Hidden Treasures of Burma Your Tour Dossier 17 Days This document is designed to be read in Fully Inclusive from the UK conjunction with the other pre-departure

information provided by Wendy Wu Tours Take a fascinating journey through including the tour itinerary as described in enigmatic , from gleaming golden our brochure and/or website. It aims to temples in Rangoon to the ancient pagodas provide a straightforward description of of . Walk along the longest teak the physical activities involved in bridge in the world in , and sightseeing or travelling during the tour. experience rural tradition around Inle Lake. This truly is a country a world apart from If there are any particular challenges, from any other. the length of time spent on your feet, the

length of drives and flights, to the Fully Inclusive price includes: standard of remote accommodation; they • International flights and current taxes will be explained here. • Domestic transportation • Accommodation All passengers must read this document to • All meals (excluding drinks) ensure the itinerary is suitable for their • Touring with Guides and entrance fees interests and physical capabilities. This is • Visa fees for UK passport holders not your final itinerary and therefore does not mention all the sites visited.

Book now on 0844 499 3899 visit www.wendywutours.co.uk or see your preferred travel agent.

Welcome to Wendy Wu Tours

Burma (Myanmar) is the hidden gem of Southeast Asia and has been relatively unexplored by tourists. This tour will fascinate and thrill our passengers, many of whom have travelled to one country in Asia with us, then another, year after year. We urge you to keep in mind all the rewards, as well as challenges of travelling in a country with a history, culture and attitude so unlike your own.

A typical day’s sightseeing may include the bustle and noise of a city street, sights and smells of a local market and interacting with the locals. Travelling in Burma requires patience and potential delays are to be expected due to standards of service. There is a low level of English spoken throughout Burma, so your local guides or National Escort will be indispensable during your trip.

Almost everything will be different to what you may be used to. We have found that our passengers who embark with a sense of humour and adventure, who accept that things do not always go to plan, are those who find their experience most rewarding. It is essential that all passengers recognise the demands of factors such as basic facilities and cultural differences they may encounter in some areas.

Hidden Treasures of Burma - Myanmar – Active Paced Tour

These tours can involve long periods of sightseeing on foot, climbing of stairs and getting on and off boats, and are physically more demanding. Some easy trekking may be involved, as well as travel to remote areas and long days of driving. These programmes require a good level of fitness.

Our local guides always endeavour to provide the highest level of service and assistance, but they cannot be expected to cater for customers who are unfit to complete the itinerary.

NB Please note that times and distances listed in the tour dossier are approximate.

Days 1-2: UK/Rangoon (Yangon) Monastery and the U Bein Bridge, spending 1 hour at each. You will be met at Rangoon airport in the arrivals hall by your We will then continue to Ava by boat where you will travel Local Guide and/or National Escort from Wendy Wu Tours. for approx. 2 hours by a horse drawn carriage to visit Together with all other group members who may be arriving Nanmyint Watch Tower, Maha Aungmye Bonzan Monastery at a similar time, you will transfer 25 mins to your hotel and and , hopping on and off. Later we will check-into your room. explore Hill (your shoes must be removed here) and its white pagodas and monasteries. Please remember to Day 3: Rangoon bring insect repellent as dinner this evening will be outside. Tour the city of Rangoon. During your city tour you will walk Strand Road and Pansodan Street. You will see the Pansodan Day 7: Jetty. Visit for 15 minutes (shoes must be This morning you will visit the Mahamuni Pagoda, and the removed) and continue on foot for 1 hour through Shwe Inbin Monastery. This afternoon you will have leisurely downtown. Spend 30 minutes at Bogyoke Market. There will sightseeing at and Golden Palace be a photo stop at Karaweik Hall. This afternoon visit the Monastery (shoes must be removed). Travel by an open top sacred (shoes must be removed), vehicle (similar to a pickup truck) to the top of . involving 2 hours on foot exploring the area. It is an uphill drive on a windy and bumpy road. Enjoy the sunset at Mandalay Hill and return to the base of the hill by Day 4: Rangoon – Pyay (Prome) the open top vehicle. Drive 6 hours to Pyay with a stop for lunch. Visit the ancient city of Sri Ksetra and spend 30 minutes here. After a visit to Day 8: Mandalay - the local museum, travel by ox cart around the old city wall This morning we will transfer to the jetty and board a boat to for approx. 2 hours, hopping on and off. Visit Hmawzar Mingun (1 hour). Climbing across other boats to reach our village for 30 minutes on foot and then continue to the hotel. boat may be necessary. You will see the world’s largest bell and Mingun Pagoda. After 1 hour here, you will return to Day 5: Pyay (Prome) - Rangoon Mandalay by boat. The rest of the day is at leisure. Visit Pyay central market and Shwe San Taw Pagoda, where you will climb a number of steps to a platform to view the Day 9: Mandalay - town from above. After lunch drive 6 hours back to Rangoon Drive 3.5 hours to Monywa. There is easy walking around stopping to spend 30 minutes at Shwe Myet Mhan Pagoda Thanboddhay Pagoda. Visit Bodhi Tahtaung which stands at (shoes must be removed). 129m-high; you can explore inside but the lift does not work. Stairs are available for 3 storeys only. View the nearby Day 6: Rangoon - Mandalay reclining Buddha from the outside. Take a short ferry ride to Fly to Mandalay (flight duration 1 hour 30 minutes). Upon visit Po Win Taung cave complex and continue on foot to the arrival we will drive to Amarapura to visit Mahaghandayon Book now on 0844 499 3899 visit www.wendywutours.co.uk or see your preferred travel agent.

Shwe Ba Taung cave complex. Continue to the hotel in Monywa for check-in. Day 14: Pindaya – Nyaung Shwe (Inle Lake) Drive 3 hours to Nyaung Shwe and travel by a motorised Day 10: Monywa – Pakokku - Bagan wooden boat to your hotel located on Inle Lake. After lunch Drive for 2 hours to Pakokku visiting Pakhangyi en at the hotel, we will board a boat to explore the floating route. After lunch, visit a local market in Pakokku. Travel by markets and gardens for approx. 3 hours. Visit Phaungdaw boat for 2 hours to Bagan. The boats can take up to 10 Oo Pagoda, Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery and the weaving passengers and staff will assist you with boarding. village of Inpawkhon.

Day 11: Bagan Day 15: Nyaung Shwe (Inle Lake) Wander through Nyaung U Market for 1 hour. Visit the Travel by boat for 1 hour to the Indein Pagoda complex. , Ananda, Htilominlo and Thatbyinnyu Spend approx. 1-2 hours on foot here leisurely exploring the temples, and for 1 hour each (shoes must be removed). area and visiting the village of Sae Ma before returning by Continue to Myinkaba Village for 1 hour of easy walking to boat to your hotel. experience traditional Burmese living. Enjoy sunset from one of Bagan’s many temple tops. Day 16: Nyaung Shwe (Inle Lake) - Rangoon Early this morning you will depart Inle Lake by boat for 1 Day 12: Bagan – Mt. Popa hour then drive for another hour (30km) to Heho airport for Visit the market in Nyaung U. Travel approx. 1.5 hours your flight to Rangoon (flight duration 2 hours). Visit Gaba (50km) to Mt. Popa. Mt Popa has an altitude of 2,418 feet Aye Pagoda (shoes must be removed), and there are 777 steps to reach , the temple and Nanthida Jetty, spending half an hour at each site. This located at the top. The steps are tiled and under cover with evening wander through Chinatown and the night market. railings to hold onto if necessary; it will take 1.5 hrs of You will spend between 30 mins here before continuing to walking to the top and back. Please hold on to your your farewell dinner. belongings as there are many monkeys here. After lunch, we will drive back to Bagan for easy sightseeing. Visit Ku Byauk Day 17: Rangoon/UK Gyi, and Nanbaya. This evening, depending Today you will be transferred to Rangoon airport to board on availability, explore Bagan’s ancient temples in the your overnight flight to the UK. traditional method – ox cart. Land Only Day 13: Bagan - Pindaya If you are travelling on a land only basis, then you will need Fly to Heho (flight duration 35 mins) and drive 2.5 hours to make your own way to the starting hotel in Rangoon on (64km) to Pindaya. Spend 2-3 hours at the Pindaya Caves and Day 2. On Day 17, you will checkout from your Rangoon walking through the town. After visiting a home-run umbrella hotel, and continue as per your own arrangements. and mulberry paper production business, check-into your hotel. Please refer to the Wendy Wu Tours brochure and/or website for details on departure dates, prices, itineraries, inclusions and tour extensions available as well as full booking conditions.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Before You Leave

Itinerary Changes - The order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. The schedules of the domestic airlines in Burma (Myanmar) are subject to frequent changes. For this reason, we have indicated approximate times only. Your Local Guide or National Escort will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. Roads in Burma have generally been improved over recent years, but some road construction and/or weather conditions may still lengthen the driving times.

Visas - A visa is required for entry into Burma. A standard visa processing service is included in your tour cost. We will require your passport, completed visa application form, and 1 passport photo, taken within the last 6 months, to process your visa. We will require all this information 8 weeks prior to departure. As per our standard visa processing service, we will have your passport for at least 4 weeks. Any passports and visa applications that require an express 2 week service, or that are received in our office less than 6 weeks prior to departure will incur a £50 per passport express fee. In rare cases, you may be required to provide further information or documentation to the embassy and or be required to attend an interview at the embassy in London. If this is the case we will notify you as soon as possible.

Vaccinations and Your Health - We recommend that you contact either your local GP or a travel doctor for advice on vaccinations and travel health. www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk is a comprehensive website that you may also find useful.

Book now on 0844 499 3899 visit www.wendywutours.co.uk or see your preferred travel agent.

Climate - Please refer to our website or brochure for detailed temperature charts.

Insurance - It is a condition of booking with us that you take out suitable travel insurance. You must provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24 hour emergency contact number when you book with us or as soon as possible thereafter. Wendy Wu Tours will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

Luggage - All travellers are limited to two items of luggage each; a suitcase with a maximum weight of 20kg and one piece of hand luggage with a maximum weight of 5kg. It is essential that your luggage is lockable. Please note that authorities will only allow bottles onto the aircraft if they have been checked in as main baggage. Bottles in hand luggage may be confiscated.

What to Expect on Tour

Development - Although Burma is developing quickly, it still lacks international standards of civil infrastructure and tourist facilities. For example, you may see a hole in the road without a warning sign or safety barricade; concepts of personal responsibility are also different to those in the UK. Consequently, tourist and public facilities may not uphold the same safety standards as in the UK. However, all of our suppliers meet local safety standards as a minimum. We want you to have an enjoyable holiday so we ask that you take extra care, use your common sense as well as refer to notices and follow advice from your National Escort/Local Guides.

Group Size – In most cases, the group will operate with a minimum of 10 passengers.

Accommodation - Your accommodation is selected for convenience of location, comfort or character, and can range from a business hotel in one city to a family run guesthouse in a smaller town. In more remote areas, accommodation may be of a lower standard and may not have all western amenities. Hotels are generally rated as local three to four star standard, but please note that there is no international classification system for hotels and differences in facilities and quality do exist between the UK and Burma. Rest assure that all hotels used by Wendy Wu Tours are regularly inspected by our staff and our partners to ensure that standards meet your needs.

Vehicles - Please be advised that the vehicles in Burma are very basic and old as no new vehicles have been brought into the country since a trade embargo was implemented. You may find the seats to be smaller and have less leg room as the vehicles are designed for the smaller build of the Burmese. Wendy Wu Tours sources the best available vehicles, however these may vary from city to city.

Seatbelts - Please note that seatbelts are not compulsory by law in Burma and therefore the local people largely choose not to wear them. For this reason some vehicles may not be fitted with seatbelts or they may be hidden underneath protective seat covers. It is recommended that where seatbelts are available customers must use them and remain seated at all times while the vehicle is moving. If you have any concerns, please notify your National Escort or Local Guide.

Tipping - As with most countries, tipping is a way of life in Burma. For our passengers’ convenience we ask for a compulsory amount to be paid at the beginning of our group tours to cover tipping for guides, drivers, restaurant staff etc. Approximate tipping amounts can be found in our brochure and/or website; however exact tipping amounts will be stated on your invoice.

Flight Delays or Changes to Arrival Times - Due to unforeseen circumstances, flights can be delayed, and therefore connecting flights may be missed. If you find yourself in this situation, please contact our Myanmar office: + 95-9 200 5659 (Emergency 24 hour contact) to urgently advise your arrival details have changed. Please ensure you have your trip number, tour name (both included in your final documentation) and new arrival details (flight number and arrival time) handy to pass on to him. This will ensure your National Escort/Local Guide can be informed of your most up to date information and ensure someone is at the airport to meet you on arrival. If we are not advised of late changes and missed connections, Wendy Wu Tours cannot guarantee someone will be able to meet you upon arrival in Burma as our local office will have no way of knowing which flight you will be arriving on. Wendy Wu Tours will not be responsible for providing reimbursement of transportation costs from the airport to your hotel in the event that our local office was not advised of changes to arrival times.

Exchanging Cash - US dollars are the preferred currency to be used in Burma. ATMS are limited in Burma, so we suggest that you bring enough US Dollars in cash to last the duration of your stay. It is highly recommended that extra care and attention is paid when exchanging money when travelling outside major cities in Burma.

We suggest for your convenience that you ensure your US Dollars are from the year 2013 onwards and are in good condition to avoid any difficulties exchanging money during your trip.

Book now on 0844 499 3899 visit www.wendywutours.co.uk or see your preferred travel agent.

We suggest exchanging your money before travelling to remote areas and smaller towns, as exchange facilities can be limited. Your National Escort will remind you to do this before departure.

Meals - All meals (excluding drinks) are included in our fully inclusive group tours from the groups’ arrival until the day of departure. Our schedule of meals is designed so that you can experience the local dishes, their individual flavours as well as the different ways they are prepared and cooked throughout Burma.

Personal Expenses- You will need to take some extra money to cover drinks, laundry and souvenirs, plus any additional sightseeing that may be offered to you. Based on the advice of previous customers an approximate amount of £150 per week should be sufficient; however for those that can’t resist a bargain, consider allocating a higher amount.

After Your Booking

Once you have booked with Wendy Wu Tours, you will receive a confirmation invoice followed by deposit documentation, which includes a visa application form, help sheet, and a Burma fact sheet. Your final documentation pack will be sent to you approx. 2 weeks prior to departure, and will include a travel wallet, badge, lanyard, suggested packing list and a phrase book, along with your final itinerary and international etickets.

Last updated January 2015

Book now on 0844 499 3899 visit www.wendywutours.co.uk or see your preferred travel agent.