Myanmar Culture and Ethnicity

Welcome to the Golden Land of Myanmar!

Welcome to the golden land of Myanmar! On arrival, the guide will welcome and we will drive to the downtown area where you can explore a range of colonial buildings around downtown on foot. Visit the Yangon City Hall, which is centrally located in the downtown and considered as a fine example of Burmese architecture, featuring traditional roofs. It is next to several important landmarks such as, MahaBandula Park, which is a public park, High Court, and the Main Post Office. Visit Sule Pagoda, a golden octagonal bell-shaped stupa sparkling in the bustling center of downtown. Then, we will visit the century-old Bogyoke Aung San Market (Scott market) in old colonial architecture and with an inner cobblestone street. Stroll around the lively market where a variety of jade, pieces of jewelry, handicrafts, lacquer wares, clothes, and food are stacked in amazing colors. In the evening we will visit the Grand Shwedagon Pagoda to enjoy the most picturesque experience. After sunset transfer back to the hotel.

Remark: Bogyoke Aung San Market is closed every Monday and Public Holiday.

Explore Mandalay City

After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport for a flight to Mandalay. On arrival, meet with our local guide and we will explore Mandalay city. Visit Maha Muni Pagoda famous for its life-like Buddha image, then arts and crafts making the workshop such as stucco, tapestry, gold-leaves hand-made workshop, and bring you to local Myanmar food restaurant for lunch. After lunch, we will continue to explore the North-East corner of the Mandalay Palace. Visit the Shwenandaw Kyaung, the Golden Teak Monastery which was constructed entirely of golden teak. This impressive wooden monastery was once part of the Mandalay Palace. Continue to Kuthodaw Paya, more commonly known as the world’s biggest book. The slabs of marble are inscribed with the entire Tripitkata, Buddhist scriptures. We will go up to the top of Mandalay hill where you can enjoy the fascinating sunset and transfer back to the hotel.

Explore The Ancient Cities around Mandalay

Today we are going to explore the ancient cities around Mandalay. We first drive to Ava (Innwa) and hop on the ferry boat and cross the river. We will explore the Innwa by horse cart; visit the 27-meter-high Masonry Watch Tower, Nan Myint (or) the "Leaning Tower of Innwa", Bagaya Monastery built with 276 teak pillars. Next, we will drive to the Mae Nu stucco monastery, which was built in 1822AD. We will have lunch at the local restaurant and proceed to Sagaing Hill, the hub of Buddhism and abundance with about 600 pagodas, monasteries, nunneries, and meditation centers. Visit U Min Thonze Caves and Swan Oo Ponyashin Pagoda. Afterward, we will enjoy the sunset at U Bein Bridge at Amarapura. U Bein Bridge is made of teak logs and planks over 200 years ago. Later, drive back to Mandalay and stay overnight.

Visit Keng Tong, The Eastern Part of Shan State

After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport for a flight to Keng Tong, the eastern part of Shan state. The guide will welcome you with the signboard of your names on it. Today we will explore the charming town start with a visit to the tall standing Buddha image, Long Tree Hill with its famous 250-year old tree, Zawmmoon Matyan Monastery, Naung Tong Lake, traditional Shan lacquerware production facility, Wat Zom Kham pagoda, and the beautiful Watin Monastery. Look out for some of the remnants of the historic town, including parts of the old city walls, the ancient city gate (Pa Leng Gate), and some beautiful colonial houses. We can also walk all around Naung Tong Lake and take a few pitstops at one of the many small restaurants. Keng Tung is such a lovely and peaceful town. After the city transfer to hotel.

Trek Past Green Rice Terraces and Explore The Akha Villages

After breakfast, we will visit the busy local market. Our drive to Hokyin, southeast of Keng Tung, will take about 45 min to one hour to reach Pankwai Hill where we will leave the car. From here it is about a 1-hour trek past green rice terraces to reach the first village. There are four Akha villages with different religions and beliefs. It is not far from one village to another, but some hikes are challenging. In the villages, we will experience the culture of the Akha people and learn about their beliefs and survival techniques. We will most likely have lunch in a local home in one of the Akha villages. A friendly lady will introduce us to her cooking on an open fire inside her hut. All veggies will be carefully washed and cut and skillfully fried in a wok. When ready, we will sit around a small table and enjoy a very interesting Akha lunch. We may be lucky to be served some local rice alcohol. After visiting these villages, we will return to Keng Tung and again have a sumptuous dinner at a traditional restaurant.

Hike through beautiful and quiet forests and Enjoy Lahu Shi Villages

After breakfast at our hotel, we drive to the Lahu Shi villages to the west of Keng Tung. The drive from Keng Tung is about one hour to Kon Ma Village from where we will start our hike. Our hike goes through beautiful and quiet forests. We will feel the peace of nature along our uphill trek with beautiful views of the valleys until we reach the Lahu Shi villages at the top of the hills. The elevation of the first village is about 5000 feet (1,500 meters) above sea level. We likely will be invited into one of the many houses standing high on stilts. We will be joined by several villagers, mostly women, and kids. They will sit around us as the Chief makes us tea. We will share with them some biscuits we brought from Keng Tung and our hearts will melt to see these people enjoying our presence (and our biscuits). The kids in the Lahu Shi villages are totally adoring, friendly, and so photogenic. We will also walk around the village to meet more locals. After our goodbyes, we hike back to the car and may visit another tribal village.

Afterward, we return to Keng Tung and enjoy another pleasant dinner along the shores of Nong Tung Lake.

Kyaing Ton - Visit The Pin Tauk Area Trekking

Today we will visit the Pin Tauk, to the north of Keng Tung, which is one of the most famous trekking destinations in the Keng Tung area. After breakfast, our guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel, and we will drive north to the Pin Tauk trekking area. After about 45 minutes of driving, we will reach a Shan village where we will see how they distill the local rice-based alcohol which is popular in Shan State. Afterward, we will continue to Pin Tauk Village and then on to Wan Pin Village. The trekking around Pin Tauk is beautiful and not a too strenuous hike. The tribes you will meet there are the Akha, and also the Ann at Pan Lea village. After visiting the villages and spending a good time with the locals, we walk back to the car and drive to Keng Tung where we will enjoy a lovely evening at one of the many restaurants along the shores of Nong Tung Lake.

Transfer to The Airport Back to Yangon

After breakfast at the hotel, the guide will pick you up and transfer you to the airport for a flight back to Yangon. On arrival, the driver will transfer to the hotel.

The rest of the day is free leisure for you.

Departure to Airport Back Home

The driver will pick you up at the hotel to Yangon International airport for your flight home.