Delightful journey along Irrawaddy waterway

Welcome to Yangon - the biggest and most bustling city in Myanmar, a unique city in Southeast Asia with all nostalgic colors of time and culture reserved over centuries. If you are interested in colonial era architecture, a stroll down Yangon's colonial buildings will definitely blow you away by well-reserved images from the 20th century, with decaying facades filled with old paint and small trees squeezing through those little cracks. Moreover, proud of rich cultural tradition, Yangon will amaze you with plenty of spiritual relics where you can experience the importance of Buddhism to the Burmese’s lives: tranquil Chaukhtatgyi Temple containing an over-200-feet-long reclining Buddha, the octagonal-shaped 2500 year old pagoda Sule Pagoda located in the heart of the city, and especially the legendary Shwedagon Pagoda - the massive 99 meter high gold plated pagoda with the diamond studded spire on top of a small hill in downtown Yangon. And don’t miss chance to meditate in pagoda’s mystical atmosphere beautifully lit up after dark.

Arrive into Bagan, we’ll kick things off with a guided tour of beautifully ancient Bagan on Pandaw coach or bicycle. Take in the finest sites including Ananda temple, Myingabar Gubyaukgyi temple as well as get to know all about village way of life and farming by a walk around Phwar Saw Village.

Grasp another chance to learn about the timeless legacy and architecture of Bagan with well-preserved pagodas of Shwe San Daw, Shwe Zi Gone, Khay Min Ga, Payathonezu, Dhamayangyi which mostly dated from 12th century and played important roles over the rich history of Burma. Don’t miss an interesting trip to a local workshop and see how high quality lacquer handicrafts are made.

Expand your Bagan experience by sailing further to Salay in which you may feel like waking back in time through crumbling colonial buildings and the ornately carved Yoke Sone Kyaung monastory. Continue to the upriver way, you will stop at Tant-Chi-Taung Mountain, an exotic place which offers off touristic views over surrounding quaint villages. Enjoy the views and watch the traditional paper-mache elephant dance performed by the indigenous villagers.

30 km north-east of Bagan on the Irrawaddy River we reach Pakokku, a friendly town famed for its tobacco and thanakha. Hop on a Tuk Tuk (locally popular vehicle) and check out the town in old way with main market and cheroot workshop. Enjoy a slow pace of life here before back to ship for evening rest.

On the water route passing countless landscapes and typical Ayeyarwady villages, one that cannot be missed would say Yandabo village – best known as Burma's qualified pottery-making centre. As up to now, the village is hardly accessed by car, only cruise guests have chance to visit this endearing place. When visiting the village you will be able to see a lot of unglazed pottery made out of the river bank clay. Taking  a pleasant and interesting walk on dirty soil roads, you are to come across many cottages and welcoming villagers who are willing to share you their ups and downs in life and how they get on well with pottery making for so long. 

While approaching Mandalay with unmissable stops at Ava, Sagaing and Ava, the laid-back regions of rural setting and imprinted remains dated back to hundreds years ago. Start off with a horse-cart ride in Ava, followed by a drive up sagaing Hill to Soon U Ponnya Shin hill top-pagoda before calling it a day on the world’s longest teak bridge - U Bein Bridge in Amarapura when the sun is setting.

Make our way to Mingun with a morning sail to visit biggest unfinished construction of Myanmar before heaing closer to Mandalay center where you will explore Mahamuni temple with the reknown thick layer of gold leaf covered Buddha statue; Golden Palace Monastery, the world biggest book in Kuthodaw Pagoda.

Upward the western of Shan state is the picturesque Inle Lake –  the Venice of Myanmar. Stepping off Nyaung Shwe marina, you will take a motorized boat to navigate through stilt villages and floating garderns, and meet locals who spend their entire lives on the water. Passing Ywa Ma village and Kay Lar Village where Intha people built their unique houses with long straight wooden poles stretching into the lake bed, it is your tranquil time in relaxed atmostphere of thelocally significant Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda and get to unfold the interesting story of the five Buddhas inside. As the dawn is coming and the warm light turns the still surface of the lake a golden colour, just pause for a while and cherish true value of unforgetable moment.

Indein is a small village West of Inle Lake which is renowned for the floating market and impressive ancient stupas with Banyan trees growing out of them. From Inle Lake, by just a scenic 8-kilometer boat ride through a long narrow canal, you soon reach the lively floating ‘5-day market’ rotated every five days around five different villages in Inle. This is a beautiful opportunity to experience the diversity of Inle ethnic, witness their day-to-day life and make their unique fair on the water trading all local products. A drop-in visit to local workshops will excite your curiosity about lotus weaving, cheroot cigarettes making in various size and flavours and diligent hand crafted silver work. Lastly, don’t forget to discover old ruined pagodas dated back to the 13th century and admire their incredible beauty even in bad condition. The impressive image of stupas after stupas decaying due to constant exposure to humidity still pose irresistible charm will leave you with nothing but thrills.