Myanmar is a mystical country full of golden pagodas everywhere you look. Evening prayers in Schwedagon temple in Yangon and thousands of pagodas in Bagan Valley will forever stay in your memory. You will also remember the classic chaos on Yangon streets and curiosity of the local people.
Arriving in the totally different world of Yangon, you will need to adjust to the local chaos of the streets and hot and humid climate. Visit the famous Schwedagon Pagoda preferably in time for evening prayers. After this, start off for a full day visit of Golden Rock, which is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the country.
A night bus ride will take you to Bagan. Some ten thousand smaller or bigger temples were built here from the ninth to thirteenth century, of which around two thousand are still standing today. This is a large temple complex on the banks of the Irrawadi river and is best discovered on a scooter. This is complemented by a visit to Mount Popa, which offers great 360-degree views of the local landscape and a monkey temple.
A boat or a bus will then take you to Mandalay, where you can see the Royal Palace and Kuthodaw Pagoda, which is home to the largest book carved into marble stone. Mandalay Hill provides a place to stretch your legs and to see Mandalay and the Irrawadi river from above. Built in 1878, Shwenandaw monastery and the U-Bein bridge across Taugthaman Lake will take you to the lovely countryside of northern Myanmar.
Yangon (3 days) -> Golden Rock (1 day) -> Bagan (2 days) -> Mount Popa (1 day) -> transfer to Mandalay (1 day) -> Mandalay (3 days)
* Estimated price of trip includes all costs except meals other than breakfasts provided by accommodation.
