Myanmar by River & Land

Day 1: Welcome to Yangon

Meals: Dinner

Check in to the historic Strand Hotel in the heart of town. Later this evening, gather with fellow guests for a welcome dinner. 

Day 2: Discover Yangon

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Amidst ancient Pagodas, Yangon’s splendid Colonial buildings evoke the spirit of Burma’s British legacy and today’s sightseeing reveals both realms, including the glittering Shwedagon Pagoda, Chaukhtatgyi Reclining Buddha and bustling Scott Market.

Day 3: Embark the 5-star AmaPura

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Check out from your hotel after breakfast and travel northward from the city to visit a Buddha revered by local residents for its reputed healing powers. Continue overland to the former Burmese capital of Pyay where your luxury ship, the AmaPura, awaits. After settling in to your stylish suite, step ashore for a guided tour including the revered Shwesandaw Pagoda. Back onboard, join your fellow travelers for a congenial Welcome Dinner. 

Day 4: Ashore in Thayetmyo

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Today’s guided shore excursion explores this charming river town. Marvel at its well-preserved Colonial-era homes and other buildings dating from the mid 19th-century as your engaging guide shares insight into Thayetmyo’s history as a border town between Royal Burma and British Burma following the Second Anglo-Burmese War in 1855.

Day 5: Discover Minhla and Magwe

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Further upstream today, the ship will stop at Minhla, site of a great battle during the Second Anglo-Burmese War. You will take a small local boat to visit Gwechaung Fort and Minhla Fort, built by Italian engineers in 1860 to keep British forces out of Burma. Later, you’ll visit Magwe, where you may walk up to the ornate hilltop Myathalun Pagoda, constructed with thousands of solid gold bricks and housing numerous shrines devoted to nats (animist spirits).

Day 6: Monasteries of Salay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Your luxury voyage continues today to Salay, a small community with more than 50 monasteries built of teak. Once ashore, your guided exploration includes Yokesonekyaung; built in 1882, it’s the region’s oldest wooden monastery and is celebrated for its beautiful carvings and outstanding collection of religious artifacts. You will also see a splendid colonial-era house and the 13th century Man Pagoda, which contains the largest lacquer Buddha in Myanmar.

Day 7: Thantkyi and Bagan

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Join your fellow guests this morning for an excursion up Thantkyi Mountain to visit the impressive Thantkyi Pagoda. Then return to ship where the AmaPura’s expansive Sun Deck offers the perfect vantage point for your first glimpse of the golden temple-studded plains of Bagan, one of the world’s most awe-inspiring archeological sites. Your initial guided exploration of Bagan includes Ananda Temple, a well-preserved masterpiece known as the “Westminster Abbey of Burma,” and Shwezigon Pagoda - the holiest site in Bagan.

Day 8: Mt. Popa and the Temples of Bagan

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Join your guide and local residents at the colorful Nyaungoo Market before continuing to Mt. Popa, legendary home of animist nat spirits. Later, you’ll continue your guided exploration of the Bagan Archeological Zone, filled with thousands of stupas, temples and pagodas. Your tour features the most distinctive and historically significant pagodas as well as Gubyaukgyi Temple, a cave temple with frescoes depicting scenes of Buddha’s life. Before returning to ship for dinner, you’ll also visit a lacquerware workshop and a nearby village for further insight into Burma’s enduring cultural traditions.

Day 9: From Bagan to Yandabo

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

This morning, you’ll have another opportunity to experience one more sunrise over the ancient temples of Bagan. Your voyage then continues as your ship charts an upstream course for Yandabo, a peaceful village where the British and Burmese signed the treaty that ended the first Anglo-Burmese War in 1826. Yandabo is widely known for its finely crafted terracotta wares and your guided excursion offers a chance to see these skilled local artisans at work. Your time ashore also promises another fascinating into village life along the timeless Irrawaddy River.

Day 10: Discover Inwa

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Today’s guided shore excursion showcases the ancient capital of the Burmese kingdom for more than 400 years. Exploring Inwa in a traditional horse-drawn cart, you’ll see impressive historic sites including the Mahaaungmyebonzan monastery, the “Leaning Tower of Inwa” and Bargaya monastery - built entirely of teak.

Day 11: Ashore in Sagaing and Mingun… Then onward to Mandalay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Famous for its many lovely monasteries and tranquil atmosphere, your guided tour of Sagaing includes a silversmith’s workshop, Soonuponyashin Pagoda, Kaunghmudaw Pagoda and the colorful Buddhist statues which adorn Uminthonese Pagoda. Return to ship and continue your cruise to Mingun, where you will see a 12-foot high bronze bell and the impressive ruins of Pathodawgyi; originally intended to be 499 feet high, only one-third of the celebrated “Unfinished Pagoda” was ever completed - but it remains the world’s largest brick pagoda. You will also see Myatheindan Pagoda and its many images from Buddhist mythology. Back onboard, the AmaPura sails onward toward Mandalay.

Day 12: Exploring Mandalay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Your full-day guided sightseeing begins this morning with many of the city’s most iconic sights including the bronze Mahamuni Buddha, now covered by the faithful with a thick layer of gold leaf. You’ll also visit the workshops of skilled craftsmen who produce exquisite gold leaf, marble carvings and intricate tapestries. At the revered Kuthodaw Pagoda, you’ll marvel at the world’s largest book comprised of Buddhist scriptures inscribed on 729 marble slabs. Your touring also includes fine views from atop Mandalay Hill, Shwenandaw Monastery and the world’s longest teak bridge. Back onboard the AmaPura this evening, you’ll join your fellow travelers for a memorable Farewell Dinner.

Day 13: Fly to Heho and Journey to Inle Lake

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Step off ship this morning after breakfast and transfer to the airport for your included flight to Heho. Upon arrival, continue overland to Inle Lake, set on a mountain-ringed plateau. You’ll spend the rest of this day getting to know the daily rhythms of life along this spectacular lake, home to Burma’s celebrated Intha fishermen who skillfully row their boats with one leg as they cast their nets. Exploring by boat, you’ll visit the timeless villages and historic temples of Inle before retreating to your lakefront chalet at the deluxe Inle Princess Resort.

Day 14: Life on Inle Lake

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

This morning at a bustling market, you’ll meet colorfully dressed villagers of various ethnic tribes who are here on market day to barter and sell their goods. Your exploration of life along Inle Lake is highlighted by a congenial lunch with local residents in a spectacular lakeside setting. Gathering in traditional Burmese style, seated at low tables on comfortable silk cushions, you’ll enjoy enlightening conversation and a delicious home-cooked meal.

Day 15: Return to Yangon

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, you’ll be escorted to the airport in Heho for your included flight back to Yangon, where our tour services for your onward flights.