ruins. After lunch, you will have time to visit a few other ancient temples in the area before heading back into the city. (This service is on a private basis.)

This morning, you will be picked up at your hotel in Bagan and transferred to the airport in good time to board your domestic flight to Heho. Upon arrival in Heho, you will be greeted at the airport by your driver and transferred to the elephant camp for a memorable wildlife encounter. (This service is on a private basis.)

Elephant Encounter in the Forests of Kalaw

Today, a specially trained elephant conservation guide will take you on a rewarding adventure in the Kalaw forest, to encounter elephants, their mahouts, and locals from the surrounding areas. Young tourism professionals from Kalaw town decided to set up Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp, a project that is focused on protecting nature, providing care for elephants no longer fit to work, and preserving the traditions of local people living in and around Kalaw – a former hill station that today is popular for trekking. In a large part of this privately protected forest, a natural habitat has been set aside for animals that would otherwise be vulnerable to hunting and poaching. The tour begins with a private car ride to the main camp where the specialized staff will explain the project and the camp's daily activities. A delicious lunch of Nepalese food will then be served to you. In the afternoon, you will be introduced to the resident elephants! You will learn about the elephants and their individual stories while having an opportunity to feed them a variety of specially prepared foods. You can then assist a local mahout with bathing one of these incredible creatures in the nearby river. After this unforgettable experience, you will be invited to plant a tree before saying goodbye to your new friends and heading back to your hotel.

Kalaw

Sitting at an elevation of 4300 feet, the peaceful hill station of Kalaw offers a lush, cool respite from the heat of the plains. Known for its trekking, Kalaw is also interesting culturally with a diverse population of Shan, Indian Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims as well as Nepali Gurkhas who came to Kalaw to build the roads and railway line under British rule. Kalaw is the main setting of the novel “The Art of Hearing Heartbeats” by Jan-Philipp Sendker.

Shan Mountains & Valleys by Train

Today you will be transferred to the picturesque colonial train station in Kalaw to board the 11:00 AM train that brings you over the mountains and through the valleys towards Inle Lake. A unique local experience that offers great views and a glimpse of local life in the Shan hills. Arrival in Shwe Nyaung is estimated at around 2:00 PM however it could be delayed if the trains stops longer than normally in local hill tribe villages to load local goods – a colorful sight! Upon arrival in Shwe Nyaung, a driver will greet you at the station and transfer you to your hotel.

Inle Lake

Magical Inle Lake is a vast natural freshwater lake located in the heart of Shan State, part of Shan Hills in Myanmar bordering Laos and Thailand. It is the second largest lake in Myanmar with an estimated surface area of 44.9 square miles, and one of the highest at an elevation of 2,900 feet. A wonderful watery world of floating gardens, stilted villages and crumbling stupas, Inle Lake is a place to be savored. Watch the unique leg-rowers of the Inthas, the native lake dwellers. Revel in colorful floating markets, meditative monasteries and interesting hill tribe villages in the surrounding mountains.

Inle Lake Culture, Scenery & Markets

Inle Lake is surrounded by traditional Shan Villages, where the Intha people have been living for many centuries, in villages built entirely on stilts above the water. Today's tour begins with a ride on a private motorboat around the lake. This offers the chance to truly appreciate the natural beauty of the lake, visit the floating gardens, observe some of the famous leg rowers and enjoy some tea at a local family’s home. On and around the lake, traditional markets are held in various villages according to a 5-day rotating schedule. During this excursion, you will visit one of these colorful markets, frequented by the local Shan and PaO people. You will also stop at a local cheroot factory, where Burmese cigars are made, before visiting a floating tomato garden and the beautiful Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda. This afternoon, you will be invited into a local Intha home for a traditional lunch, served to your liking. Your guide can also take you to a weaving factory if you are interested, before returning to your hotel. (This service is on a private basis.)

Indein Ruins & Floating Gardens Canoe Trip

This morning, you will be taken to the south of Inle Lake, for a guided exploration of the Indein Ruins. This attraction is one of the region's treasures, you won't want to miss. Partly covered by vegetation, this area looks like a "pagoda forest". You will spend about an hour here, walking around the lake and enjoying the scenery.

After learning about the ancient history from your guide, you will be welcomed into a local's home for lunch. This special cultural experience will be followed by a journey to the Nam Pan Village by canoe. Having the chance to experience this traditional mode of transportation is fun for a while, but once you are tired of paddling, you can ride a motorboat the rest of the way back to your hotel. (This service is on a private basis.)

Enjoy this free time to relax and relish in your beautiful surroundings. Normal check-out time at your hotel (11am or 12 noon), but you can leave your bags at reception until it's time for your transfer to the Heho airport this afternoon for your flight back to Yangon.

On arrival in Yangon, you'll be met by a driver and transported to your hotel. Enjoy your last night in Myanmar!

Sadly, your Myanmar journey must come to an end today. However, you will be leaving with irreplaceable memories and experiences to cherish for the rest of your life.

Today, you will be picked up at your hotel in Yangon and transferred to the Yangon airport in good time for your departure flight home. We hope you had an incredible honeymoon and we wish you safe and pleasant travels onward! (This service is on a private basis.)