EXOTIC MYANMAR

Day 1 Arrive Yangon

Relax in Burma's most stylish colonial property, in the peaceful Embassy District. The country was known as Burma during British rule and the country's colonial heritage is very much in evidence in its architecture, including The Governer's Residence.

Overnight: Belmond Governor's Residence

Day 2 Yangon

After breakfast, your guide will meet you for a comprehensive tour of the splendid city of Yangon. Begin by exploring the city by local train and stopping off to see the amazing Insein produce market. Other highlights include a stroll around the crumbling colonial quarter, with a drink at The Strand perhaps, visits to the Botataung & Shwedagon Pagodas before ending at Scott Market, which is a wonderful warren of shops and stalls selling all manner of Burmese products and handicrafts, shipped in from all corners of the country.

Overnight: Belmond Governor's Residence

Day 3 Inle Lake

Fly to Heho and travel down to Inle Lake, where you board a longtail boat and head across the waters to your lakeside hotel. In the afternoon, head back out onto the lake to see Indein with its crumbling pagodas, as well as the amazing floating gardens.

Overnight: Villa Inle Resort

Day 4 Inle Lake 

Spend a second day with your guide and private longtail boat at your disposal, exploring the extremely photogenic Inle Lake. Perhaps head away from the crowds to the far south, which is less frequented by the many visitors, or catch a colourful five-day market, which teems with ethnic minorities in their traditional tribal dresses, who come down from the villages in the surrounding hills to sell their produce and meet friends.

Overnight: Villa Inle Resort

Day 5 Mandalay

Fly to Mandalay before crossing the river by traditional wooden boat and exploring the ancient capital of Ava by horse-drawn cart. After lunch, board a privately chartered local boat and head up the Irrawaddy River to the village of Mingun, where you can see the huge and crumbling 'Unfinished Pagoda', the Mingun Bell (the largest ringing bell in the world), and the truly beautiful Sin Phyu Me Stupa, which was built by a Burmese King mourning the death of his wife - a Burmese Taj Mahal, if you will.

Overnight: Rupar Mandalar

Day 6 Hsipaw

Leave Mandalay by car and drive north-east to the little town of Naung Cho, where you catch the train through the hills and over the amazing Gokteik viaduct (the largest railway trestle in the world) to Naung Pain. Here disembark the train and continue by car to Hsipaw, a pleasant Shan town on the Dokhtawaddy River. Explore the town and see the very English Hsipaw Haw by bike or on foot in the late afternoon, hopefully meeting Fern, a relative of the last Shan Prince to live in the Haw.

Overnight: Riverside @ Hsipaw Resort

Day 7 Hsipaw

Rise early to visit the excellent market if you wish, before spending the day exploring by private river boat and on foot. Stroll among some charming Shan villages with their amazing wooden houses and head on a journey up the river in a longtail boat.

Overnight: Riverside @ Hsipaw Resort

Day 8  Maymyo

Start early and travel back to Mandalay via the hill station of Maymyo, formerly the seat of the British Government during the summer months. There you can visit the Botanical Gardens and take a stagecoach ride, passing some of the many brick and timber colonial houses which adorn the town.

Overnight: Rupar Mandalar

Day 9 Bagan

Fly to Bagan in the early morning and spend the day uncovering the endless landscape of over 4,000 temples alongside your private guide, who will help you decide what to see and make sense of it all. See any or all of the 12th Century Shwezigon Pagoda, the Cave Temple of Gubyauki Pagoda, the three storey high Htilominlo Temple and the brick-built Ananda Okkyaung, the best preserved masterpiece of Mon architecture. See too the 12th Century cross-shaped Thatbyinnyu Temple, the tallest in Bagan, and then the largest temple, the Dhammayangyi. Finish the day aboard a boat enjoying the sunset.

Overnight: Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort

Day 10 Bagan

When you are ready, spend the morning exploring Bagan by bike with your guide, which allows you to get to some of the more remote parts of the site. You can explore the Archaeological Museum, as well as Bu-Paya, believed to have been built by the third king of Bagan who ruled from 168 to 243 AD. You are also free to explore the less well-visited temples like Satu-Mukha and U-pali-thein. Relax in the afternoon by the banks of the Irrawaddy River prior to the next phase of your journey.

Overnight: Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort

Day 11 - 13 Ngapali Beach

Fly to Thandwe, on the south coast. From there it is just a short drive to Ngapali Bay Villas, located on the sands of Ngapali Beach. Spend the next three days here, enjoying the peace and tranquillity of your private bungalow and reflecting on your journey through Burma.

Overnight: Ngapali Bay Villas & Spa

Day 14 Depart 

Fly back to Yangon and catch your flight home.