Ayravata Cruise (Paukan Cruise) Upstream – 8 days 7 nights

Board the Ship at Ayeyar Jetty (11.30-12.00 hrs), welcome cocktail and lunch. We visit a selection of the 2,000 listed pagodas and temples.

Dinner and overnight on board.

Paukan Cruise

Full day excursion to Mt. Popa, an extinct volcano located 65km South East of Bagan. It stands as one of the National parks with preserved forest in the hot, dry and plain region of middle Myanmar. The popularity of Mt. Popa today lies in the interest of religious and mystical beliefs as an abode of spirits, “Nats”. Climb the Taungkalat, believed to be the part of the main volcano blown apart and plugged at the current location, to see the panoramic view of the whole area.

Lunch will be taken at the Popa Mountain Resort. On the way back to Bagan we will visit the toddy palm producing home cottage.

Dinner and overnight on board.

Mount Popa

Explore some of Bagan’s local markets selling wood carvings, fabric, longyis and ratten product. Visit a workshop to see the ancient technique of lacquer ware making.

Alternatively guests can hire a horse cart or a bicycle and explore the site on their own (or) have a splendid Balloon Flight over Bagan (surcharge applied – optional).

Back to the ship around Noon and cast off. We cruise upstream all day. Stop at Shwe Pyi Thar village for a walk. Dinner followed by a Puppet Show performance in the village or sundeck.

Overnight midstream near mouth of Chindwin.

Balloon Flight Over Bagan Temles

In the morning we arrive at Yandabo, a picturesque river village specializing in Pot-Making, where the peace treaty of the First Anglo-Burmese war signed on Feb. 24, 1826.

We go ashore for a walking at some pot-making workshops and visit the school and the monastery. We cruise upstream the rest of the day, moor overnight near Ava.

Yandabo Pot Making Village – Mandalay

Early morning drive by coach (approx. 1 ½ hours) to Monywa to visit the Hpowindaung and Shwebadaung caves where hundreds of Buddha Statues are placed inside niches decorated with wonderful mural paintings dated back to the .

Serve Lunch at local restaurant in Win Unity Hotel in Monywa.

After lunch we visit the splendid Sambuddhai Kat Kyaw pagoda with its more than 500,000 Buddha images. Drive to Sagaing (2 hours) where we will rejoin the ship.

Overnight at Sagaing.

Hpowindaung – Myanmar

Visit Sagaing, a hill studded with many Pagodas and Monasteries rich in wood carving and religious art, then Ava by horse-cart visiting the beautiful 200 year old teak Bagaya Kyaung Monastery, Nanmyin watchtower (27mt. high) and the Me Nu Ok Kyaung monastery. (After disembark at Sagaing Jetty, ship will sail to SinKyone Fort Jetty in Ava where all the client will embark after sightseeing).

Then we travel by sampan and coach to Amarapura, the penultimate Burmese Royal Capital (1783) to visit a traditional silk weaving workshop followed by U-Bein Bridge, the world’s longest wooden bridge (1.2 km) and enjoy the sunset there.

Dinner and overnight on board.

Mandalay – Sagaing Hill

Morning visit Mingun where we visit the unfinished pagoda, the largest working bell in the world and the “home for the aged”.

Lunch on board. Visit central Mandalay: Mahamuni Pagoda, Mandalay Hill where spiraling staircases lead to sweeping views of the city and its temples and the nearby Kuthodaw Paya, which contains the world’s biggest book, the workshops of gold leave making, tapestry making, woodcarving, marble carving and bronze casting. Sunset at Mandalay Hill.

Dinner on board. Overnight at Mandalay.

Mahamuni Pagoda

Morning disembark at Gawein Jetty around 9:00 am.