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MYANMAR APRIL 10 – 23, 2020 14 DAYS
Be inspired by the monasteries, pagodas and stupas in Bago, Mingun, Amarapura and Mandalay. Cross the Gok Teik Viaduct on train. Take a stroll through countryside villages. Visit markets and workshops. Walk over a hundred year old teak U-Bein Bridge. Take on river cruises on Dotawaddy and Irrawaddy Rivers. Bicycle amongst the pagodas and stupas in Bagan. Observe the leg-rowing fishermen of Inle Lake. Ride on the Yangon Circular Railway.
B – breakfast, L – lunch, D – dinner
APRIL 10 • • • Upon arrival, you will be greeted by your guide. Before reaching the hotel to have a short walk about 15 minutes in to see the street life and night life of Yangon. Then you will transfer to your hotel. Welcome dinner. Stay in Yangon for 2 nights. D
APRIL 11 • • • 2 hour drive to Bago, formerly known as Pegu. Capital of the Mon Kingdom in the 15th century. Visit Kyaly Khat Wai Monastery during lunch time. Shwethalyaung, the 180 foot long reclining Buddha. The Mon style Shwemawdaw Pagoda, one of the most venerated in Myanmar. Hintha Gon Paya. Kanbawzathadi Palace. Kyaik Pun Pagoda with 4 sitting Buddhas. On way back to Yangon, we stop at the Allied War Cemetery near Htaukkyan, the final resting place for over 27,000 allied soldiers who fought in Burma. B,L,D
APRIL 12 • • • Morning flight to Mandalay, then drive about 2 hours to Pyin Oo Lwin, a former British hill station. Visit Peik Chin Myaung Caves, which has been a Buddhist shrine since ancient times. Visit a local market and drive through the charming town in a horse-drawn 'stage coach' giving you the chance to admire the red brick and half-timbered houses, complete with English-style gables, turrets and chimneys. Afterwards, we visit the National Botanical Kandawgyi Gardens, which was built on Lake Kandawgyi using the manpower of 4,000 Turkish prisoners of war. Overnight in Pyin Oo Lwin. B,D
APRIL 13 • • • Return back to Mandalay. Experience a national holiday called “Thingyan” in different parts of the city throughout the day. Stay in Mandalay for 2 nights. B,L,D
APRIL 14 • • • After breakfast, transfer to the jetty and board private chartered boat for a 45 minute cruise over the Irrawaddy River towards the former capital of Mingun. After arrival in the northern part of the village, we will walk through to villager house and reach to Mingun famous for its
HANDS ON TRAVEL • MYANMAR • UPDATED as of 4 APRIL 2019
huge unfinished pagoda also home to the Mingun Bell, considered as the world’s largest uncracked ringing bell. In the afternoon, return to Mandalay. B,L,D
APRIL 15 • • • Drive to the 18th century capital, Amarapura. Attend the daily meal of over thousand monks at the country’s largest monastery: Mahagandayon. Visit a silk weaving workshop, which is craft speciality of Amarapura. After lunch, we drive for approximately 4 to 5 hours to Mount Popa. We stop halfway with a ½ hour walkabout in a village. Before sunset, we walk down about 25 minutes to the resort from an overlook. Overnight at Popa Mountain Resort.
APRIL 16 • • • Visit a village at the foot of Mount Popa. Then drive 1.5 hours to Bagan. One hour before sunset, we travel on horse carts - passing Thatbyinnyu, the highest temple in Bagan, massive Dhammayangyi Temple, noted for its remarkable brickwork, and Sulamani Temple. Watch the sunset on top of one of 2,200 surviving temples (as there were over 10,000 temples during the kingdom’s height). Stay in Bagan for 3 nights.
APRIL 17 • • • Morning sightseeing features the Shwezigon Pagoda and its magnificent golden stupa. Wetkyi- In Gubyaukgyi, a cave temple with exquisite jatakas mural paintings. Htilominlo Temple noted for its fine plaster carvings and glazed sandstone decorations. Ananda, an architectural masterpiece of the early-style temple with two original standing Buddha images showing facial expression change depending on the distance the statue is viewed from. Ananda Okkyaung, which is one of the few surviving brick monasteries from the early Bagan period. Myin Kabar GuByaukGyi, an early period Pyu-style temple of Hindu influence with some of the oldest mural paintings in Bagan. Observe local farmers’ way of life. Stop at a small umbrella making factory.
APRIL 18 • • • Ngat Pyit Taung Monastery to explore the temple’s caves and observe local tradition and spiritual beliefs of the Burmese. Monastic Primary School to visit with the local children studying their lessons. In the afternoon, we continue to the rural village of Minnanthu to explore temples such as Payathonzu, with its unusual architecture and Tantric Buddhism influence as well as Lemyentha and Nandamannya. Before sunset, we ride on bicycles among the pagodas and stupas. Enjoy an unforgettable sunset over the plains from the upper terrace of one of the temples.
APRIL 19 • • • Morning flight to Heho. Then enjoy a scenic drive to Pindaya through the picturesque countryside of Shan State. After checking into our hotel, we set off on foot for a 2-hour trek to Sikya In village. Enroute, we pass through Htut Ni village inhabited by the hill tribe Danu, a name derived from the word ‘Donke’ which means ‘brave archers.’ The scenery along the way is stunning and features panoramic views of the Shan Mountain ranges and valley. See the Taung Yoo tribe living in the villages during the trek. See farmers growing tea, soya, pineapple, coffee and bamboo. Some opportunities to interact with the locals and learn more about their culture and tradition. Overnight in Pindaya.
APRIL 20 • • • Visit Pindaya’s limestone cave with its maze of chambers displaying more than 8,000 Buddha statues. Afterwards, we visit an umbrella and paper making factory. Drive to Nyaung Shwe,
HANDS ON TRAVEL • MYANMAR • UPDATED as of 4 APRIL 2019
which is the gateway of Inle Lake. Board a private motorboat to head out to Inle Lake, one of Myanmar’s most spectacular sights. Pass villages built on stilts over the lake, inhabited by the local Intha people. Observe the leg-rowing fishermen and see their floating gardens built up from strips of water hyacinth and mud, then anchored to the bottom of the lake with bamboo poles. Visit Nga Hpe Chaung Monastery, which houses dozens of Shan Buddha Images. Continue to Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the lake’s main sanctuary, which contains five sacred Buddha images covered in gold leaf. Explore the local crafts of Inle Lake with a stop at the weaving village of Inpawkhone and blacksmith factory and boatbuilding factory. Stay on Inle Lake for 2 nights.
APRIL 21 • • • Visit the lake’s morning market. The market rotates its location around the lake’s villages on a 5-day rhythm and is visited by lake inhabitants and surrounding hill tribes who come to sell and trade their wares. From the middle of the lake, continue down a small canal leading to the Pa-oh village of In Dein. Explore the village on foot including Alaung Sitthou, which is filled with picturesque ancient stupas and has magnificent views of the lake below. In the early evening, we return to Inle Lake to ride on leg-rowing fisherman boats for an hour and enjoy the sunset over the lake.
APRIL 22 • • • Morning flight back to Yangon. After arrival, we start our walking tour from Sule - city hall, Jewish synagogue, fruit market and Hindu temple. Drive to the old harbor to see the porters working. Go to Scot Market for some shopping before having snacks at the Sky Lounge at the Skaura Building. In the afternoon, we go to Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda, home to a 230-foot-long reclining Buddha. From there, we continue to Shwedagon Pagoda, the most revered Buddhist temple in Myanmar. The 8-sided gilded gold central stupa is 325 feet tall and surrounded by 64 smaller stupas. Overnight in Yangon.
APRIL 23 • • • Morning ride on the Yangon Circular Railway. The slow non-airconditioned traveling train gives us an unique opportunity to observe the lively and colorful lifestyle of the local people. Disembark and explore at Insein Market before returning back to Yangon. Later in the afternoon, we transfer to the airport for your flight back home. B
HANDS ON TRAVEL • MYANMAR • UPDATED as of 4 APRIL 2019
MYANMAR TOUR PRICE
$2.540 per person/double occupancy (for a group of 20+) plus approximately $950 for international airfare
$500 deposit per person is required to reserve space by June 3, 2019.
Payment Deadlines 1st payment of $750 by August 22, 2019 2nd payment of $750 by October 17, 2019 3rd payment of $750 by December 12, 2019 Final payment of $740 by February 10, 2020
CONTACT: [email protected]
GROUP LEADER: Dan Brubaker
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THE TOUR PRICE? • Small tour group size. • 13 nights at 2 star hostels/hotels. • 34 meals: Breakfasts (13), Lunches (9), Dinners (12) • Services of a deaf group leader on call 24 hours a day. • Services of local hearing guide(s). • All transportation expenses connected with the tour itinerary, including 3 domestic flights. • All admission fees for attractions and museums mentioned in the itinerary. • Myanmar e-visa fee • Travel insurance covering trip cancellation, travel interruption, emergency medical & dental, medical evacuation, travel delay and baggage delay. • Most tips connected with the tour itinerary, except for housekeeping service (in your hotel rooms) and your group leader. • Informative travel preparation packet. • Assistance with travel preparation.
IMPORTANT POINTS: • Airfares at the start and end of the tour are not included. • All other meals not mentioned in the itinerary and personal expenses are not included. • Average price for lunch & dinner meals range from $5 to $15. • Be aware of the HOT school tour terms and conditions before booking. • Extensive walking expected during the tour. Appropriate physical fitness is required. • Tour itinerary and price are subject to change.
HANDS ON TRAVEL • MYANMAR • UPDATED as of 4 APRIL 2019