Myanmar (formerly Burma) ~ A Cultural Walking tour

Rudyard Kipling famously described the Burmese nation as ‘quite unlike any other you know about’ and this remains true today. Now renamed Myanmar, the country has remained an enigma, deliberately cut off from the modern world by its own government and little visited by outsiders as a result of sanctions. As the door into this closed world edges open, we have planned a tour which avoids state-run enterprises, instead putting income directly into the hands of local people; and also creates opportunities for a mutually rewarding exchange of ideas and experiences.

Over 17 days we explore on foot - walking to tribal villages near the colonial hill station of Kalaw and in the forest reserve by Mt Popa; by horse and cart - accessing the hundreds of ancient temples on the immense plain of Bagan; by internal flights on new private airlines (its an enormous country); and by boat - to visit markets and monasteries on Lake Inle, and down the Ayeyarwady (formerly Irrawaddy) river from Mandalay.

Special highlights include walking up to the fabulous Golden Rock pagoda, staying in selected historic hotels, and watching the sunset glow crimson on the golden domes of the Shwedagon pagoda.

TRIP ITINERARY

DAY 1

L, D included

After meeting in the morning at Yangon (formerly Rangoon) airport we transfer into the city to our first class hotel and have some time to refresh before beginning our explorations. In the afternoon we visit the city centre on foot, seeing the fine colonial buildings, the ancient Sule pagoda and the fascinating Chinese market. Dinner introduces traditional Burmese cooking, combining elements of Thai, Indian and Chinese cuisine in a delicious way.

DAY 2

B, L, D included

Morning visits include a monastery and nunnery noted for their good education, the Botataung Pagoda enshrining the sacred hair relic, and an impressive reclining Buddha. After a rest and swim in the pool at the hotel we set out to visit the Shwedagon Pagoda, the most sacred Buddhist site in Burma, and watch the sunset over this great monument.

DAY 3

B, L, D included

Setting off early (in an air-conditioned vehicle) we are soon entering another world, the deeply rural, traditional Myanmar where ox carts, paddy fields and straggling villages are the norm. We pause at the Htauk Kyan War Cemetery (British War Graves Commission) and then the royal pagoda of the former royal capital Bago. Our destination is the holy mountain of Mount Kyaiktiyo, a stunning, gold leaf - covered boulder miraculously balanced on the edge of a cliff, the most important place of pilgrimage for all Burmese Buddhists.

DAY 4

B, L, D included

We are up at dawn to witness sunrise over the golden stupa, then walk through bamboo and flowering shrubs down the old pilgrims’ trail to the valley (4 hours) where we regain our vehicle and have lunch in a pretty garden with many cashew trees. We return to Yangon, to our original first class hotel, and have time to swim before dinner.

DAY 5

B, L, D included

A morning flight to Heho enables us to access Kalaw (4,356 ft) a cool hill station founded by British civil servants, now used by the Gurkhas and redolent of a bygone era with its European style villas. A 1.5 hour drive from the airport up to Kalaw leaves us time for an afternoon walk through pine forest and pepper fields to tribal villages. Our very comfortable heritage hotel is appropriately colonial in style.

DAY 6

B, L, D included

A morning’s walk takes us through tangerine and avocado groves and fields of ginger up to a Palaung village on a ridge where we may see women weaving. We picnic before returning to the valley on a different path. Dinner tonight is in a restaurant specialising in Shan cuisine.

DAY 7

B, L, D included

We explore more countryside on foot, admiring the water buffaloes, oxcarts and traditional faming methods and learning about tribal animist customs from our local guide before driving to Lake Inle. We board boats to reach our hotel for 3 nights, comfortable wooden cottages raised on walkways above the lake, with marvellous lake views – owned and well run by a co-operative of Pa-O tribal people.

DAY 8

B, L, D included

Travelling by motorized long wooden canoes we visit one of the ‘5 day markets’ that occur around the lake, seeing the famous floating gardens, the 11C pagoda and monastery of Indein Pao and the extraordinary ‘leg-rowing’ technique of the local fishermen. We also see silk weaving on wooden looms in a village of teak stilt houses and at dinner we sample the local wine grown near the lake.

DAY 9

B, L, D included

Our boats transport us through canals to the quieter, southern end of the lake (good for bird watching) where we visit a traditional pottery village and walk in the village of Sankar with its ruined stupas and royal rest house. There is time to watch (and sample) rice wine making and visit some beautiful stupas on a walk beside the lake.

DAY 10

B, L, D included

We explore the countryside with its traditional paddi and villages near the hotel, by boat and on foot, before catching an internal flight from Heho to Mandalay, former capital of the Burmese kingdom. After settling in to our exclusive luxury hotel for 3 nights we can relax in the pool or (optionally) drive up Mandalay Hill for the sunset and walk down the pilgrims walkway.

DAY 11

B, L, D included

We begin the day with a visit to the Shwenandaw Kyaung, or Golden Palace Monastery, a traditional wooden monastery covered with carved panels. At the Kuthodaw Paya we admire the 729 marble slabs inscribed with the 15 books of the Tripitaka (often referred to as ‘the world’s biggest book’) then travel outside Mandalay to Amarapura, celebrated for its supremely photogenic 1,300 yard long teak footbridge over Taungthamen lake.

DAY 12

B, L, D included

The ancient city of Ava (now known as Inwa), an island of paddyfields and palm trees, is accessed by a flatbed ferry and is best seen by a combination of walking and a horse and cart ride, pausing to visit the great teak-built monastery of Bagaya Kyaung and the brick and stucco monastery built by the chief Queen of Bagyidaw for her Royal Abbot U Bok. Returning to the city we stop to admire some of the many traditional crafts such as gold beating, stone carving and bronze casting for which Mandalay is famous. We dine in a lively local Thai restaurant.

DAY 13

B, L, D included

We are up early to board the Shwei Kennery ferry and spend the day watching life on the mighty Ayeyarwady river as we travel to Bagan, where over 4,000 red-brick temples make up Myanmar’s greatest architectural site. Our hotel (built in 1922 for the visit of the Prince of Wales) offers well-equipped river view rooms and a shady garden and pool.

DAY 14

B, L, D included

We explore some of Bagan’s famous monuments including the Sulamani Pahto with its glazed plaques and fine ornamental work, the 12C Dhammayanghi Pahto famous for the brickwork and the 18C murals in Ananda Ok Kyaung depicting everyday life in Bagan. After a rest and a swim we take a memorable horse cart ride to parts of the site and climb up to a terrace to watch the sunset over the plain.

DAY 15

B, L, D included

An optional morning’s expedition to Mt. Popa, an ancient volcanic plug rising out of the plain and home to the ‘Mother Spirit’ and Nat shrines. We walk in the forest, bird watch and learn the history of this historic mountain, then have lunch with fine views of the plain before returning to Bagan to explore a different area of this huge, intriguing, site in early evening by horse and cart.

DAY 16

B, L, D included

A morning flight takes us back to Yangon and our celebrated historic hotel. In the afternoon there is time to explore Scott Market and shop for lacquerware, jewellery, silks and woven cottons, or visit the National Museum. A sophisticated French colonial-era restaurant is the perfect place to end our visit to this fascinating country.

DAY 17

B, L included

We have time for further photographic and shopping forays and a swim before we depart for the airport in the early afternoon.

Off the beaten track

Please be aware that electricity and water supplies may occasionally be erratic, travel arrangements can be disrupted and standards of driving and vehicle maintenance etc. are not set by Brussels. Kudu Travel will endeavour to do everything possible to ensure a smooth-running tour, but please be ready with your sense of humour and tolerance when travelling in the tropics.

Price includes:

All accommodation for Days 1 through 17 on a twin shared basis

3 internal flights: between Yangon and Heho; Heho and Mandalay; Bagan and Yangon

All meals with local beer at lunch and dinner as listed (beer is far more appropriate with Burmese food and the tropical climate, and wine is often spoiled by inadequate storage), except in Mandalay and Yangon where French or Australian wines are served with dinner

All land transportation in private airconditioned vehicles as described

Horse-drawn cart trips and river crossings on local ferries as described

All day boat trip on the Ayeyarwady rivers as described

All entrance and sightseeing fees as described except during free periods

Services of an English-speaking local guide and a driver (plus our Kudu Travel tour leader)

Tips for porters, boatmen, restaurant & hotel staff

Insurance

It is essential, and a condition of booking, that you protect yourself with a suitable travel insurance policy as soon as you book a trip. Follow this link for a quote for a policy available to UK residents.

If you are already insured or a non-UK resident, please inform us of your policy at the time of booking.