Southern Myanmar Tours – 7 Days

Day 1: Yangon Arrival
Mingalabar! Arrival at Yangon International Airport, you are greeted by our tour guide and driver. Welcome to Myanmar, the country has just opened its doors to the world after 60 years of isolation and now waiting people to explore its unique heritage and culture.
Yangon is the former capital and remains the most developed city of Myanmar. The bustling city of Yangon is the best place to witness the country in transition, where century-old buildings from the British colonial period vie for space with the emerging modern skyline. Head to the hotel to check-in and freshen up.
Meals: N/A
Accommodation: Hotel in Yangon
Day 2: Yangon circular train – City tour
After breakfast, our tour guide picks you up and head to the railway station. It’s your time experiencing the “circular train” for the true Burmese lifestyle. From the city center to its suburbs, you observe the vibrant and colorful life of local people. Stop for a stroll around Little India and Chinatown, which represent distinctive Yangon neighborhoods. Take in the sights, and join the locals in the popular fresh market. You might want to try some local snack, savor the exotic fruit, or pick up a colorful souvenir from vendors lining the streets.
Next you have a trip downtown with a walking tour through the historic quarter. Along the way you visit the former City Hall and various other examples of 1940’s colonial British architecture. The hidden art galleries inside the small alley could also be the next stop on your tour. Continue to Kyaukhtatgyi Pagoda, which houses the sacred reclining Buddhas as well as the country’s largest one. Spend time at Bogyoke Market, formerly Scott Market (closed on Mondays and public holidays). Built in the 1920s under British rule, the side is listed a heritage of Yangon. It has more than 2,000 stalls dominated by large selections of antique Burmese handicraft, clothing and jewelry…
Last but not least, you go to Shwedagon Pagoda, the most sacred Buddhist site of Myanmar and the oldest one in the world. The Pagoda contains a 99m high golden stupa and spires, adorned with 7,000 diamonds, sapphires and rubies and allegedly, hairs belonging to the Gautama Buddha. If you are fortunate, have a chance to join a special oil lamp lighting ceremony with thousand oil lamps are lit around the gilded pagoda. This ancient and symbolic Buddhist ritual will be the truly awe-inspiring spiritual experience.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Yangon
Day 3: Yangon – Bago – Kyaikhtiyo
After an early breakfast in Yangon, drive to Bago, to the north.
First, visit the thousand-year-old Shwemawdaw Pagoda, with a spire even taller than that of the iconic Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon. Then, continue to Shwethalyaung Reclining Buddha (the second largest in the world) and the Kyaik Pun Pagoda
After that you head to Kinpun camp, located near the Golden Rock, today’s ultimate destination. The Golden Rock (or Kyaiktiyo Pagoda) is entirely covered in gold leaf. Its precarious location on a cliff-edge is a spectacular sight, but it is also a religiously significant spot, with a pagoda perched atop the rock. To reach the pagoda you must travel in a local open-air truck along a winding road to the top of a hill. The views from here are breathtaking, and pilgrims chant, light candles and meditate throughout the night. Overnight in Kyaikhtiyo.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Kyaikhtiyo
Day 4: Kaikhtiyo – Mawlamyine
Visit the Golden Rock again at sunrise to enjoy the serene, magical atmosphere. Then, after breakfast, travel to Mawlamyine. Although it’s Myanmar’s third largest city it is a very sleepy place. It served as the capital of British Burma from 1827 to 1852. Following is Mahamuni Pagoda, Kyaik Thanlan Pagoda, a major temple site in Myanmar. Take an orientation tour of the city and soak in the chilled-out pace. Visit the Queen Sein Don monastery to discover the exquisite wood carvings decorating the walls, and other old artifacts. If you’re feeling energetic, take a brisk walk to the hilltop viewpoint for a magnificent sunset over the islands of the Salween River. Overnight stay in Mawlamyine.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Mawlamyine
Day 5: Mawlamyaing – Hpa An
After breakfast, a scenic drive through rubber plantations and local villages then you travel to Hpa An via Kyauk Kalat, a pagoda that has to be seen to be believed. On an island in a lake is a limestone pinnacle that’s topped with a small pagoda. Continue to  , situated in beautiful scenery, and observe the rural lifestyle of the residents. Continue to the giant Sadan cave, and Shwe Yin Hmyaw Pagoda, enjoy the sunset alongside the locals.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Hpa An
Day 6: Hpa An sightseeing
After breakfast, proceed the sightseeing to Bayint Nyi cave, a beautiful nature cave on the mountain with views of paddy fields. There is a nature hot water spring where locals come to worship and pray for prosperity and good health. In addition to viewing the many Buddha statues you will see many beautiful stalagmites and stalactites which have formed naturally over the centuries. Visit Kaw Goon Cave also known as the Cave of the Ten Thousand Buddhas’; Walk through the hidden treasures Cave to see more than 2000 votive tables of Lord Buddha and Mon inscription. There are many culture heritage evidences in Kaw Goon Cave terracotta votive tables on its interior stone walls, carve status on limestone & sandstone Buddha status with mural paintings in ink inscriptions. (13^th Century AD). Ya Thea Pyan Cave was known in the colonial literature as P’agat Cave. The current name Ya Thea Pyan translates as Hermit Cave (as Ya Thea mean hermit). The Cave is in a hill next to Kaw Goon Cave. In the evening, right after the sunset, leave town for a while just across the Than-Lwin Bridge to witness thousands of Bats leaving their cave in groups for their night hunt. An amazing and fun experience.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodations: Hotel in Hpa An
Day 7: Hpa An – Yangon
This morning, after breakfast, you visit the bustling morning market, a colorful affair where you can enjoy a bit of shopping or just watch how locals start their day. Finally, you drive back to Yangon. Along the way, drop by any temples and pagodas that catch your travel interest.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: N/A