Highlights of Myanmar

Arrive in Yangon. After visa and passport formalities you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

Yangon lies in the fertile delta of southern Myanmar, on the wide Yangon River. The city is filled with treeshaded boulevards, while shimmering stupas float above the treetops. The city became the capital only in 1885, when the British completed the conquest of Upper Myanmar and Mandalay’s brief period as capital of the last Burmese kingdom ended.
Visit Shwedagon Pagoda

The highlight of any visit to Yangon, the Shwedagon Pagoda dates back about 2600 years and was built to house eight sacred hairs of the Buddha. Its original shape has changed beyond all recognition over the centuries. Its bell-shaped superstructureis covered in about 60 tons of gold-leaf, which is continuously being replaced.
Walking tour around Colonial buildings nearby Sule Pagoda; start your exploration of colonial Yangon from the Heart of Yangon, where you will see Sule Pagoda from the outside, the City Hall with amazing architecture of Myanmar, Emmanuel Baptist Church, High Court (formerly known as the Parliament for Justice) and Mahabandoola Park. And continue to the Secretariat Building, a Victorian building, which housed the parliament from 1948-1962. Afterwards, walk down to Strand Road, on the way you will explore Gandhi Hall, where the National League for Democracy drafted the Gandhi Hall Declaration, issued on July 29, 1990 and the Armenian Church. Explore the Post Office, The Strand Hotel, Port Authority building and Accountant General’s Office & Currency Department. Then as a final stop, walk to Yangon Heritage Trust (Yht) office, a non-profit organization that works to preserve and protect the city’s rich urban heritage and display the past and present photos of Yangon are displayed and learn more about Yangon. (B/L)

Transfer to the airport to take flight from Yangon to Mandalay. Arrive Mandalay and transfer to the city.
Sightseeing in Mandalay
The last capital of royal Burma, Mandalay is still one of the largest cities in Myanmar, and a cultural and spiritual centre. Neighbouring Sagaing is home to over sixty per cent of the country’s monks, while the artisans of Mandalay continue to turn out the finest crafts in Myanmar. Visit Mandalay Hill and take an easy climb up the sheltered steps to see panoramic views over the palace, Mandalay and the paya-studded countryside. The famous hermit monk, U Khanti, is credited with inspiring the construction of many of the buildings on and around the hill in the years after the founding of the city. Visit Shwenandaw Kyaung , a monastery of great interest, not only as a fine example of a traditional Burmese wooden monastery, but as a fragile reminder of the old Mandalay Fort. At one time this building was part of the palace complex, and was used as an apartment by King Mindon and his chief queen, and it was here that he died. After Mindon’s death, King Thibaw Min had the building dismantled and reassembled on its present site in 1880 as a monastery. Visit Kuthodaw Paya. The central stupa of the Kuthodaw Paya was modelled on the Shwezigon Paya at Nyaung U near Bagan. Building commenced in 1857, at the same time as the royal palace. The paya has been dubbed ‘the world’s biggest book’, for standing around the central stupa are 729 marble slabs on which are inscribed the entire Tripitaka. (B)