KEEN TRAIL
JOURNEY
Arrive
in Yangon and transfer to hotel.
Yangon,
formerly known as Rangoon, is still a relatively quiet and charming city. Its
impressive colonial and spiritual heritage makes Yangon one of the most
fascinating and authentic places in South East Asia.
In the
afternoon, we head to the city center for a tour of the colonial buildings,
past SulePaya and on to Bogyoke Market.
At the
end of the afternoon, we reach Myanmar’s
holiest monument, the Shwedagon Pagoda with its golden stupa covered with 60
tons of pure gold leaf.
Dinner
this evening is at leisure.
After
breakfast at the hotel transfer to Yangon Airport for the scenic drive to
Mandalay. The drive takes around 8 hours and we will stop along the way for
lunch. Depending on the time of year, the farms along the road may be planting
or harvesting their crops and we will stop to take photos. The first 40
kilometres from Yangon, the road is a bit rough but after that it is in
excellent condition all the way to Mandalay.
Transfer
to your hotel upon arrival.
This evening we will take a tour of
Mandalay’s night market and surroundings. Starting at the corner of 29th
and 83rd street we’ll walk up the night market main street with
vendors selling dry goods (clothes, books, toys) as well as food vendors
serving up barbeque and noodles. local trishaw or blue taxi. Here you will find
the local night market with vendors selling books, toys and other wares.
Continue to 27th street and on foot to ‘chapaticorner’,an intersection filled with street
stalls in the evening serving up Indian food such as mutton kebabs, curry,
biriayni and chapattis. Great for atmosphere and people watching.We’ll stop and
enjoy a snack before continuing by local taxi or trishaw to a barbeque
restaurant on 34th street or local curry house on 28th
Street.
Transfer back to your hotel this evening.
Overnight
in Mandalay.
DAY 3:
MANDALAY – BIKING AMARAPURA & AVA - MANDALAY (B,L)
We’ll
set off early this morning after breakfast (around 0700) for a fabulous biking
trip to two of Myanmar’s ancient capitals.
The roads are flat and we’ll pass through many small villages along the
way- with plenty of stops for photos.
The
route takes us out of town for 16 kilometres to Amarapura where we’ll stop at U
Bein Bridge. U Bein is one of the world’s longest teak bridges, stretching for
1.2 kilomtres over the lake. We can also stop in some of the monasteries and
weaving shops in Amarapura before continuing to Ava (8 km)
We’ll
spend around 90 minutes biking the quiet lanes of Ava, where horsecarts are the
only other traffic. Stops include the famed sites of this former capital, such
as monasteries, old pagodas and the Ava watchtower.
Stop
on the riverbanks for a snack and to rest our legs before returning to Mandalay
via a different route. We’ll make a lunch stop en route near Kandawgyi Lake (or
similar) returning to Mandalay at 2pm.
Take
time to freshen up and relax in your Mandalay hotel before departing around
4pm. We’ll visit Kuthodaw Pagoda (home to hundreds of stone pillars carved with
Buddhist scripture) and the teak Kyauktawgyi Pagoda.
At the
end of the day we’ll visit ShweKyin monastery at the base of Mandalay Hill.
Rarely visited by tourists, this monastery is home to monks studying the
highest form of Theraveda Buddhism. Around 18.30 each evening the 100 resident
monks gather to say their prayers in the teak prayer hall, a memorable
experience for all who attend.
Return
to Mandalay city for dinner (own account)
Overnight
in Mandalay.
DAY 4:
MANDALAY – MONYWA by car (B,
L)
This morning, depart Mandalay for a 3-hour drive to Monywa, a typical
Burmese town on the banks of the Chindwin River.
On the way, visit Thanboddhay Pagoda, a huge Buddhist temple covered with
more than 500,000 Buddha images. Also
stop at Boditahtaung Pagoda which houses the largest reclining Buddha image in
Myanmar, at 100m long and 27m high.
This afternoon, cross the Chindwin River by ferry and proceed to Po Win
Taung by local open-air jeeps. This extraordinary complex consists of 947
sandstone caves dug out of the hills and contains what is considered by
archaeologists to be the richest collection of mural paintings and Buddhist
statues in Southeast Asia.
After visiting Po Win Taung, continue a few hundred meters away to Shwe
Ba Taung. Spend time exploring this
interesting site where monasteries and temples are carved out rocky narrow
cliffs.
Overnight in Monywa.
DAY 5:
MONYWA – PAKKOKU (by Car) – BAGAN (by boat) (B,L)
Depart Monywa after breakfast and travel along the quiet eastern river
bank. This ‘road less traveled’ takes
you passed traditional villages where you may see farmers climbing palm trees
to extract juice from which they will produce palm tree sugar. Stop at Ma U Ma Le village for an
opportunity to learn more about the lifestyle and culture of the countryside
residents.
Just 20
kilometers south of Pakokku, stop at the small village
of Myitchay. This town has a rich craftwork
tradition and produces handmade goods such as colorful woven blankets,
papier-mâché toys and traditional sandals.
Enjoy a short rickshaw ride through town before continuing to the port
at Pakkoku.
This afternoon we board a local boat in Pakkoku for a leisurely, two hour
cruise downriver to Bagan.
Upon reaching the shores of Bagan, transfer to the hotel.
Overnight in Bagan.
DAY 6:
BAGAN (B,L)
Optional:
From October to March,
early morning hot-air balloon flights over the plain of Bagan and its 3000
sites. An unforgettable and unique experience!
This
morning, for early risers, there is an option visit to the NyaungOo market. Sit
at a tea shop nearby to sip a cup of tea and watch the vendors arriving with
their wares. Then proceed to the market where everything from fresh produce to
meats to lacquer ware and local pottery are for sale. There is a chance to buy
and try on traditional Burmese products such as thanaka or longyis or purchase
a pair of velvet ‘slippers’ to wear on your temple touring.
Thousands
of ancient stupas and temples in this area make Bagan, one of the most
remarkable archaeological sites in Asia. From the 11th till 13th century, when
Bagan was the capital of Myanmar,
the rulers constructed huge stupas and temples, many of which are still
standing today on the banks of the IrrawaddyRiver.
Around
9AM we head to TayokyePyay for a first overview over the plain of Bagan.
We
continue with the Shwezigon Pagoda and its magnificent golden stupa, followed
by Wetkyi-In Gubyaukgyi, a cave temple with exquisite jatakas murals paintings
and the elegant HtilominloTemple noted for its fine plaster carvings and glazed
sandstone decorations.
Lunch
at Local Restaurant where many Burmese pilgrims come for lunch. The restaurant
serves up local curries with dozens of side dishes.
In the
afternoon, visit Ananda, an architectural masterpiece of the early-style temple
and AnandaOkkyaung is one of the few surviving brick monasteries from the early
Bagan period.
End
the day with a horse carriage tour among the temples starting at Ananda and
passing Thatbyinnyu, the highest temple in Bagan, the massive
DhammayangyiTemple noted for its remarkable brickwork and Sulamani.
Sunset
over the site from one of the open upper terraces in Bagan.
Dinner
at leisure.
DAY 7:
BAGAN - MT POPA – KALAW (B,L)
This
morning we embark on a long, but scenic drive to Kalaw stopping at Mt Popa en
route. We’ll depart around 7 AM, reaching Mt Popa an hour later where we will
climb to the top of the mountain to see the many nat shrines.
in the
heart of the Shan State. The drive takes around 6-7 hours and crosses through
many local villages and beautiful mountainous areas. We’ll stop for a basic, but
tasty lunch en route.
Arrive
in Kalaw around 18.00
Overnight
in Kalaw.
DAY 8:
KALAW - TREKKING (B,L,D)
This
morning visit the Kalaw morning market after breakfast and then embark on an
overnight trek through the Shan Hills.
The
trek is moderate with about 5-6 hours of walking over gently rolling terrain.
We will pass several hilltribe villages, dine in a local house at midday and
sleep either in a village monastery or basic house.
(Note:
during rainy season we may have to cancel trek. Instead we can drive to Pindaya
on day 9 and visit the Pindaya Caves, paper-umbrella making workshops and stay
the night in Pindaya before continuing to Inle on Day 10).
Overnight
Village Homestay/ Monastery.
DAY 9:
KALAW – NYAUNG SHWE - INLE (B,L)
Awake
early this morning and have breakfast with our host family before returning to
Kalaw on foot by midday. (approximately 4 hours walking)
We’ll
have lunch in Kalaw and collect our bags from the hotel before embarking on the
scenic drive to NyaungShwe, arriving around 4pm.
Board a private motorboat (4 pax/boat) to head out
onto Inle Lake, one of Myanmar’s most spectacular sights. We pass villages
built on stilts over the lake, which are mostly inhabited by Intha people, the
leg-rowing fishermen of the lake. See the
floating gardens built up from strips of water hyacinth and mud and anchored to
the bottom with bamboo poles.
Dinner at the hotel (own account)
Overnight on Inle Lake
DAY
10: INLE LAKE –KHAUNG DAING– INDEIN - NYAUNG SHWE (B,L)
After
breakfast, we start with a boat trip to KhaungDaingvillage on the northwest
coast of the lake. This village is famous for its traditional Shan tofu - fried
tofu crackers and folded, triangular tofu treats. We’ll be able to watch (and
perhaps participate!) as they sift the soy beans, boil them, mash them into
balls then form tofu cakes to dry in the sun. This is a fabulous taste of local
life on Inle Lake.
VisitNgaHpeChaung
Monastery, which houses dozens of Shan Buddha Images, but is more famous for its
unique ‘jumping cats’ who jump through hoops in the air! Continue to PhaungDawOo Pagoda, the lake’s
main sanctuary, which contains five sacred Buddha images covered in gold
leaf.
Explore the
local crafts of Inle Lake with a stop at the weaving village of Inpawkhone and
a cheroot factory, where the typical Burmese cigars are made by hand.
We’ll
have lunch on the lake, enjoying traditional Intharspecialities.
This afternoon we’ll visit Indein, where the
stupa-filled hills are illuminated nicely in the afternoon light.
Return to NyaungShwe this evening for a night on
land in this charming little town.
Dinner at your own at the hotel.
Overnight at NyaungShwe.
DAY
11: NYAUNG SHWE - CYCLING – HEHO – YANGON by flight (B,D)
After
breakfast at the hotel, we’ll take a morning cycling ride to the lake shores.
First we’ll stop at NyaungShwe’s morning market then head along quiet roads
past local monasteries and schools. We’re likely to meet many friendly locals
along the way- monks, students and farmers- and get a taste for rural life on
this easy cycling loop.
Return to the hotel around 11 AM for a quick shower and lunch before transferring to Heho airport for an afternoon flight to Yangon.
Upon
arrival in Yangon, transfer to your hotel for a chance to freshen up.
Around 6pm we’ll head to downtown where local
trishaws will be waiting to take you on a short tour of downtown. You’ll travel along Strand Road and stop near
SulePaya for photos of the illuminated stupa before continuing on to 19th
Street in the heart of China Town. Chinatown is a lively place in the evening
and we’ll take a short walking tour along 19th Street and its
environs. Dozens of vendors set up satay stalls and other snack stalls here in
the evening and it is a popular spot for locals to gather, have a drink and
chat with friends. Sample some of the local treats as we walk through the
bustling streets.
Around 19.30, we’ll transfer by car to local
Restaurant for a final night dinner.
DAY12:
Departure (B)
Optional: Depending on flight
time, there is an option to take a ride on Yangon’s Circle Train in the
morning.
You will transfer to Yangon Railways station to take local circular train
for a journey to the outskirts of town (45 minutes ride). The slowly traveling
train gives you a unique opportunity to observe the lively and colorful life of
the rural Burmese people. Disembark to
visit Insein market where a variety of street vendors sell colorful wares. Enjoy exploring the market and meeting the
friendly locals.
***End of services***
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