Last updated: 2010-04-26

Day by Day

Day 1

Gathering at the hotel in Yangon.

Day 2-3

Bus to Bago and night train to Mandalay.

Day 4-6

You are in Burma’s second largest city and cultural centre. In the evening you see a puppet theatre, pew- the traditional theatre. Don’t miss the jade market, the guild quarters and Mandalay Hills. In Mandalay you buy a bicycle, your means of transportation to Bagan. The bicycle gives you freedom when you get out on the ox wagon roads in the rural areas.

Day 7-8

By bicycle to Sagaing, previous capital in the 14^th century. You will see hundreds of white pagodas. On the way you pass two other old capitals, Inwa and Amarapura, as well as the world’s longest teak bridge, an impressive construction.

Day 9-11

Along the Ayeyarwady River on small roads to Mingun, where you see the cracked base to what was to become the world’s biggest pagoda. You travel with the bicycle on a boat to Kyauk Myaung, the pottery town. A night onboard the boat. In the morning you will experience a very unusual and unique way of catching fish. Together with local fishermen you fish in cooperation with dolphins. Here you have every chance to get close to the dolphins. The journey continues to Shwebo. Hopefully you will be able to visit a day school. Many people speak English and you might get invited to speak before the class. Don’t choose politics as a subject! You can only speak about politics with one person at a time. Informers are everywhere and people are cautious with good reason. You will hardly risk any consequence, but you must not put others at risk!

Day 12-15

By bus to Monywa. Boat on the Chindwin and the Ayeyarwady to Bagan with its thousands of pagodas and stupas from the 11^th century. See the sunset over thousands of golden sandstone pagodas. The best way to explore Bagan is by bicycle, which you sell here afterwards.

Day 16

Rental bus via Thazi to Mt. Popa, a centre for worship of spirits, which has an important significance in the Burmese folk religion. The Temple Mount is spectacular. You continue to Kalaw, up in the Shan Plateau.

Day 17-19

At 1000 m height the climate is perfect for hiking. This plateau is home to several ethnic groups, such as, Shan and Kayan. You hike in smaller groups with an interpreter and stay over night in smaller villages or monasteries. The group takes a bus back to the Inle Lake.

Day 20-21

Two days by the Inle Lake, where the villages are built on pole over the water. You get to villages and markets by boat.

Day 22

Flight to Yangon, Burma’s largest city and until recently the capital. Yangon is an easy faded city, with many beautiful stupas. The most beautiful of them all is the Shwedagon Pagoda, which is claimed to be covered with six tone gold, the countries main tourist attraction. Burma’s military regime decided to move the capital into the middle of the jungle in 2005. Naypyidaw, the new capital, is situated 450 km north of Yangon.. The reason for the move is not yet known.

Day 23

The journey is finished.