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Myanmar

Yangon - Inle Lake - Mandalay - Hsipaw - Pyin Oo Lwin - Monywa - Bagan

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Trip Overview

Highlights & Details

Hotel Nights

$

for 2 persons, 19 nights
in August 2019

Grand United, Yangon

In the middle of Chinatown with good food possiblities this hotel entrance is narrow and almost invisible. The rooms are good and the location perfect. Just don’t expect too much as Yangon is a busy and dusty city.


> Explore this Hotel

Shwe Inn Tha, Inle Lake

A beautiful little oasis in the middle of the Inle Lake. After arriving in Nyaungshwe the boat floats in about an hour directly to the entrance of this beauty. Little water bungalows are perfectly arranged around the restaurant which serves tasty food and the pool is refreshing after a day on the lake.

> Explore this Hotel

Golden City Light, Mandalay

Central location but not the nicest of them all. This hotel is perfect if you want to stay in the middle of Madalay. We have to admit, that the Tuktuk transfers from a bit outside are a lot of fun too. The second time we stayed in the next hotel.

> Explore this Hotel

Ayarwaddy, Mandalay

This hotel is located at the river and close to the boat station where you can catch a boatride to Mingun. It’s a nice hotel with pool and breakfast and only a short Tuktuk ride from the city. The neighbourhood isn’t the nicest but you go and come by Tuktuk anyway.

> Explore this Hotel

Mr. Charles Hotel, Hsipaw

If you go to the mountains of Myanmar, this is the place to stay. We loved this little guesthouse and felt welcome from the first second. The friendly owner speaks perfect English and explains all you can do and where you can find the spots. Great!

> Explore this Hotel

Kandawgyi Hill, Pyin Oo Lwin

On the trainride back to Mandalay we stopped in Pyin Oo Lwin, famous for its coffee culture. The climate is exactly the same as in Colombia! We stayed in a great Bungalow of an old colonial house and enjoyed delicious complimentary coffee!

> Explore this Hotel

Blue Bird Hotel, Bagan

This little gem is our best hotel tipp in Myanmar. A little oasis in New Bagan and the best you can book! We enjoyed 4 wonderful nights and days here. The rooms are absolutely amazing and stylish, the pool in middle of beautiful flowers and the breakfast in the little outdoor restaurant just breathtaking! We say: book it now!

> Explore this Hotel

Travelling

$

for 2 persons
in August 2019

Zurich – Yangon

  • via Bangkok
  • Airline: Aeroflot / Nok Air
  • 13.10 – 08.50 (+1) Zurich – Bangkok
  • 10.35 – 11.20 Bangkok – Yangon

    • Yangon – Inle Lake

  • by Bus
  • Shwe Loon Pyan Bus
  • 19.00 – 06.00 (+1)
  • 11h

    • Inle Lake – Mandalay

  • by Bus
  • JJ Express Bus
  • 20.00 – 04.00 (+1)
  • 8h

    • Mandalay – Mingun (1 Day)

  • by Boat
  • Mingun Jetty
  • 09.00 – 10.00
  • 13.00 – 14.00 (back)
  • 1h

    • Mandalay – Hsipaw

  • by Bus (local)
  • 14.00 – 19.00
  • 5h

    • Hsipaw – Pyin Oo Lwin

  • by Train
  • 09.00 – 16.00
  • 7h

    • Mandalay – Bagan

  • by Boat
  • Myanmar River Cruises
  • 07.00 – 17.00
  • 10h

    • Bagan – Yangon

  • by Bus
  • JJ Express Bus
  • 20.00 – 05.00 (+1)
  • 9h

    • Yangon – Zurich

  • via Bangkok
  • Airline: Nok Air / Aeroflot
  • 08.00 – 09.45 Yangon – Bangkok
  • 10.15 – 21.00 Bangkok – Zurich

    • Activities

    $

    for 2 persons
    in August 2019

    Yangon

  • Shwedagon Pagoda
  • Yangon Circular Train

    • Inle Lake

  • Day Tour by Boat
  • Idein Village & Floating Gardens
  • Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery
  • Shwe Inn Dein Pagoda
  • Tharkong Pagoda
  • Taw Mwe Khaung Pagoda
  • Individual Bike Tour

    • Mandalay

  • U Bein Bridge
  • Mandalay Hill
  • Kuthodaw Pagoda
  • Mya Thein Tan Pagoda, Mingun
  • Mingun Pahtodawgyi

    • Hsipaw & Pyin Oo Lwin

  • Book a Scooter for a day
  • Little Bagan Pagodas
  • Nam Hu Nwe Waterfall
  • Sunset Hill

    • Bagan

  • Temples of Old Bagan
  • Book a eScooter for a day

    • Day 1

  • Ananda Temple
  • Shwesandaw Pagoda
  • Bulethi Temple
  • Sulamuni Sunset Hill

    • Day 2

  • Manuha Temple
  • Nanpaya Temple
  • Abeyadana Temple
  • Mya Zedi Pagoda
  • Gaw Daw Palin
  • Nat Htaung Kyaung Monastery

    • Day 3

  • Mimalaung Kyaung (only temple with a view in 2019)
  • Dhammayangyi Temple
  • Shwezigon Pagoda



    • > Details about the Day Trips

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    Myanmar

    Running in circles

    Day 1-2: Yangon

    Myanmar is a unique country. Even though it opened up for tourism a few years ago it managed to stay relatively innocent. This may be bound to the fact that the Burmese are very beautiful people. They have beautiful symmetrical faces but what weights even more is their inner beauty. They are extremely friendly and modest people and they would never try to trick you, except in Yangon maybe. They are also very interested in what is happening in the world and as they all possess cheap Chinese smartphones and their mobile internet coverage is impressive they simply teach themselves. Therefore, you shouldn’t be surprised when some Burmese painter knows more about Switzerland than the average German. They also like western people a lot and greet you wherever you go. For kids it is an absolute highlight to high five you and when you visit the Shwedagon Pagoda it is easily possible that you spend half of your stay posing for group pictures.

    Besides the above-mentioned pagoda, the circular train is quite a highlight. It drives you around Yangon in about three hours and you get a glimpse of the Burmese daily live watching the merchants selling all sorts of food and drinks and carrying bird eggs and ducks in plastic bags.

    Myanmar

    Everything floats

    Day 3-6: Inle Lake

    This lake is considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world and it is for sure one of the top attractions of Myanmar. For most people there, the lake is not only their source of income, but also their mean of transportation and their home. They actually live in houses on poles because the water level changes are up to four meters depending on the season. Because of those level changes some of their gardens are also floating while they are full of vegetables and fruits.

    Read our Blog to see the details of our top 10:
    1. Our floating hotel
    2. The fishermen
    3. The floating villages
    4. The floating gardens
    5. Shwe Inn Dein Pagoda
    6. Tharkong Pagoda
    7. Taw Mwe Khaung Pagoda
    8. Nga Phe Kyaun Monastery
    9. Alodaw Pauk Pagoda
    10. Silk/Silver/Cigar/Rice spirit/Pottery workshops

    Myanmar

    White Mandalay

    Day 7-8: Ayarwaddy River View

    This buzzing city feels a bit like Bangkok ten years ago. There is a lot of traffic, noise, pollution but also a lot of golden life. Gold takes an important role in their culture and therefore not only most of their pagodas are covered in it, but they also paint their faces with a golden cream made of a tree bark called Thanaka. They use it since over 2’000 years as a cosmetic that protects them from the sun, persists a nice smell and has a cooling effect.

    And there are some of the best sights in Myanmar (details in our blog):
    1. Climb up Mandalay Hill
    2. Explore the Kuthodow Pagoda
    3. Admire the white Mya Thein Tan Pagoda
    4. Count the bricks of the Mingun Pagoda
    5. Cross the U-Bein Bridge

    Myanmar

    Mountainous Trainride

    Day 9-10: Hsipaw
    Day 11: Pyin Oo LwinDay 12: Mandalay

    Hsipaw is a 4h bus ride north of Mandalay and feels so much different from the big city. First of all it is a small village within a beautiful landscape and secondly nobody is trying to sell you anything. The people simply smile and wave at you. Besides the beautiful people there are a few highlights in our blog not to miss on this trip:

    – Explore little Bagan
    – Hike to the Nam Tok Falls
    – Learn about the history of the last Shan prince
    – Take the 7h train ride to Pyin Oo Lwin
    – Soak in the colonial atmosphere
    – Explore the coffee plantations

    Myanmar

    Half a Million Buddhas

    Day 13: Monywa

    This town half the way from Mandalay to Bagan is mostly overlooked by tourists doing the classic triangle. But it definitely does not get overlooked by the Burmese tourists, as it contains two of their most important temples.

    1. Count the 500’000 Buddhas at the Thanboddhay Pagoda
    2. Cruise around a thousand Buddhas

    Myanmar

    Ancient Temples in Bagan

    Day 14-17: Old Bagan

    Bagan is considered the crown jewel of Myanmar. This is based on the fact that its temples are so stunning, that they easily can keep up with Angkor in Cambodia but probably also because the weather is generally better than in most other parts of the country.

    There are so many temples to explore that we decided to set up a 3-day itinerary with the most impressive temples. In case you have less time, it can also be done in two. The best way to follow it is to rent an e-scooter as it gives you more flexibility than with a tuk tuk and is less exhausting than with a bike.

    When you are travelling Bagan in between the 7th of October and the 10th of April you also get the chance to see the balloons rising over the temples during sunrise. The photos you get with the temples, the fog and the balloons is so beautiful it is almost surreal

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