Mandalay

Culture & History

You will depart at 8:30AM from your hotel, at which point you will travel to Mahamuni Pagoda. This pagoda houses one of Myanmar’s most sacred Buddha images, which is covered with thick layers of gold leaves. You will then continue to a local artisan’s workshop of gold leaf making, woodcarving, and kalaga tapestries. Next, you will browse through the Zaycho Market, the oldest, largest, and the most important market in upper Myanmar. In the afternoon you will visit the magnificent Royal Palace complex, with an impressive wooden pavilion and surrounding moat. You will then continue to the Shwenandaw Monastery, noted for its exquisite wood carvings and teak wood construction. The renovated Atumashi Monastery, which is referred to as an incomparable monastery, features the "world’s largest book", which consists of Buddhist scriptures inscribed on marble slabs. You can go up to the top of Mandalay Hill, which is a vantage point for panoramic views of the city and spectacular sunset views. Your tour will eventually end at approximately 5:30PM.

Start with a pick-up from your hotel in Mandalay at 08:00 and drive to Amarapura 15 kilometers from Mandalay. Visit a 200-year-old U Bein Teak Bridge built in 1782 at the time when Amarapura was a royal capital. Visit a traditional handwoven silk workshop. At 09:30, visit Maha-Gandayon Monastery, a famous Buddhist monastery, where more than a thousand monks live and study and watch the monks for their alms round at 10:00. Lunch will be served at one of local Myanmar restaurants. After lunch, visit one of the most revered religious monuments in the Mahamuni Pagoda. Since Mandalay is also a major crafts center, you will also be able to visit a kalaga tapestries craftsmen's shop. Visit the Shwe In Bin Monastery and Golden Palace Monastery (Shwe Nandaw / Shwe Kyaung), a superb example of a traditional wooden building and Kuthodaw Pagoda, the world’s largest book made of marble. Drive to Mandalay Hill to enjoy the panoramic beauty of Mandalay at sunset. Time permitting, you will then pay a visit to Shwe Kyin Monastery to watch the evening prayers of the monks. Return to your hotel.

Enjoy a guided full day tour of Myanmar’s three ancient capitals and learn about Buddhist life and architecture. Relax in comfort with convenient hotel pickup and drop-off in Mandalay included. Depart from your hotel and visit picturesque Sagaing Hill, considered the center of Buddhist life in Myanmar today. Take in Sun U Ponnyashin Pagoda, the most famous shrine in the area. Visit Umin Thonze Pagoda, a crescent-shaped temple which houses 45 sitting Buddhas. Stop by one of the monasteries to learn about the daily life of the Buddhist monks, then visit Ywatung silversmith. Discover local cuisine with lunch at a local restaurant in Sagaing, then drive to Inwa. Take a local ferry to the royal capital, located on an island between the Irrawaddy and Myitnge Rivers. Enjoy a horse and carriage ride through the ancient city, and visit the brick and stucco Maha Aungmye Bonzan monastery. See Nanmyint Tower and the wooden monastery of Bagaya Kyaung. If time permits, visit local craft workshops producing silk, cane mats and alms bowls. Stroll over to the salvaged teak U Bein Bridge at Amarapura, then watch the sun set from the Ava Bridge. Finally, sit back and relax on the ride back to your hotel in Mandalay.

Your tour begins with pickup from your hotel in the morning or evening. From there, your half-day tour of Mandalay begins. As you travel, learn how this city is the last royal capital city of Myanmar. Visit the Shwenandaw Monastery, a fine-teak monastery-temple known for its carvings, particularly in its interior. From there, advance to the Atumashi Monastery and the Kuthodaw Pagoda. This gilded pagoda is comprised of hundreds of shrines, all housing inscribed marble slabs and several pavilions. Following that, visit the Sandarmuni Pagoda, and the Kyautkawgyi Pagoda. If your tour has been booked in the afternoon, drop by Mandalay Hill to observe the sunset. Mandalay Hill is renowned for providing a stunning spot for sunsets, and allows its visitors to take in panoramic views of the entire city. At the conclusion of your activity, your tour concludes with you heading back to your hotel.

Your day will begin as you are picked up from your Mandalay City hotel at 08:00AM. You will begin with some discovery of the Shwenandaw Monastery, a fine-teak monastery and temple which is known for its carving, particularly the interior gilded Jakarta scenes. You will then move on to the Atumashi Monastery, which was built in 1857 by King Mindon and was one of the king's last great religious construction projects. Kuthodaw Pagoda is next, and is comprised of a gilded pagoda, hundreds of shrines housing inscribed marble slabs, and several pavilions. You will then move on to the Sandarmuni Pagoda, a statue which reportedly weights 40,924.8 pounds. Some exploration of Mandalay Hill will follow, which is a 760-foot hill. After Mandalay Hill, you will explore the Royal Palace. The Royal Palace complex is of glittering 1990s reconstruction and is impressive for its scale, with more than 40 timber buildings inside it. The Mahamuni Pagoda is a 13-foot-tall seated Buddha, a nationally celebrated image that's popularly believed to be some 2,000 years old. Following these explorations it will be time for lunch, after which you will start exploring Sagaing City. Following Sagaing City, you will Continue to Innwa/Ava City where you will rent both a boat and a horse and carriage to best discover the area. After exploring for the day, it will be time to see the sunset at U Bein Bridge. Once the sun has set, you will depart from Innwa/Ava City to be returned to your hotel in Mandalay.

Begin your morning with a pickup from your hotel in Mandalay and set off to see gold leaf manufacturers and learn about the industry. Afterward, visit Mahamuni Pagoda and see its 13-feet tall seated Buddha, a nationally celebrated image believed to be approximately 2000 years old. From the pagoda, learn more about the different industries that help Mandalay thrive like wood carving and jade. Explore the jade market and its cramped, but vibrant walkways. Escape the hustle and bustle and go to Shwe In Bin Monastery, a place for quiet meditation in Mandalay. Spend more time in serenity at the Eindawya Pagoda, a Buddhist stupa. Learn about the pagoda's long and interesting history before breaking for lunch at about 12:00 PM. After lunch, visit and marvel at the Skinny Buddha structure.  Move on to the Royal Palace, a complex comprised of more than 40 timber buildings. After spending time at the palace complex, spend the rest of the afternoon visiting various monasteries and pagodas such as the Shwenandaw Monastery, famous for its gilded jataka scenes, Atumashi Monastery, the Kuthodaw Pagoda, Sandarmuni Pagoda, and Kusinara Pagoda. End your Mandalay sightseeing tour at Mandalay Hill for its viewpoint featuring stunning views of the surrounding landscape. 

In the morning you will have a 7:30 AM pickup from your hotel in Mandalay and drive up (80 km – 2 hours) on a scenic route to the cool hill station and a former British Hill Station of Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo). Visit the lovely lake, waterfalls, botanical gardens and their colonial era-buildings. The road winds steeply through flower, fruit and vegetable gardens so you will enjoy the ride. Visit the local market. Drive through Maymyo on a horse drawn "stage coach", giving you the chance to admire the brick and timber houses, complete with English style gables, turrets and chimneys. Then visit the Water Fall and the National Kandawgyi Gardens, which were laid out by Sir Harcourt Butler, the former governor of Burma, the flower beds are similar to those found in an English country garden. The garden has recently been renovated and is now called “Kandawgyi National Botanical Garden”. Eat lunch at local restaurant. Then stop at a lovely coffee shop for a coffee break before returning by road to Mandalay. Arrive back Mandalay and transfer to your hotel.

Ensure a stress-free vacation from start to finish and book your Mandalay to Bagan transfer in advance. After getting picked up from your hotel in Mandalay in a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle, sit back and relax on the 4-hour ride to Bagan. Soak up views of the scenery along the way, including Tada-U and Myothar City. After around 2.5 hours, take a break in Myingyan before continuing onto your final destination. Upon arrival in Bagan, a UNESCO listed location, get dropped off directly at your new hotel.

In the early morning at 07:00 AM, your guide will pick you up at your hotel in Mandalay, and then drive you to Monywa (150 kilometers, about 2 hours). Arrive in Monywa and continue to visit a sandstone cave system in the Pho Win Hills, named after a famous 'zawgyi' (alchemist) who once lived here. The Caves of Pho Win Taung, numbering more than one hundred, are full of Buddhist statues and murals. Most exhibit the Innwa style but some may date all the way back to the 14th century. Nearby, visit Shwe Ba Taung which features unique pavilions cut from the surrounding sandstone and filled with Buddha images. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant. Then visit Moenyin Thanboddhay Pagoda, which is about 20 kilometers from Monywa. The richly decorated central stupa has no less than 845 smaller stupas around it. Inside the patio, you will see thousands of Buddha images (reportedly over 500.000) decorating every wall, archway and niche. The buildings in the compound have interesting jataka relieves and there is a huge Reclining Buddha (Shwe Thar Lyaung Pagoda) nearby. You will also visit Aungset Kya Pagoda, Bodhitahtaung Pagoda, where you will see 1000 Bo trees with sitting Buddha images and Laykyun Sakkya Yattawmu Pagoda, famous for the world’s tallest standing Buddha image. After that enjoy the ride back to your hotel in Mandalay.