Itinerary FLT 04

[Name] Myanmar exploration II

13 Days / 12 nights (for people who want to see both, classic sites and less touristic areas and would like to combine their trip departing to Northern Thailand)

Day 1. Yangon arrival
Day 2. Yangon - Twante potteries
Day 3. Yangon - Bagan (by flight)
Day 4. Bagan - Sale - Bagan
Day 5. Bagan - ("Balloons over Bagan" is possible at extra cost)
Day 6. Bagan - Mt. Popa - Kalaw (by car)
Day 7. Kalaw (hiking)
Day 8. Kalaw - Pindaya - Inle Lake (by car)
Day 9. Inle Lake
Day 10. Inle Lake - Sanghar (by boat)
Day 11. Inle Lake - Heho - Kyaing Tong (by car and flight)
Day 12. Kyaing Tong
Day 13. Kyaing Tong - Tachileik (by car), departure to Mae Sai (Thailand)
 

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 and transfer to Yangon river to the jetty to take either a public or private boat to Twante town depending on schedule and guest's wishes. The public boat is very basic, without comfort and cleanliness and might not be suitable for all guests.
The boat takes around 2 hours through Twante canal. On arrival to Twante or shortly after, your car will pick you up at the jetty. There are beautiful, old-fashioned potteries and kilns spread in 1 one part of town. The buildings are large houses with thatched roofs. All the work in those family businesses is done manually. Daily use items like pots are produced there.
After lunch time, drive back (1 hour on a rough road) to Dalat, on the other side of Yangon to take a car ferry back to Yangon.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Yangon.

(Guests arriving to Myanmar on Day 1 on a morning or mid-day flight will follow the above-mentioned program. But if you arrive to Myanmar only in the evening, you will do Yangon sightseeing on Day 2 instead of Twante potteries)

Day 3. Breakfast at the hotel and transfer by early morning flight to Bagan. Continue the day with visits to 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 one of the lacquer-ware workshops. 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 Byaukgyi Temple, a Temple known for its mural paintings.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Bagan.

Day 4. After breakfast, proceed by car to Sale (1.5 hours south of Bagan) on the banks of Ayeyarwady river. There is the beautiful Sale Yoke Sone Monastery with beautiful wood carvings and motifs. Rural life can be seen around town.
In the afternoon, return by private boat on the Ayeyarwady river upstream to Bagan and enjoy the sunset on the Ayeyarwady river.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Bagan.

Day 5. After breakfast visit the site of Tayoke Pyay Temple and some further Temples as you wish. The visit will also include Bagan Archaeological Museum where various styles of Buddha Images and hair knot styles are displayed.
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.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Bagan.

If guests wish, they can see the panoramic view of Bagan in the early morning by taking "Balloons over Bagan" at additional cost. The journey with the balloon is around 45 minutes, provided that weather conditions permit the journey.

Day 6. After early breakfast, proceed by car to Kalaw (320 km - 8 hours driving). After 45 km it is possible to visit Mt. Popa on the way, which is regarded as the abode of "Nat" (spirits) culture in Myanmar. Mt. Popa is an extinct volcano with spectacular views over the plains of Bagan region. You will have to climb up 777 steps to the shrine at the top of the peak to see the panoramic view (requires very good physical condition).
Continue your journey to Kalaw through the plains and later up in to mountains. Kalaw is situated nearly 1,400 Meter above sea level, a charming former hill station with pine forests.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Kalaw.

(For people who wish to travel more comfortable, above driving to Kalaw can be substituted by a flight from Bagan to Heho at a slight surcharge).

Day 7. After early breakfast, walk to Taryaw Village (9km - 3 hrs) where the animist Palaung ethnic group is living in long-houses. You will pass tea- and orange plantations and other crops. After seeing the village life you have a chance to rest for lunch at Viewpoint. Afterwards walk back to Kalaw.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay at Kalaw.

Day 8. After breakfast, drive by car to Pindaya (52 km - 1.5 hrs) 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 early afternoon continue by car to Inle Lake (90 km - 3 hours) and transfer to your hotel (1 hour by boat before dawn if your hotel is located on the Lake)
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay at Inle Lake.

Day 9. After breakfast, the excursion on the lake by private long-tail boat will include a visit to the local markets (if it coincides with five day's market), the weaving village of Inn Pawkhone and a cheroot rolling workshop as well as the famous Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda. You will also see floating gardens, leg rowers, local fishing methods and village life of Inle Lake. Visit will conclude with a 150 years old wooden monastery, Nga Phae Chaung Monastery filled with beautiful Buddha images in various styles.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay at Inle Lake.

Day 10. After breakfast, 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. 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 landscapes, the lake becomes a creek to widen to a lake again before Sanghar.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay at Inle Lake.

Day 11. After breakfast, transfer 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.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Kyaing Tong.

Day 12. In the early morning, visit the colourful market in Kyaing Tong. 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 on foot. Return to Kyaing Tong in the late afternoon.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Kyaing Tong.

Day 13. After breakfast drive to Tachileik (160 km - 3 hours) and cross the border bridge to Mae Sai to depart for Thailand.
End of our service!

 

PRICES

Validity: Prices are valid during the high season from 01 October 2006 until 30 April 2007 (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: 260.-- 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
- Additional local trekking guide in Kalaw, Sanghar and Kyaing Tong.
- Entrance fees and camera fees
- "Balloons over Bagan" if booked.
- Transport (domestic flights as advised / car-, boat- and cart transport as mentioned in the itinerary / all airport- and jetty transfers as mentioned, luggage handling included)
- Bottled drinking water & refreshing towels in normal quantities
- Exit permit to leave overland to Thailand

Excluded:

- Personal expenses such as beverages, laundry and souvenirs and tips
- Meals (Lunch / Dinner)
- Personal insurance
- Visa fees for Myanmar
- International flights
- If guest's wish to alter the itinerary, extra charges may apply.

• Kindly keep in mind that our itineraries might need to be amended on short notice depending on changes to flight schedules, condition of roads, official regulations etc.

Important Remark:
In case of changes in government policies (e.g. sudden closure of border crossing possibilities) there might be considerable extra cost for returning to Yangon and exiting Myanmar by flight to Bangkok. This risk and additional cost is to be borne by the guest.