13 Days Myanmar Tour Off the Beaten Track

Day 1 Yangon Arrival

Flight: International flight on your own arrangement or upon requests

Welcome to Yangon! Upon arrival, your guide will greet you at the airport and escort you to hotel for check-in. Have a good rest and expect the upcoming journey.

Overnight in Yangon.

Day 2 Yangon Full Day City Tour

Meals: B

Start the day with a circular train ride in Yangon. On the train, you can enjoy a variety of insights into the local life and interact with some locals to make the most of the journey. After that, visit the famous Chaukhtatgyi Buddha Temple, home to a 66-meter long reclining Buddha, and shoot photos at the picturesque Karaweik Hall royal floating barge.

Have some rest after lunch. In the afternoon, enjoy your free time to wander the Bogyoke Market. Then stroll around the busy streets of Yangon’s famous China Town and Yangon Jetty. Finally, end today’s tour with an amazing sunset view at Shwedagon Pagoda, the largest pagoda painted with real gold in Yangon.

Overnight in Yangon.

Day 3 Yangon to Heho, Inle Lake

Flight: Domestic flight is on Indochina Tour's arrangement

Meals: B

Drive to airport to board flight to Heho, where you will be picked up by local guide and driver and transfer you to your hotel by the lakeside of Inle Lake.

Inle Lake locates in the highland of Myanmar in an altitude of around 3,000 feet above sea level. Here you will enjoy different atmospheres and ambiance from the middle part of Myanmar.

Lives of In-Tha (name of local ethnic people) are centered on the lake. They live in stilted houses, grow fresh produce such as tomatoes, melons, and papayas in unique floating gardens, and eat fish as a staple. On the lake, you can see traditional fishing methods by using the leg-rowing technique.

Then you will visit Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the most highly revered monastery in the Inle Lake area. After that, continue your boat ride to Nga Phe Chaung monastery, one of the oldest monasteries on the lake. The Buddha statues are more than 200 years old.

Next, proceed to the floating garden - Kyun-Hmyaw, which was built-up from strips of water hyacinth and mud. Finally, relax and enjoy spectacular sunset views over Inle Lake before returning to the hotel.

Overnight in Inle Lake.

Day 4 Inle Lake Excursion to Indein

Meals: B

Take a boat through the Inn Thein creek, and you’ll get to Indein village. There are two groups of pagodas ruins to explore, Nyaung Ohak and Shwe Inn Thein.

The pagoda complex of Nyaung Ohak dates back to the 16th century, and you can see the traces of time clearly. Plants and trees spring up over these pagodas. Slow down your pace to marvel at the detailed sculptures of celestial beings and mythological animals.

From Nyaung Ohak, a 700-meter covered walkway leads up to Shwe Inn Thein, where you can see hundreds of pagodas in the 17th and 18th centuries. You can also get a stunning view of Indein village and the surrounding area.

Overnight in Inle Lake.

Day 5 Inle Lake to Pindaya

Meals: B

Drive from Inle Lake to Shwe Nyaung train station by car and take the train at 8:00 am. 3 hours train ride takes you to travel through the Shan mountains to get to Aung Ban.

Various kinds of plantations and pine trees can be seen along the way. The train will stop at Heho station for a while, so that you can watch the locals' movements of selling fruits, water, flowers, etc.

Get off the train at Aung Ban Station located in Kalaw. Then drive to Pindaya to visit the Pindaya Caves that are set in a limestone ridge overlooking the beautiful Pindaya Lake. The cave houses over 8,000 Buddha Images of various sizes which are made from teak, lacquer, marble, alabaster, and cement.

Overnight in Pindaya.

Day 6 Pindaya to Taung Myint Gyi - Trekking Start

Meals: B

Today, you will trek from Pindaya to Taung Myint Gyi village. You will pass through several Shan hill tribes. First, the uphill trails will take you to Htut ni village. Then walk to Danu village, where you can visit the local school, monastery and plantations. After that, you trek towards Si Kya In village. Rest at the village house with a cup of green tea and enjoy your lunch. Continue trekking to Taung Myint Gyi village and then end today's walk.

Overnight at the monastery in Taung Myint Gyi.

Day 7 Taung Myint Gyi to Hmwe Daw

Meals: B

Today's trekking will start at 8 am in the morning. The route will take you to trek into the forest. Before reaching the trail of stone, you walk on the dirt trails with big rocks on the two sides. Sometimes, you can meet ox carts and do not fail to take a ride. continue walking, and you will come out of the forest and then cross by the fields of cultivation. Finally, you will arrive at Hmwe Daw village.

Overnight at the monastery in Hmwe Daw.

Day 8 Hmwe Daw to Kalaw - Trekking End

Meals: B

The sound of pray will wake you up in the morning. Today's trek continues to Thit Yar Bin village. Along the trail, you will visit Tha Ye Oo Hmin cave, similar but smaller than Pindaya cave. And then proceed to Na Wah Taung village. Before reaching Kalaw, visit Myin Ka village of Pao ethnic group.

Overnight in Kalaw.

Day 9 Kalaw to Bagan

Flight: Domestic flight is on Indochina Tour's arrangement

Meals: B

Transfer to airport for the domestic flight to Bagan. Upon arrival in Bagan, you will be welcomed by your local guide at the airport then transfer you to hotel.

In Bagan, you will be amazed by the thousands of Buddhist pagodas spread on the plain. These pagodas used to own by individual families during its prosperous time.

You will visit the Nyaung Oo Market where local people buying food in daily life and the Shwezigon Pagoda which is the largest pagoda in Bagan painted with real gold.

Have a rest at the hotel during the hottest time in the afternoon. Then it's time to enjoy a Horse Cart Ride for the sunset. You can climb up to the top of the Shwesandaw Pagoda for sunset and then take the horse cart back to the hotel. It will be an unforgettable memory of taking the horse cart ride to travel through the pagodas when it is quiet in the dusk.

Overnight in Bagan.

Day 10 Bagan Excursion to Mount Popa

Meals: B

In the morning, drive to Mount Popa, an extinct volcano with its golden shrines.

Situated 50 km southeast of Bagan, this solitary peak showcases the Popa Taungkalat shrine, the favored home of Myanmar's most powerful "Nats" (local spirits), statues of which can be found at its base. These spirits were once so important to the country's early Kings that it was essential for them to consult the Nats before commencing their reign. The shrine is located at the top of the mountain, and if you have the energy, climb to the top (well worth the climb!). Along the way, there are a multitude of monkeys expecting a treat!

On the way back, stop by a local village to learn about local culture and lifestyle. Then enjoy lunch at a hill resort. Also, visit a palm sugar workshop, where the harvested nectar from local trees is cooked into the sugar cubes that you see in teashops.

Overnight in Bagan.

Day 11 Bagan to Mandalay

Meals: B

After breakfast, drive from Bagan to Mandalay, taking around 3 and a half hours.

Upon arrival, you will have a city excursion in Mandalay.

Visit Mahamuni Image where you can see local people pray and stick the gold paper on the Buddha for a blessing. On the way to the Mahamuni Image, pay a visit to a gold paper factory to see how people made the gold leaf.

Then head to Shwenandaw Monastery, also known as the Golden Palace Monastery. It was built in the 19th century and well known for its teak carving of Buddhist myths. Next, visit Kuthodaw Pagoda, a Buddhist stupa that contains the world's largest book of Buddhism.

Finish your day at the top of Mandalay Hill for a stunning sunset.

Overnight in Mandalay.

Day 12 Mandalay Excursion to Mingun and Amarapura

Meals: B

Today's tour will take you to have further exploration of Mingun and Amarapura.

After breakfast, head for Mingun, known for the unfinished Mingun Pahtodawgyi that holds the record for the biggest pile of bricks in the world. Then visit Mingun Bell which is the second-largest bell in the world, with a weight of 90 tons. After that, go to visit Hsinbyume Pagoda, one of the most beautiful and unusual temples in Myanmar.

Then, head to Amarapura for the enchanting U Bein Bridge. It is 1.2 kilometers long crossing the Taungthaman Lake and turns out to be the longest teakwood bridge in the world. The sunset over the bridge is gorgeous. You can take a boat on the lake to shoot the silhouette of U Bein Bridge. Before the sunset, take a tour to Taung Mingyi Pagoda, a beautiful pagoda near the U Bein Bridge.

Overnight in Mandalay.

Day 13 Mandalay Departure

Flight: International flight on your own arrangement

Meals: B

Today transfer to Mandalay International Airport for your flight home.

End of service.