Upon arrival at Yangon International Airport, meet your guide and transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is free at leisure.

Breakfast at your hotel. Spiritual Shwedagon Pagoda – half day So what’s behind the golden façade of the Shwedagon Pagoda? During this interactive half day tour we take you through the back door and show you the full history of the pagoda, the daily life of all people living in the immediate surroundings of the pagoda and a deeper insight in the Buddhist religion and how the spiritual belief is mixed with the belief in nats – the Myanmar spirits. An intriguing half day tour starting from the bottom of the hill and passing the workshops, markets and monasteries which will be useful or even essential to understand more of the country during the rest of your journey. The tour includes a traditional Burmese breakfast, offerings to monks and the pagoda, a visit to a fortune-teller and a Burmese lunch. Yangon Heritage walk – half day Yangon downtown is unique with much of its colonial-era architecture still standing. You find one of Asia’s most impressive collections of late nineteenth and early twentieth- century buildings, religious and secular. This walking tour will take you a step back in time, through downtown Yangon, focusing on its old colonial buildings, neglected or purposefully restored. Stop at the Secretariat, the location of Myanmar’s first parliament after gaining independence in 1948. After the tour you will have time to enjoy a drink (not included) at Gekko, a cosy restaurant on Merchant Street in a historical building.

Breakfast at your hotel. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Mandalay. Upon arrival at the airport, meet your guide and transfer for your sightseeing. Mandalay Orientation: Mahamuni & Amarapura - half day (afternoon) This tour is the perfect introduction to Mandalay. We start with the Mahamuni pagoda and have a look at this century’s old Buddha statue originating from Mrauk Oo. It is a very lively temple compound where men are sticking gold leaves to the Buddha statue. The Mahamuni is also an excellent place to shop around for the perfect Buddha statue (bronze or wood). Can’t find what you are looking for? Find a marble statue at the next stop which is the marble carving street. The old capital of Amarapura is a quiet village where you hear the sound of the weaving machines. We walk through the famous Mahagandayon monastery complex with hundreds of monks, visit a 100-year-old weaving vocational training institution and walk over U-Bein Bridge where we taste a sip of Mandalay rum which has been produced since 1886!

Breakfast at your hotel. Biking Tour: Mandalay Morning Ride – half day (morning) A fantastic tour just outside the city operated by a small specialized biking company in Mandalay. We start biking from our conveniently located shop and ride through the back lanes to get out of town. We pass through fresh markets, lively neighbourhoods and head for the north-east of the city. After only a short pedal we find ourselves in the true countryside where farmers tend to their fields and villagers go about the daily rituals that have remained unchanged for decades, if not longer. Water buffalo lazily roll in the mud, goats nibble at the foliage, and friendly locals wave from all directions. We make some interesting stops, first at a fresh market to learn about the different produce on sale and then continue on to see bamboo weaving which is used to construct everything from roofs and walls to fans. We take a walk through a typical central Myanmar village and learn about their way of life and their different crops. On our way back to town we stop at a tea shop for some delicious snacks and tea. We return to our shop at around 11:30/noon and bring you by motorbike back to the hotel. Please note, you should wear clothing suitable for this activity: quarter length pants, shorts, t-shirts are all advisable, as are comfortable closed shoes. Sunscreen is also a must. The tour includes transfers at 07:15 AM from your hotel to the starting point and back to your hotel by motorbikes.

Breakfast at the hotel. Private guided scenic way from Mandalay to Bagan – full day A full day excursion to explore more of the countryside including a visit to the Burmese star tortoise in the wildlife sanctuary and a fantastic boat ride over the Ayeyarwady River. With a private car and driver, we take you to a hidden cave temple - Ta Moke Shin Pin Shwe Gu Gyi Pagoda. From here, we continue the drive to visit the Burmese star tortoise at the Minzontaung Wildlife Sanctuary. The Burmese star tortoise is an endangered species originally from the dry zone in Myanmar and in urgent need of protection. The Minzontaung Wildlife Sanctuary has been doing an excellent job in breeding tortoises and setting them back out in the wild, and we take you to this simple but unique project to walk with their rangers through the forest (all together about 1–1.5 hr.) with a tracking device to locate some of the tortoise in the wild and continue for a glimpse inside the breeding centre to see more of the tortoise. The simple visitor centre gives you more information about this endangered and oh so cute little animal. The walk is not compulsory and also without a visit to the ranger’s station you will learn a lot about the tortoise and see them at the breeding centre. Your visit to the centre will support the project. After the visit to the tortoise centre we continue for lunch at a nearby restaurant before heading to Pakkoku. Then, continue with a 2-hours leisurely drive to Pakkoku where a private boat is ready for you at the jetty for a leisurely boat trip downriver to Bagan. If time permits we stop to visit Kyauk Gu Ohnmin cave temple that rarely sees foreign visitors.

Breakfast at the hotel. This is Bagan! – full day orientation tour A full day tour by car, with an experienced guide through Bagan will show you the best known temples of the area. We start the day showing a first impressive view over the whole area. From here the guide plans his way to some other amazing temples that have been here for hundreds of years. Places like the Ananda, Dhammayangyi, Sulamani, and Thatbyinnyu will certainly impress you. Lunch will be taken at a local restaurant and around 16:00 we continue the tour by horse cart to sunset points for sunset with some refreshing drinks served!

Breakfast at the hotel. Free day at leisure.

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Heho. A former Shan palace From Heho airport, we bring you by car to Pinlaung (about 3 hours’ drive) where you are being welcomed by a local family, for a traditional home-cooked Shan lunch. Go for a short walk around town and pass by the ruins of the former old wooden palace from the last Sawbwa (prince) of the Pinlaung principality. Drive to the newly-discovered maze cave with Buddha statues about 3 km away from Pinlaung. Use the torch provided and stick with your guide in case you get lost! After that, continue to Loikaw where you say goodbye to our Shan guide, and you will be greeted by the Kayah guide.

We start the morning with a visit to the always bustling morning market in Loikaw and the former palace of the Kayah prince. Trail of the ancestors trek and long neck villages Continue by car to Pemsong village where we start a trekking: Trail of the Ancestors. During about 2 hours, a local community guide will walk along with you and the translator guide and tell the story of their ancestors including all beliefs in spirits, the importance of the totem pole and herbal medicines. The first 30 min is uphill followed by mainly flat parts, the views are always stunning and a delicious picnic lunch is served half way. From here we continue to Kasae Kum village where we will see some local handicrafts like bracelet making, bamboo cups, weaving and sculptures. An excellent opportunity to learn about the legends of the long neck women. Your last stop is one of the Kayah villages where you will meet more long neck women. Then, we will drive towards Loikaw. NOTE: The Dutch organization CBI has set up a program in Kayah state to ensure that communities benefit from tourism and organize excursions sustainably. 2 of their projects will be visited during the stay in Loikaw.

Breakfast at the hotel. Kayah village walk & BBQ lunch at local family house In the morning we visit by car the Hta Nee La Leh and meet some of the community members who will explain (with the help of your translator guide) their shrines where animist traditions are practised. An easy stroll through the community. Continue by oxcart for a 30-min scenic ride before heading by car to a local family house where a Kayah Barbecue lunch has been set up for you. Shortly after lunch we drive to Pekon where you say farewell to Kayah State and continue by private boat over the wide Pekon Lake in about 2 hours to Samkar village.

Breakfast at the lodge. We continue by private boat and drive northwards to Nyaung Shwe (or your hotel on the lake). On the way we visit Hmawbi temple ruins and other sights the lake is famous for. A day on the lake! Inle Lake in southern Shan State is a vast natural lake surrounded by traditional Shan villages. On the lake itself the Intha people have been living for many centuries in a village built entirely on stilts on the lake. Today we will take you by private motorboat around the lake to discover the natural beauty of the lake, visit the floating gardens, see some of the famous leg rowers and have some tea at a local family’s house. We will certainly also visit a local cheroot factory (where the Burmese cigars are made), floating tomato gardens, Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, an Intha house where a traditional Intha lunch is served and if wanted we visit a weaving factory.

Breakfast at the hotel. Free day at leisure. Optional (not included): +USD 105 per person Hop on - Hop off Biking and Boating around Inle Lake - full day Visiting Inle Lake is not just about being on the water but also about discovering the Shan and Intha villages on the banks of the river. From your hotel we have a full day by bike and boat starting with a boat ride to Indein village from where we bike to Than Htaung village (about 1.5 hr biking) where you can have a chat with the monks and visit local homes. We continue by boat or bike (about 30 min - depending on water level) to Yay Mae Pin village where we visit an Areca nut plantation. Continue by boat to Khaung Dine for lunch in a local restaurant and bike in about an hour to the stop in Nyaung Shwe. From here you can choose to continue by bike or by boat to your hotel. A great day out in the nature!

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Yangon. Upon arrival at Yangon airport, car and guide will be available while you are waiting for your next flight.