Myanmar – Burma

Trip Summary From sapphire-studded stupas to floating gardens, Myanmar is home to a trove of little-known treasures. Immerse yourself in a land of ancient tradition and gentle people on this enchanting Burmese Adventure. Travel by bicycle, motorboat, hot air balloon, canoe, horse cart and 4x4 Jeep to explore off-the-beaten-path villages, ruins and temples with your private guide. Discover ancient pagodas and the fascinating histories that lie within. Take in the sights of a village built on stilts on the shores of Inle Lake. Cycle through the Myanmar countryside, waving to friendly locals, visiting colorful markets, and stopping in bustling villages along the way. In the evening, dine in leisure in the comfort of your hotel restaurant or get adventurous and check out the local fare nearby. Myanmar is an extraordinary land, begging to be explored, where you’ll find a beautiful mix of traditional living, simple pleasures and engaging locals looking to welcome you to their country.

Itinerary Day 1: Yangon Upon arrival into Yangon by international flight, your guide will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel • Take what time you need to rest; later today, your guide will pick you up for a heritage walk of Yangon’s unique downtown and its impressive collection of late nineteenth and early twentieth-century buildings, religious and secular • Stroll through the back streets listening to your guide as he explains the history of each building, some of them empty, some restored and some used for different purposes than when originally built • Along the way, enjoy high tea at the famous Strand hotel which will make you feel like you’re back in colonial time • Overnight Excelsior Hotel (No meals)

Day 2: Yangon / Mandalay So, what’s behind the golden façade of the Shwedagon Pagoda? • Our intriguing half day tour starts us at the bottom of the hill where we’ll pass by workshops, markets and monasteries that will help us understand our journey through Myanmar throughout the rest of our trip • Along the way, we’ll enjoy a traditional Burmese breakfast, stop off to make offerings to monks and the pagoda, and visit a fortune teller • Upon arrival to Shwedagon Pagoda, we’ll enter the back door to learn about the pagoda’s full history, the daily life of all of the people living in the immediate surroundings, and a deeper insight into the Buddhist religion and how the spiritual belief is mixed with the belief in nats – the Myanmar spirits • After a typical Burmese lunch, we transfer to the airport for an afternoon flight to Mandalay • Your guide will meet you at the airport for transfer to your hotel • Overnight at Mercure Mandalay Hill Resort (B, L)

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Day 3: Mandalay Enjoy a hardy breakfast at the hotel before we embark on another day of adventure • From the jetty in Mandalay we take a leisurely boat cruise for about 2 hours downstream to Sagaing passing the temple dotted hills where we stop and visit the Setkyar Thida nunnery • We continue by boat to Ava, horse carts are ready to take us around this magnificent site with various ancient temple ruins that used to be majestic buildings during the 400 years that Ava was the capital • Lunch will be taken in Ava before continuing to Amarapura by car • The old capital of Amarapura is a very quiet village nowadays where you only hear the sound of the weaving machines. We visit one of the small weaving factories and walk over U-Bein Bridge. An ideal excursion if you don’t take the boat from Mandalay to Bagan since the most interesting part of the long boat ride is covered in this shorter cruise • Overnight at Mercure Mandalay Hill Resort (B, L)

Day 4: Mandalay Begin today’s bike ride weaving through back roads to get out of town • Heading northeast of the city, we pass through fresh markets and lively neighborhoods, eventually finding ourselves in the true countryside where farmers tend to their fields and villagers go about their daily rituals that have remained unchanged for decades • Water buffalo lazily roll in the mud, goats nibble at the foliage, and friendly locals wave from all directions • At stops along the way, we’ll learn about the different produce on sale at a fresh market and see bamboo weaving which is used to construct everything from roofs and walls to fans • After taking a walk through a typical central Myanmar village, we’ll stop at a tea shop on our way back to town • Upon arrival at our starting point, you’ll be brought back to the hotel via motorbike • After lunch, we tour some of the most famous monuments of Mandalay starting with the top of Mandalay hill for a great view over the Mandalay fort • Continue on to Atumashi and the Shwenandaw monasteries which serve as excellent examples of the architecture and crafts work of this region • End this memorable day with a visit to Kuthodaw Pagoda, famous for its white marble slab architecture • Overnight at Mercure Mandalay Hill Resort (B)

Day 5: Mandalay / Nyaung U / Bagan After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Bagan • You’ll be met upon arrival and transferred to your hotel where you’ll be picked up for a full day temple tour • Your experienced guide will show you the best known temples of the area • From here, you’ll make your way to places like the Ananda, Dhammayangyi, Sulamani, and Thatbyinnyu – all impressive sites • Sit down for lunch at a local restaurant and late afternoon, continue the tour by horse cart to Pyathagyi pagoda to witness a Myanmar sunset, refreshing drink in hand • Oh… we forgot to mention the best part: whenever you see a temple you like today, just ask your guide to stop to have a look at it – simply pick your own favorite temple! • Overnight Bagan Lodge, Villa (B, L)

Day 6: Bagan Early morning, opt for a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the temple zone in Bagan, one of many highlights when visiting Myanmar • After breakfast back at the hotel, we head out on a half day swing ride to take in the spectacular scenery and ancient temples of Bagan • You’ll fall in love with Bagan not just because of the beautiful temples and lack of hordes of tourists, but because of the stunning landscape of ancient temple ruins that are spread around randomly between toddy palms and bamboo huts • Enjoy lunch and an afternoon on an optional hot air balloon ride over the temple zone in Bagan • After floating in the air and following the wind, you will land and toast Champaign • Overnight Bagan Lodge, Villa (B, L) 2 The toughest part is going home.SM

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Day 7: Bagan Today, we embark on a trip that any photographer or culture fanatic will absolutely love • We depart Bagan early in our 4x4 vehicle, keeping an eye out for local women carrying firewood for the market while the sun rises behind them • First, we’ll visit the village of Nyaung Gyi, where we’ll find and photograph a blacksmith workshop • In Se Ywa village, we’ll move between local workshops taking in the art of plum purifying, cooking oil producing, and wooden slipper making • Then, we continue on to Taung Kong village where the majority of inhabitants are farmers who also make beautiful pottery • We make our way back to Bagan and rest the remainder of the morning • Meet back up for a picnic in Minnanthu, a favorite temple area among frequent Bagan visitors • While your guide serves up a delicious picnic lunch, you can take in your often deserted, beautiful surroundings while reflecting on the quiet and peacefulness the area is known for • After, visit two or three more ancient temple ruins before heading back to your hotel • Overnight Bagan Lodge, Villa (B, L)

Day 8: Bagan / Heho / Kalaw Say goodbye to Bagan as we make our way to Kalaw, stopping along the way for a full day immersion at an elephant conservation project site • As we walk through protected and undisturbed Asian jungle, we’ll learn about this natural habitat that serves as a home for elephants who could otherwise be easily hunted down and killed • Part of the project’s focus is to help the local population get involved in order to grow out of their vicious cycle of poverty through education and micro- finance • Enjoy a local lunch back at camp • Afterwards, it’s time to help the mahout wash and feed the elephants before we continue onwards to Kalaw town for check-in at our hotel • Overnight Kalaw Heritage Hotel (B, L)

Day 9: Kalaw / Inle Lake After breakfast, we transfer to Inle Lake for a day of adventure • From you 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 where you can have a chat with the monks and visit local homes • We continue by boat or bike 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. • Overnight Sanctum Inle Resort (B, L)

Day 10: Inle 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 villages built entirely on stilts • Today you ride a private motorboat around the lake to discover its natural beauty, visit the floating gardens, see some of the famous leg rowers, and have a cup of tea at a local family’s house • On and around the lake, traditional markets are held in different villages according to a 5-day rotating schedule • Today we take you to visit one of these colorful markets frequented by Shan and PaO people • We’ll be sure to visit a local cheroot factory (where the Burmese cigars are made), floating tomato gardens, Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, Intha Heritage house - where the Burmese cats are bred – and a weaving factory • Overnight Sanctum Inle Resort (B, L)

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Myanmar – Burma

Day 11: Inle Lake / Heho / Yangon After breakfast, spend the morning learning to cook traditional cuisine • Meet Tin Tin – an Intha native from the lake who will share her traditional Shan recipes with you today during a traditional Shan cooking class in a family house built on stilt on the lake • It’s not a Master Chef course from a Michelin restaurant owner but it’s simple, tasteful, home-cooked food from a local lady who has been cooking her whole life for her family and enjoys it! • Together with your guide, we visit the local market to find all ingredients, go by boat to the traditional house and help cleaning vegetables, chopping the ingredients, frying or boiling it, adding the right herbs and mixing the right ingredients • Then transfer to Heho airport, flight to Yangon • Overnight Excelsior Hotel (B, L)

Day 12: Yangon An excellent way to end your trip to Myanmar is with a morning of shopping to pick up any last minute souvenirs you may have missed along the way • Our specially selected shopping guide will bring you to whatever shop you like to find a longyi (local sarong), umbrellas, old books, gold leaves, a contemporary painting or even a trishaw (bicycle taxi) • Enjoy a one-hour foot massage by blind or deaf people, trained by a local charity, before lunch at Sharky’s restaurant, a local spot known for its “French” cheese, ham and other delicious delicacies • Your guide will drop you off at the airport for your international flight three hours prior to your scheduled flight time • No overnight (B, L)

**Trip itineraries are subject to change without notice due to road, weather and other factors outside of our control, for the safety and enjoyment of our guests, as deemed necessary and appropriate by Austin Adventures and Khiri Travel.

Our Partner – Khiri Travel Austin Adventures is proudly offering this trip in conjunction with Khiri Travel. Khiri Travel was founded in 1993 and now has offices and specialist teams in Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos). Khiri prides itself in authentic connections, adaptability, and innovation and offers intimate, personalized travel experiences for any budget from Family Travel and Regional Highlights to Community-based Tourism and Discovery Excursions. Khiri aims to maximize the positive effects of tourism on individuals and local communities, while minimizing negative social, environmental and economic impacts. The company strongly advocates that sustainability is no longer a luxury, but a must-do so we can leave behind a world that is livable for our children. You’ll find responsible travel practices at the core of all product development and operations. Khiri travel wants you to rave about your Asia experience and will be certain to provide a trip you’ll always remember.

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Myanmar – Burma

Activities

Walking – 1 to 4 hour guided walking excursions to view pagodas, ruins, villages and beautiful scenery.

Biking – 10 to 15 miles on mostly flat, paved, backcountry roads with stops at local sites along the way. Surfaces can be uneven and at times a bit bumpy; your guide will demonstrate technique on how best to handle this terrain.

Canoeing – 1 to 3 hour paddle excursion on the calm waters of Inle Lake.

Boating – Sit back and relax as an experienced boatman maneuvers you around the Ayeyarwaddy River and Inle Lake.

Hot Air Ballooning – British balloon pilots are operating each balloon under highest UK safety standards.

*Please note that accurate weights of all passengers are required for the Balloon flights’’ safety calculations. Pregnant women and children under the age of 8 or under the height of 137cm are not permitted to fly. Any Passenger in excess of 125 kg/280 pounds is required to pay a 100% surcharge of the ticket price.

Discovery – Now is the time to visit this land of beauty, sprinkled with tiered pagodas, where the traditional ways of Asia live on and areas previously off-limits are opening up. Myanmar, a nation with well over 100 ethnic groups, has yet to be completely taken over by Western fashion – everywhere you’ll come across men wearing longyi, skirt-like sarongs, or women covered in thanakha, traditional make-up. Bask in a slower change of pace when you drift down the Ayeyarwaddy River via old river steamer or cruise amongst ancient ruins in your human-powered trishaw. Engage with friendly locals who display a gentle, humorous, inquisitive and passionate side not found many places in this world any longer. Explore the iconic sites around Mandalay winding through backroads and peaceful villages by bicycle. Walk amongst both the neglected and rehabilitated brick and stucco religious structures that dot the plains of the wonder that is Bagan. Discover Inle Lake, a seemingly vast silver sheet interspersed with island-bound Buddhist temples, floating gardens and stilt-house villages. Come experience Myanmar with the leaders in adventure travel!

Your guides will take the time to explain the details of each activity, answer any questions and demonstrate the use of all equipment. Each activity has been carefully planned to include options for all levels. Most importantly, your guides will help you select the distance that’s right for you.

Meals The hallmark of an Austin Adventures vacation is our exceptional dining. Most breakfasts and lunches are included in this itinerary. No dinners have been included. (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch). Alcoholic beverages and related gratuities are not included in the trip price.

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Myanmar – Burma

Distinctive Accommodations

Nights 1 & 11: Excelsior Hotel The architectural wonder that is now the Yangon Excelsior Hotel was built. It originally housed the general headquarters of the Steel Brothers Company, a conglomerate of companies specialised in the economic development of mining, agricultural, mineral and wood resources. Dine throughout the day in the Newsroom, a magical place that evokes all the glorious moments of journalists of the day. In the evening, the prestigious Steel Brothers Wine & Grill opens its doors and at any time of day, the Excelsior Spa, the well-being heart of the hotel, offers care and treatments to guests.

Nights 2 – 4: Mercure Mandalay Hill Resort The 12-acre Mercure Mandalay Hill Resort is set at the foot of Mandalay Hill. It offers panoramic views of pagodas as well as the distinctive architecture of the Royal Palace and its beautiful moat. Mandalay is a 1-hour flight from Yangon and 20-minute flight from Bagan. It is within close proximity to some of the most remarkable archaeological sites in the world.

Nights 5 – 7: Bagan Lodge The Lodge's room and suites are familiar, upscale sanctuaries, each with a private veranda. A fusion of classic Burmese design and contemporary décor, and high-quality amenities. Eight private treatment rooms are available to provide guests with an extensive range of massage and beauty treatments – the perfect way to unwind after a day of discovery.

Night 8: Kalaw Heritage Hotel Accommodation here is based in a gorgeous set of mock-Tudor style mansions. Complete with international décor, savvy staff, and remarkable cuisine, the Kalaw Heritage Hotel will provide the perfect retreat after a long day of adventure. You’ll be housed in one of 45 colonial-style rooms and treated with a serene view of rural Myanmar fit for a king.

Nights 9 & 10: Sanctum Inle Resort A destination as removed from the wider world as Inle Lake demands a resort where detachment is a priority. At the Sanctum Inle Resort, arches and cloisters reference the monastic life, opening the doors on a more contemplative experience of travel. With a design that celebrates the fundamentals, that merges the spiritual and the secular, the past and the present, East and West, the hotel is a gateway to one of the Asia’s most fascinating locales. Embrace the quietude cultivated by one of Myanmar’s most ambitious new hotels.

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Myanmar – Burma

Arrival and Departures An Austin Adventures representative will meet you upon arrival at the Yangon airport. Upon clearing customs, transportation to the Belmond Governor’s Residence will be provided. On Day 12 you will be transferred from the Belmond Governor’s Residence to the Yangon airport according to your morning or afternoon flight schedule.

Trip Price Call for pricing.

Trip Length 12 days/11 nights

2020 Dates Departs weekly, call for availability.

Host City Yangon, Myanmar (RGN)

Reservations & Availability 800.575.1540

Take a back-door tour of Yangon’s golden Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar’s most revered shrine, whose stupa alone boasts over 7,000 diamonds, rubies, and sapphires

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Myanmar – Burma

Trip Reservations

Reservations, Deposits and Balances Due To make a reservation, contact Austin Adventures with your choice of trip and dates. A $750 per person deposit is required to confirm your reservation. Some Custom and International programs may require additional deposits. Full payment is required at the time of booking if your trip departs within 90 days. Choose one of the following contact methods: Toll free: 800-575-1540 Phone: 406-655-4591 Online: austinadventures.com Email: [email protected] Mail: Austin Adventures, P.O. Box 81025, Billings, MT 59108 * You may also book your Austin Adventure with your preferred travel professional. ** We accept most major credit cards and personal checks (U.S. funds made payable to Austin Adventures). Please do not send cash.

Included in the Trip Price • Double occupancy rooms with private baths.

All meals as listed in daily detailed itinerary (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner). • • Fully trained, English-speaking professional guides and knowledgeable local partners. • Bikes, helmets and other necessary equipment – all safe and well maintained. • Vehicle support and land transportation during the trip.

• All internal flights within Myanmar.

• Austin Adventures T-shirt, luggage tags and luggage service. • Pre-departure and packing information. • All entrance fees.

Not Included in the Trip Price

• Gratuities. • Alcoholic beverages and related gratuities. • Meals as not designated in itinerary. • Visa fees and/or visa authorization.

• Hot air balloon trip over Bagan (optional). • Pre-and post-trip accommodations and associated expenses. • Air and land transportation to/from host cities. • All types of personal insurance.

• Personal expenses.

Pre-departure Information After receiving your reservation and deposit, we’ll send you a pre-trip planner with general information about the area you’ll be visiting, a packing list, exercise guidelines, a guest information questionnaire and a liability release agreement for you to sign and return within 10 days. 8 SM The toughest part is going home.

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Private Custom Trips Maybe your vacation schedule doesn’t fit our list of trips and dates. Or perhaps you’d prefer a slightly different itinerary or level of luxury and activity. A Custom Adventure is the perfect answer. You pick the date and destination and brief us on the size of your group, what activities you want, your “must haves” and just how you like to relax and unwind. No detail is too small, no idea too outrageous. Our staff of experts will help create a tailor-made vacation that’s just right for you and your group. In short, if you can dream it, we can make it happen.

Room Occupancy, Single Supplements, and Shared Room Assignments All trip prices are based on double occupancy. Single rooms are available for an additional charge, referred to as a “single supplement.” If you’re traveling alone and wish to share a room, make the request at the time of booking. Austin Adventures will attempt to find a suitable roommate for you.

Minimum Age The minimum age on our non-family designated adult and teen adventures is sixteen years old.

Cancellations and Refunds The following cancellation policies and cancellation fees are in effect: ***As with deposits on some international and custom programs, refund schedule may vary, speak with your Adventure Consultant for details. Cancellation 91 days or more before trip departure – Full trip payment refunded less a $300 per person administration fee Cancellation 61-90 days before trip departure – Full trip payment less 25% per person is refunded Cancellation 31-60 days before trip departure – 50% of the trip payment is refunded Cancellation 0-30 days before trip departure – No refund is given

Our Guarantee

Exceeding your expectations is our number one priority. In the unlikely event that you are dissatisfied with something during your trip, immediately notify your guide(s). If he or she is unable to resolve the issue, call our main office and give us the details of the problem, and a chance to correct it. We will do our best to find a resolution. If we are unable to do so during your trip, we will work with you upon your return home to arrive at a fair and equitable solution, including up to a full refund.

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