Best Myanmar Tours

After breakfast, your guide will first show you around Chaukhtatgyi Buddha Temple, home to the massive white reclining Buddha measuring about 66 meters (217 feet) long and 5.4 meters (18 feet) high. It’s also called "Sweet-Eyed Buddha" for its glass eyes with slender eyelashes and blue eye shadows. Besides, the soles of the Buddha are engraved with 108 patterns, symbolizing 108 reincarnations. Then, visit Sule Pagoda, which is named after the guardian deity of a sacred mountain in Myanmar’s legends. Take your time to admire the statues around the pagoda, including the zodiac ones. Later, stroll around the serene Maha Bandula Park, an homage to the national hero Maha Bandula (1782-1825 AD), who fought against British colonial forces.

In the late afternoon, let’s admire the 99-meter (325-foot) tall Shwedagon Pagoda, completely wrapped in gold foil and inlaid with over 4,000 priceless gems on its top. As Myanmar’s most sacred Buddhist site, it houses the Buddha’s 8 strands of hair, attracting numerous Myanmar Buddhists to make pilgrimages. They typically dress respectfully to offer flowers, bathe the Buddha, circle the pagoda clockwise for blessings, or meditate at the foot of the pagoda. At night, devotees light countless candles and monks chant scriptures, making a more breathtaking scene. Finally, your guide and the driver will escort you back to your hotel. If you prefer lingering longer to explore the nearby night market for some local snacks, they can drop you off there, and you can use the Grab app to hail a ride back to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Rose Garden Hotel Yangon (4 stars) or similar

Today, your guide and the driver will escort you to the airport for your flight to the UNESCO-listed Bagan, which is known as the "Land of Ten Thousand Temples"! Even with just over 2,200 remaining, the city remains a marvel. Upon arrival, your local guide and the driver will pick you up and escort you to your hotel.

After a brief rest, your guide will accompany you to Nyaung U Market to observe indigenous daily life. Browse a wide range of local items like wood carvings, string puppets, and woven baskets. It’s a customary scene in Myanmar, where women carry large, loaded baskets on their heads - how amazing their balance is! Stroll further down the lanes and get a glimpse of the local daily necessities and groceries.

Then, we’ll head to Shwezigon Paya, a major prototype of Myanmar’s temples. According to a mystery legend, a Bagan king placed the Buddha's tooth and bone relics on a white elephant’s back and let it roam freely; the elephant eventually stopped where the pagoda stands today. Then, proceed to the spectacular Shwesandaw Pagoda, which features a circular white stupa atop a five-story platform. Its name means "golden sacred hair relics," as the pagoda is dedicated to two strands of the Buddha's hair. Finally, let’s enjoy a boat trip on the Irrawaddy River to watch the breathtaking sunset, when the surrounding plains and the river are dyed a reddish-orange hue, accompanied by the solemn bells of nearby temples ringing out. Afterward, your guide and the driver will escort you back to your hotel.

► Tips:
1. Before entering a temple, you must take off your shoes and socks. It’s a good idea to bring some wet wipes and wear slip-on shoes for convenience.
2. Around the temples of Bagan, small vendors often sell distinctive items such as sand paintings, lanterns, and string puppets.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort (4 stars) or similar

Today marks another Bagan temple day. We’ll start by admiring Ananda Temple, which houses four 9.5-meter (31-foot) tall gilded Buddha statues, each facing east, west, north, and south. Featuring a blend of Indian and Mon styles, the temple is regarded as the most beautiful one among Bagan temples. According to folklore, the king even buried the architect alive to preserve the temple's distinctiveness. Next, visit Bagan’s highest temple, the 61-meter (200-foot) tall Thatbyinnyu Temple, featuring a soaring golden spire. Due to long-term weathering, its original white exterior walls have faded.

Proceed to Nanpaya Temple, an ordinary Hindu temple with hidden wonders: the stone pillars are carved with Brahman deities and exquisite flowers, remaining distinct thanks to the dim light within. Continue to Manuha Temple, which was built to express depression and pain by an imprisoned king, who erected huge Buddha statues within cramped rooms, with their heads and shoulders almost touching the walls!

Bagan’s lacquerware is renowned throughout Myanmar. We’ll drop by some lacquerware workshops to see how the locals utilize basic wooden tools to make exquisite lacquerware with unique patterns like lotus flowers, royal tales, and Buddhist stories. Then, visit Gubyaukgyi Temple, where you’ll see precious murals depicting the story of the Buddha's enlightenment. Be mindful of the sandy stones when walking on the uneven paths. Finally, admire Pyathadar Temple, distinguished by its enormous tower platform and twin cave design, after which your guide and the driver escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort (4 stars) or similar

Today, enjoy a private convoy to the airport to catch the flight to Mandalay. Upon arrival, the local guide and the driver will meet you and escort you to your hotel. After settling in, they’ll accompany you to explore Mandalay.

★ See Myanmar Buddhists’ Piety during Amls-giving Ceremony

First, visit Mahagandayon Monastery, one of Myanmar's most influential monastic colleges. What makes it famous worldwide is the alms-giving ceremony. Every day at 10:00 am, more than a thousand monks line up barefoot for alms, with the elderly in red robes followed by innocent youngsters clad in white. No matter how many guests there are, they always maintain a solemn demeanor. They adhere rigorously to the rule of not eating after noon, and have their first meal at 4:00 am, followed by morning prayers and scripture recitation, and have the second meal at 10:00 am, which is the last substantial meal of the day. A local household pays for the monks' daily meal expenses, which cost about USD 1,500. No matter how poor, every Mandalay family aspires to offer alms once.

Next, let’s drive across the Irrawaddy River and explore the Sagaing Hill, home to over 600 Buddhist temples and stupas, as well as 5,000 monks and nuns! We’ll visit a Sagaing nunnery, where gracious nuns in pink robes are fully devoted to Buddhist practice. While men must live a period of monastic life as part of a cultural tradition, women choose to become nuns voluntarily, and they shave their heads, too.

Afterward, take a boat along Taungthaman Lake to U Bein Bridge. Supported by insect-proof and corrosion-resistant teak pillars, the simple, unadorned wooden bridge has stood for over 170 years! It also provides a romantic allure for watching the sunset, when the whole sky is drenched in orange hues. Finally, your guide and the driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Eastern Palace Hotel, Mandalay (4 stars) or similar

After breakfast, your guide will accompany you on a 1-hour boat trip along the Irrawaddy River bound for the ancient Mingun. Upon arrival, disembark and you’ll see distinctive oxcart taxis parked on the sandy ground, with the bold word "TAXI" written on the simple bamboo tents. We’ll first visit Mingun Pagoda, an incomplete wreckage that is one of the world’s largest brick structures. However, the current ruin is only one-third of the entire layout, merely the pagoda's foundation. You might notice the huge cracks on the pagoda, which were caused by a devastating earthquake. On the north side of the pagoda is the massive Mingun Bell, standing 8 meters (26 feet) tall and weighing around 90 tons. You can crawl inside the bell and strike it to hear its deep sound. Then, visit the white Settawya Pagoda, which boasts the precious Buddha’s footprints. The stunning Hsinbyume Pagoda is our next stop. Among Myanmar’s predominantly red and golden pagodas, it stands out for its creamy, cake-shaped appearance.

Then, we’ll return to Mandalay to admire the Mahamuni Pagoda, whose bronze statue, coated in a thick layer of gold foil, is one of Myanmar’s most famous Buddha images. The Buddha miraculously survived both a fire in the late 19th century that nearly devastated Mandalay and a severe earthquake in 2025. Next, visit the Shwenandaw Monastery, aka the Golden Palace Monastery, the sole edifice from the Mandalay Royal Palace that survived the war. Then, proceed to the Kuthodaw Pagoda, which houses precious Buddhist scriptures. Over 2,400 monks from Southeast Asia and Myanmar came together a century ago to revise the Buddhist scriptures. The scriptures would be read aloud by one monk, and after group discussions, the agreed-upon amendments were recorded as the standard on 729 stone tablets, creating the majestic "world's largest book"!

Before dusk, let’s ascend Mandalay Hill for a panoramic view of the entire city and the Irrawaddy River. Finally, your guide and the driver will escort you back to your hotel.

► Dinner Recommendation (at your own expense)
Mingalabar Restaurant is a popular restaurant offering Myanmar cuisine. You can savor authentic tea salads and curries, all accompanied by an unlimited supply of rice and vegetable soup. Don’t miss a cup of refreshing coconut milk jelly or smoothie. Credit cards are accepted.
Average Cost per Person: MMK 15,000-20,000 (USD 7-10)
Address: 71st St, Mandalay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Eastern Palace Hotel, Mandalay (4 stars) or similar

Today, your guide and the driver will escort you to the airport to board a flight to Heho. After landing, your local guide and the driver will pick you up and directly accompany you to Inle Lake. We’ll first visit Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the most revered local Buddhist site housing five precious Buddha statues. Around September or October, the Buddhas are carried by a gilded phoenix boat for procession during a grand festival on Inle Lake. Legend has it that during the festival in 1965, the Buddhas were lost due to a strong wind, and believers only found four of them. However, upon returning to the temple, they found the fifth had already inexplicably returned to its original position! Since then, devotees have continued to gild the Buddhas, making them look like five golden urns.

Then, we’ll visit a local village. The settlements of Inle Lake uphold centuries-old customs with hamlets specializing in traditional crafts such as weaving, forging, cigar making, and pottery production. We’ll learn about the traditional techniques of lotus weaving and ironware. See how incredible weavers produce the high-quality lotus fabric by extracting threads from lotus stems, each about ten centimeters in length, and twisting them into yarns. At last, your guide and the driver will escort you back to your hotel.

► Tips:
1. Power outages occur frequently around Inle Lake, so keep your power bank well charged beforehand. Besides, many shops also close early because they can't afford the expensive generators.
2. Pack sunscreen and sunglasses, as the UV rays are intense, even on cloudy days.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Novotel Inle Lake Myat Min Hotel (4 stars) or similar

★ Inle Lake Cruise: Witness One-legged Fishermen & Floating Gardens

After breakfast, let’s embark on an Inle Lake boat excursion. Local villages are connected by waterways, and every family uses a rowboat to go around. The peculiar circumstance also gives rise to the unique one-legged fishermen, who row a boat with one foot, freeing both hands to fish. Some say that it has become commercialized due to a tourist boom, but in reality, it helps residents make ends meet while preserving their unique culture. The distinct floating gardens, secured to the lake bottom with bamboo poles, will also amaze you. These gardens range in size from several square meters to tens of thousands of square meters, growing beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, and even fish, to increase their income. If you have the courage, ask the boatman to lead you to step onto the soft "ground" of the floating land!

We’ll also stop by a local market, brimming with daily necessities, handicrafts, and crops from floating gardens. The fishmongers’ skill in deboning, peeling, and gutting fish all at once is rather impressive. Next, let’s disembark to explore Indein Village, a significant religious site in the area. Walk through a 1,000-meter (3,281-foot) long corridor filled with vendors offering handicrafts, such as puppet figurines and wood carvings of red-robed monks and one-legged fishermen. At the end of the corridor stands the Shwe Indein Pagoda, surrounded by a forest of ruined stupas in all styles and colors, each bearing the donor’s name. This reflects the local belief that donating to stupas helps one attain a better rebirth. At last, your guide and the driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Novotel Inle Lake Myat Min Hotel (4 stars) or similar

Today, your guide and the driver will escort you to Heho airport to board the flight to Yangon. Upon arrival, the local guide and the driver will greet you and escort you to your hotel, and then accompany you on a city exploration!

Myanmar is home to diverse ethnic groups, along with many Chinese and Indian immigrants, the majority of whom are third-generation. Your guide will first show you around Indian Town. The streets are lined with British colonial-era residential buildings, fabric stores boasting both saris and longyis, and greasy street food stalls serving crispy curry rolls that blend Indian and Myanmar flavors. Then, proceed to China Town, which is only a block away. The narrow roads are flanked by run-down structures, ancient Chinese temples, and shop signs mixed with tangled wires. Locals maintain traditional Chinese customs, such as celebrating the Chinese New Year around February, when festive red lanterns and lion dances take over the whole block!

Next, let’s explore the century-old Bogyoke Aung San Market, which is named after General Aung San, the father of modern Myanmar. As Yangon’s largest indoor market, it boasts a vast array of products, including vibrant longyi textiles, woven goods, traditional handicrafts, and wood carvings. It also serves as a hub for jewelry retailers, where you’ll learn about why Myanmar is known as the "Land of Gems." If something piques your interest, haggle for the best deals! At last, your guide and the driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: Rose Garden Hotel Yangon (4 stars) or similar

Today marks the end of your 10-day Inle Lake tour in Myanmar. Your guide and the driver will escort you to the airport for your return flight. Have a pleasant journey home!

If you wish to extend your trip to a neighboring country, such as enjoying a laid-back island vacation in Thailand, visiting the renowned Angkor Wat in Cambodia, or admiring the magnificent Great Wall in China, feel free to contact us, and we’ll customize a hassle-free itinerary for you!

Meal: Breakfast