MYANMAR LACQUER WARE AND TEMPLES

TOUR OF ANCIENT TEMPLES AND LACQUER WARE INDUSTRY
YANGON – BAGAN – YANGON

Day 1 Yangon

Your Ah Nyar Thar Tour Guide will meet you on arrival at Yangon International Airport to accompany you to your hotel. This afternoon, an orientation drive acquaints you to the Historic Buildings of Colonial-Days and the Sule Pagoda, in the heart of Yangon. Take a short walking tour of the downtown and browse the hundred stalls of Bo Gyoke Aung San Market (also known as Scott’s Market). Afterwards, you will head for Chauk Htat Gyi Temple; there is time to marvel at a gigantic reclining Buddha image. Stop for photos at the Kandawgyi Gardens beholding the Karaweik Hall, a royal floating barge, and a backdrop of lush trees and an idyllic lake. The day ends at Shwedagon Pagoda, one of the fairest place and most spectacular religious monuments in the world, surrounded by an array of temples, shrines and pavilions. Take your time to be at this truly spectacular and remarkable highlight. Enjoy the dinner and overnight in Yangon. (D)

Day 2 Yangon – Bagan

Rise before daybreak and you will be assisted to the airport for your flight to Bagan. Upon arrival in Bagan, transfer to your hotel for check-in. Highlights on this morning's tour include Shwezigon Pagoda, the prototype of pagodas in Myanmar, Wetkyi-in Gu Byauk Gyi Temple with fine tempera mural paintings depicting the life stories of Buddha, and Ananda Temple, the most aesthetically beautiful monument in Bagan. Enjoy a lunch at a riverside restaurant. In the afternoon, you will visit Myanmar Lacquer Ware Institute. A visit to Bupaya on the bank of Ayeyarwaddy River, a perfect spot to enjoy a magnificent sunset, will conclude the day. Enjoy a dinner at a local restaurant and overnight in Bagan. (B, L, D)

Day 3 Bagan – Mount Popa – Bagan

Optional tour: For an once-in-a-lifetime experience, take a balloon ride to have a bird-eyes view over the pagoda-studded plain of Bagan. Before the daybreak, you will be picked up from your hotel. The balloon flight takes approximately 30 - 45 minutes depending on the prevailing weather condition and wind speed. A glass of champagne is served during the flight. You will be back at your hotel for the breakfast.

This morning, visit the local market in Nyaung U. Later, balance of the day is yours to visit private lacquer craftsmen's workshops to discover the intricate process of making lacquer wares. Continue to Manuha Temple with a large seated Buddha Image, enshrined in a relatively small sanctum, illustrating the melancholy of a confined king, and Nanbaya Temple with noted perforated windows and friezes, a unique sandstone monument that is said to have been the residence of King Manuha. Next, you will proceed to Myingaba Gu Byauk Gyi Temple, a Mon-style temple renowned for its fine frescoes, preserved by UNESCO. Enjoy a dinner at your hotel and overnight in Bagan. (B, L, D)

Day 4 Bagan – Yangon

You will be assisted to the airport for your flight to Yangon. Relax during the flight with distinctive and varied aerial views over the mountain ranges with lush trees, the fertile plain, the rivers and the paddy fields of delta region. Upon arrival, you will have a vehicle with driver and tour guide at your entire disposal for further sightseeing or shopping. Enjoy a lunch at a local restaurant. Opportunity to take a short walking tour of the downtown and browse the hundred stalls of Bo Gyoke Aung San Market (also known as Scott’s Market). You will be assisted to Yangon International Airport for your departure by international flight in the evening. (B, L)

 (B = Breakfast L = Lunch D = Dinner)