Myanmar: Family Friendly Journey (9 Nights / 10 Days)

Welcome to Yangon, Myanmar! Upon arrival you will be transferred to your accommodation. Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

You will be picked up from the hotel and transfer to Yangon Central Railway Center for an experience aboard Yangon Circular Train. On the train, there are vendors and sellers hawking goods, and preparing for goods to be sold in the market – something very unique to the train experience.On the way, we will visit one of the main local markets in Yangon known as Danyingone Market. Your professional guide will explain the daily diets of people in Myanma before we take the take a train back to the Yangon Central Railway Center.After lunch, a quick stop at Bogyoke Aung San Market (or Scott Market) to enjoy some bartering and shopping before we visit the unforgettable Shwedagon Pagoda, the most revered Buddhist temple in Myanmar. Here, view the sun as it goes down on the city before returning to your hotel.

After breakfast, you will be taken to the airport for your flight to Bagan. Transfer to the Bagan House Lacquerware workshop to study the manufacturing processes of lacquer. In the process, craftsmen will demonstrate how they make the bamboo for boxes and plates. The lacquer surface is traditionally engraved with episodes of Buddhist sculpture known as Jataka stories. Engraving is made with the sharp iron stylus and color pigments. We will learn the process of making the bamboo form, lacquering, drying, washing, polishing, seven layers of lacquering and decoration in the area of workshop. After enjoying the manufacturing processes, they will prepare for you to show your creative decoration on a lacquer plate. You will collaborate with the craftsmen while you are making the engraving. After, enjoy lunch in a local restaurant, before vising Minnanthu village, where we will learn about local people daily activities and customs.In the late afternoon, enjoy a horse carriage ride passing temples and watch the sunset from near one of the pagodas.

To see and appreciate the vast expanse and beauty of the area from a hot air balloon is a ‘must do’ when in Bagan. The 5am start is worth it to experience the breathtaking vista from a different perspective. Standing in a traditional wicker basket take off for the ‘flight of a lifetime’ Back on land you will be greetedAfter some time to relax back at the hotel, set off on a ride through the plains of Bagan. Leaving the roads behind and venturing off onto dirt tracks, only accessed by bikes and horses. We quickly end up on village roads passing single-story bamboo houses standing adjacent to unique brick warehouses built in the 1950s, and to the temple-filled plains where we enjoy the historical sites from two-wheels. Make stops to visit famous monuments like Shwesandaw, Ananda and ShwezigonYou will have enough time to recharge your batteries before you set off again. En route to the water, stop to learn about the production of local treats, buy from roadside vendors, pause and view the livestock, and say ‘hi’ to local children. In addition to being the home of sacred temples, Bagan itself is a buzzing little town where you can learn much about the traditions and lifestyles of indigenous people. We will end up the day enjoying a boat outing in the Ayeyarwaddy River.

Today you will fly from Bagan to Inle. We start the day boarding a private boat for your visit to Indein a 16th century temple site. While there’s no comparison to the ruins of Bagan, this area was discovered in the last few years, and is still seldom visited by travelers. After a local lunch, we embark on our lake tour starting at “Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda”, one of the famous principal shrines in Myanmar, Inpawkhon or lotus weaving, Ngaphechaung Monastery with beautiful antique Buddha statues, floating gardens, local blacksmiths workshops, houses and village life of Intha. Most impressively, you will witness the local way of life of the Inthar people, who live in the lake. You can watch local fisherman, rowing one legged, visit the floating gardens, and pass by villages made entirely on the lake.

Learn to prepare meals using the delicious produce and flavous from the Inle Lake area. Your adventure starts with a local boat pick up, and from here you will sail to the cooking class on the lake. Based in a traditional house, a local master chef will teach you cooking techniques of Myanmar, introducing you to the classic food combinations, which make Myanmar’s food so popular worldwide. You will begin with a trip to the beautiful gardens, to pick your own herbs and vegetables, which you will be using for your dishes. The chef, an expert in traditional Inthar cooking will show even the most seasoned cook a few tricks to take home as you prepare dishes such as Shan style fish curry, using fish caught in the lake, a delicious bean salad, and a classic Shan style chicken curry with locally grown potatoes. After you’ve finished cooking, sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour around a table prepared for you and your companions.

Spend a day getting to know about the Asian elephant at a elephant rehabilitation camp. Travel from Inle to Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp. On arrival, you will be greeted by the team for an introduction to the project, asbefore interacting with elephants. Explore the elephant village and see the life of mahouts with their families. Learn about this traditional livlihood for the local people. You are introduced to the resident elephants and help to feed them – their favorite time of day. The mahouts will show you how the elephants are bathed as you see them play around in the on-site river. You will also have an opportunity to help in the camp’s forest recovery project. You are welcome to join by planting one regional tree for forest recovery efforts, leaving a lasting impression on your visit.

Enjoy the morning at leisure to enjoy the beauty of the lake. In the afternoon, travel from Inle to Mandalay.

Today there’s an option for a 5:30 am start to experience the sunrise of Mandalay Hill. Walk along the moat of the royal palace and enjoy the morning view of the city before heading back for breakfast at the hotel. Your Mandalay sightseeing tour begins with Kuthodaw Paya, where there are miniature pavilions around the central stupa, each with a marble table which holds the world’s largest book. Then we will continue to see the Mandalay Palace. It was the first palace built by King Mindon when he moved his seat to Mandalay. After a local lunch, we travel to Mahamuni Paya Pagoda. The Mahamuni statue in this pagoda is one of the most sacred depictions in Myanmar, covered with a gold plates. We also visit a gold smoke making workshop and a silk manufactory as well as a Kalaga wallpaper making workshop.In the evening, you will be picked up from your and escorted an exciting night market on 75th street, part of Chinatown. The market is the modern-day Chinatown of Mandalay its where they sell fruits and vegetables as well as being the home for numerous street food stalls. Must trys include a bowl of Mohinga, an iced yoghurt pork fest and a sweet sticky local cake. After a local BBQ experience, you will be transported onwards to the theatre, where you will spend an hour enjoying a professional and truly cultural experience.Myanmar marionette puppetry has played an important role in the history and development of dramatic art and culture over the last 500 years, serving as a means of making people aware of current events; as a medium for educating people in literature, history, and religion; as a display of lifestyles and customs; and as mouthpieces for the people in the days of royalty. Enjoy the vibrant show telling stories of the culture and history of Myanmar in a fun and exciting atmosphere.

After breakfast, take your free time. Then hotel check out, transfer to Mandalay International airport for your onward flight.