Myanmar
Spiritual Tour
Buddhism in Myanmar
Summary
Type: Spiritual Tour
Duration: 13 Days
Best Time to Travel: October – April
Places you'll discover
Bagan
Kyaikhtiyo
Mandalay
Monywa
Pyay
Sagaing
Yangon
FROM
£1,899
Per person based on 2 people sharing
Customise This Tour
Speak to our friendly Travel Experts
01279 507 956
Quick Enquiry: Buddhism in Myanmar
Buddhism in Myanmar - Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive Yangon
Our guide will pick you up from Rangoon International Airport and transfer you to your hotel.
Visit the stunning Shwedagon Pagoda at sunset. This 325ft gilded pagoda and stupa is Myanmar’s most important landmark. The top of the stupa is covered with 1800 carats of gold and studded with diamonds, rubies, sapphires and topaz. A huge emerald sits in the middle to catch the first and last rays of the sun.
Day 2
Yangon
Drive to Thanlyin (Syriam), a former 16th century Portuguese colony and home to Kyauk Tan Ye Le Pagoda located on a small island in the middle of the Bago River.
Explore the Sule Pagoda where you can have your fortune told followed by Chaukhtatkyi Pagoda which features a 216 foot reclining Buddha. It is the third largest reclining Buddha in Myanmar. The next stop is Yangon’s Little India. Enjoy the exotic sounds, sights, and smells of India without leaving Myanmar. Stop at the colourful Indian Sri Kali temple and continue to Chinatown. Enjoy the night market, take a look at the Cantonese Kwan Yin temple, and reach the famous 19th Street filled with restaurants and beer stations.
Included:
Breakfast
Day 3
Yangon – Pyay
After breakfast, drive to Pyay (approx. 5 hours) on the banks of the Irrawaddy River. Stop en route at a small town which is home to the Shwemyethman Paya or ‘Buddha with Golden Spectacles’! Locals believe the Buddha image can cure anyone with eye problems.
In Pyay visit the Shwesandaw Pagoda which houses one of Buddha’s teeth.
Included:
Breakfast
Day 4
Pyay
Drive over the Irrawaddy River to the village of Htonbo. From here we take a short boat ride to Akauktang Mountain home to a large number of Buddha images in various shapes and sizes.
Return to Pyay.
Included:
Breakfast
Day 5
Pyay – Yangon
We return to Yangon and our hotel by road. Later we explore Yangon’s colonial past visiting City Hall, the Supreme Court and the Baptist Church.
Visit Bogyoke Aung San Market, formerly known as Scott's Market. The market is a major tourist destination dominated by antique, Burmese handicrafts, jewelry shops, art galleries, and clothing stores.
We go to Kabaaye World Peace Pagoda and take a walk along the banks of Inya Lake.
Included:
Breakfast
Day 6
Yangon - Bagan
We depart the hotel early for the flight to Bagan. We spend the rest of today viewing some of Bagan’s most impressive pagodas and temples including the 11th century Shwezigon Pagoda and Ananda Temple, an architectural masterpiece. Built in 1105 Ananda contains two unique Buddha images whose expressions seem to change depending on the distance and angle from which the statues are viewed. Other attractions we explore are Thatbyitnnyu temple built in the middle of the 12th century and the highest pagoda on Bagan Plain.
Included:
Breakfast
Day 7
Bagan
Today we visit Lawkanada Monastery and pay our respects to the head monk. This is followed by visits to several pagodas on the Bagan Plains including Myazedi and Nagayon pagodas.
After lunch at a local restaurant we continue with our exploration of Bagan before transferring to the Irrawaddy River and a boat where we can enjoy the sunset.
Included:
Breakfast
Day 8
Bagan - Monywa
After breakfast, drive Bagan Jetty for a boat trip along the Irrawaddy to the small town of Pakokku, renowned locally for its weaving shops and as a tobacco trading centre. Later we cycle to the 19th century wooden Pakhangyi Monastery.
This afternoon we drive to Monywa, capital of the Sagaing region and also known as Neem City due to its abundance of Neem trees.
Included:
Breakfast
Day 9
Monywa – Sagaing - Mandalay
Depart Monywa for Mandalay stopping en route at some impressive Buddhist religious sites including the Thanboddhay Pagoda (similar in design to Borobudur in Java) and Aung Setkya Pagoda with its breath-taking views of the surrounding area and a huge collection of Buddha images.
Stop at Sagaing Hill which is dotted with several hundred white-painted pagodas and also some caves before arriving in Mandalay.
Included:
Breakfast
Day 10
Mandalay
After breakfast visit Mahaghandayon Monastery where more than a thousand monks and novices line up to receive their daily offering of alms and food. This is followed by a walk across U Bein teak bridge.
We visit Ava, a former capital from the 14th to 18th centuries. Ava is now a sleepy rural area, cut-off from busy roads by streams and canals. We get around by local horse cart, visiting the delightful 19th century teak wood Bagaya Monastery which is also home to a small school run by the resident monks. Also see remains of the masonry watchtower Nanmyin, Singyone Fort and the impressive Maha Aungmye Bonzan, a brick-and-stucco monastery built on the order of Queen Meh Nu in 1822 for her royal abbot. Visit Mahamuni Pagoda, the holiest pilgrimage site in Mandalay followed by the Kuthodaw Pagoda featuring the 'World's Largest Book' containing 729 marble slabs with text from Tipitaka (a set of Buddhist scriptures).
Included:
Breakfast
Day 11
Mandalay - Kyaikhtiyo
Drive to Kyaikhtiyo in Mon State (approx. 5 hours). Alongside the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon and the Mahamuni Pagoda in Mandalay this is one of the most sacred Buddhist monuments. Kyaikhtiyo is the name of the small stupa on top of the Golden Rock balancing precariously on the mountain ledge. Devotees believe that one of Buddha's hairs is all that prevents the rock from falling. We take an open truck up to hermit point and a short trek of about one hour to the mountain top where the hotel is located. The Golden Rock is just a five minute walk from the hotel.
Included:
Breakfast
Day 12
Kyaikhtiyo - Yangon
We descend to hermit point and drive to Bago and the gigantic Kyaikpun Buddhist images and Shwemawdaw Pagoda a towering structure 375 feet high as well as the reclining Buddha of Shwethalyaung.
Arrive in Yangon and transfer to our hotel.
Included:
Breakfast
Day 13
Yangon
Transfer to airport for your onward departure flight.
Included:
Breakfast
Additional Information
What's Included?
- Room accommodation with daily breakfast
- Private transportation by car/ minivan
- Experienced English speaking Myanmar guide for the whole tour
- Cool towels and drinking water in car / minivan
- Extra lunches as per itinerary
- Entrance and sightseeing fees as mentioned in the itinerary
- Airport arrival and departure transfers
- Internal flights as per the itinerary
- Cooking tour and fishing experience
What's Not Included?
- International Flights
- Drinks during meals
- Optional tours
- Myanmar visa
- Any personal expenses such as laundry, hotel phone etc
Accommodation Information
- Yangon – Summit Park View Hotel (Deluxe Room)
- Pyay – Mingalar Garden Hotel (Superior Room)
- Bagan – Areindamar Hotel (Deluxe Room)
- Monywa – Win Unity Resort (Deluxe Lake View Room)
- Mandalay – Yadanarpon Dynasty Hotel (Deluxe Room)
- Kyaikhtiyo – Mountain Top Hotel (Deluxe Room)
Buddhism in Myanmar Summary
Details
Type: Spiritual
Duration: 13 Days
Best Time to Travel: October – April
Places you'll discover
Bagan
Kyaikhtiyo
Mandalay
Monywa
Pyay
Sagaing
Yangon
FROM
£1,899
Per person based on 2 people sharing
Speak to our friendly Travel Experts
01279 507 956
Customise This Tour
