Itinerary FLT 05

[Name] Myanmar exploration III

14 Days / 13 nights (For people who want to see all classic sites, some extensions and more land routes)

Day 1. Yangon - arrival
Day 2. Yangon - Mandalay (by flight)
Day 3. Mandalay - Mingun - Mandalay (by boat and by car)
Day 4. Mandalay - Monywa (by car)
Day.5 Monywa - Pakokku - Bagan (by boat and car)
Day 6. Bagan
Day 7. Bagan ("Balloons over Bagan" is possible at extra cost)
Day 8. Bagan - Mt. Popa - Kalaw (by car)
Day 9. Kalaw (hiking)
Day 10. Kalaw - Pindaya - Inle Lake (by car)
Day 11. Inle Lake
Day 12. Inle Lake - Sanghar (by boat)
Day 13. Inle Lake - Heho airport - Yangon (by car and flight)
Day 14. 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. Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to your early morning flight to Mandalay. Upon arrival, proceed to Amarapura (former capital) with Mahaghandayone Monastery, where thousands of monks are taking their meals in total silence as well as 200 years old U Bein bridge. You will also see the most revered Buddha Images of Mahamuni Pagoda. Your visit will also include a silk weaving factory, gold leave making and a tapestry workshop. Continue your journey to Mandalay town.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Mandalay.

Day 3. After breakfast, 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, you can visit Shwe In Bin Monastery with beautiful wood carvings. Proceed to the Kywae Zun working buffaloes & rafts site on the banks of the Ayeyarwady.
In the evening, explore the Night market with many local food stalls and China made items being sold.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Mandalay.

Day 4. After breakfast, drive to Monywa (110 km - 3 hours). On the way you will visit the silversmith workshops in Ywa Htaung village. Proceed to Kaung Hmu Daw Pagoda outside of Sagaing. Continue driving towards Monywa. On the way you can stop at Myin Mu village. There are plenty of street vendors selling fruits and local products.
Before Monywa you will visit Thanboddhay Pagoda, continue to Bodhitataung Pagoda in Monywa on the eastern bank of Chindwin river.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and over night stay in Monywa.

Day 5. After breakfast, you will drive to Pakokku (130 km - 4 hours). At Pakokku, you will visit incense stick making and toy paper making workshops. Continue for 2 hours by private boat to Bagan. Upon arrival, transfer from the Jetty to your hotel in Bagan.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and over night stay in Bagan.

Day 6. After breakfast, 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 painting 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 Byaukgyi Temple, a temple known for its mural painting.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Bagan

Day 7. 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 8. 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.

Day 9. After early breakfast, walk to Taryaw Village (9 km - 3 hours) 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 10. After breakfast, drive by car to Pindaya (52 km - 1.5 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 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 11. 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 12. 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 (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 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 13. After breakfast, visit Alae Myaung local village situated on the eastern bank of Inle Lake to see native and migrating birds and local farming methods.
Transfer to Heho airport to fly back to Yangon.
Lunch and Dinner on your own account and overnight stay in Yangon.

Day14. Yangon - International departure
Rest of the day is at your leisure for relaxing, shopping or sightseeing until transfer to airport for departure. Tour Guide and car 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.)

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

 

Days	Tour code	for 1 person			for 2 persons (in twin share room)			for 3-4 persons (in twin share room)
		Std	Mid	Dlx	Std	Mid	Dlx	Std	Mid	Dlx
14	FLT 05	2,295.--	2,591.--	3,313.--	1,360.--	1,510.--	1,867.--	1,120.--	1,270.--	1,625.--
Single supplement for FLT 05					145.--	300.--	660.--	145.--	300.--	660.--

Add on for German speaking through-out tour guide: 280.-- 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 and Sanghar.
- "Balloons over Bagan" if booked.
- Entrance fees and camera fees
- 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

Excluded:

- International airport tax (US$ 10 per person)
- 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 etc.