16 Days Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos thru Border with Mekong Cruise

ITINERARY

Day 1: Yangon | Arrive in Yangon

International Flight: Excluded
Welcome to Myanmar! Upon arrival in Yangon, you will be welcome by our local guide with the signboard and then transfer you to the hotel for check-in.

Accommodation: Esperado Lake View Hotel

Day 2: Yangon | Sunrise at Shwedagon Pagoda | Yangon Highlights

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Rise early in the morning, then transfer with our guide to the golden Shwedagon Pagoda, for a stunning sunrise. This temple has been described as one of the wonders of the world. Shwedagon plays an important role in Old Burmese History and is also an important Buddhist icon. Then visit the downtown area to see the Old City Hall and Maharbandoola Park. Then take a stroll along the old street ending at the old Strand Hotel. Next, drive to Botahtaung Pagoda which features golden decorations inside the pagoda. Continue to Bogyoke Market which sells many Burmese traditional handicrafts including stone carving, wood carving, bronze carving, painting, etc. In the afternoon, visit Kandawgyi Park for a stroll near Chaukhtetgyi Reclining Buddha Image – one of the largest in Yangon. Then, return to the hotel.

Accommodation: Esperado Lake View Hotel

Day 3: Yangon – Bagan | Flight to Bagan | Valley of a Thousand Temples

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, take a flight to Bagan. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel for check-in.

After check-in, you’ll explore Bagan, where you will see its thousands of Buddhist pagodas spread in the valley of the Ancient City of Bagan. These pagodas used to own individual families during prosperous times. You will visit the Nyaung Oo Market where locals buy and sell produce. Then you’ll visit the Shwezigon Pagoda which is the largest pagoda in Bagan painted with real gold.

Have a rest in the hotel during the hot afternoon. Then you’ll enjoy a Horse Cart Ride first to the small village of Taung Phi where rests a worn teak monastery awaiting the rare tourists who are lost. You’ll continue by horse cart around temples and winding roads as the sun makes it’s way to the sky’s edge casting curious shadows from the temples across the plain. Continue to Shesandaw Pagoda. From your vantage point, you’ll watch one of the best sunsets in Southeast Asia. Then you’ll take a horse cart ride back to your hotel.

Accommodation: Amazing Bagan Resort

Day 4: Bagan – Monywa | Ayeyarwaddy River Exploration

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, You’ll transfer to Jetty to embark on the private boat (3 hours) for Pakkoku. Observe life along the Irrawaddy River. Then arrive at Pakkoku, which is a well-known tobacco trade center. Upon arrival at Pakkoku, drive to Monywa, the second-largest city after Mandalay in central Myanmar. Monywa is the major trade center whose surroundings are filled with fertile fields yielding the best crops such as rice, beans, vegetables, and tobacco.

On the way, stop at Ma U village to see village life with home trade skills such as Bamboo Thatch Weaving, Incense Stick crafting, and so on. Then take a walk among the 16th to 18th century Pagoda Complex nearby. You can also stop at a Thanaka plantation, a special wood grown in Myanmar that is used for Burmese beauty. Then visit Bodhi Tahtaung Buddhas so named after one-thousand Sitting Buddhas under a thousand Bo Trees. Last you’ll visit the second-largest Reclining Buddha and the tallest standing Buddha which measures 413 feet in height. Continue to your hotel for check-in.

Accommodation: Shwe Taung Tan Hotel

Day 5: Monywa – Mandalay | Monywa Discovery | Road Trip to Mandalay

Meals: Breakfast
After breakfast, you’ll transfer to the jetty of Chindwin River which is the third-longest river to take a ferry to the other side where an American Willy Jeep waits to carry you to Pho Win Taung Cave Pagodas. Walk up to the Sandstone Caves built from the 16th to 19th centuries. Monkey food sellers may accompany you. Then, drive to Sagaing crossing over the newly-opened bridge paralleling the first British-built Span side by side. One the way, visit Thanbude Temple with its more than half-million Buddha Images inside and outside of the main temple. Sagaing is the capital city of Sagaing Division and has several times been the Royal Capital. But in recent times it has been a center Buddhist study and worship. Visit Sagaing Hills filled with Meditation Centers, Monasteries, and Nunneries. The view from the platform of Sun Oo Punya Shin Pagoda that takes the overwhelming hilltop is quite breathtaking. Continue to Mandalay for check-in.

Accommodation: Mandalay Hill Resort

Day 6: Mandalay | Amarapura

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Morning: Transfer by private vehicle to Sagiang, the capital of Sagiang Division located on the Irrawaddy River. You’ll cross the Inwa Bridge, which was built by the British in 1934. Then you’ll visit the Maha Ganayon Kyaung Monastery to see hundreds of monks line up for daily meals. Then visit the U Bein Bridge which is 1.2 kilometers long and is the longest teakwood bridge in the world.

Next, you’ll see Kaung Mu Taw Pagoda: a dome-shaped pagoda which rises up 46 meters. At the base of the pagoda, there are 812 stone pillars, each one with a hollow and image of a Nat inside. Continue with a visit to Sagaing Hill. The hill has a number of small pagodas with many meditation centers along with Soon U Ponya Shin Pagoda – pagoda painted with gold. You can stop at monasteries and nunneries to speak with monks while enjoying hot green tea.

Lunch at a restaurant.

Then continue to visit with a visit of Amarapura,”The City of Immortality”, the old capital of Myanmar. At the end of the day, visit the ancient temple of Pahtodawgyi which was built in 1820.

Return to Mandalay and the rest of the day is at your leisure.

Accommodation: Mandalay Hill Resort

Day 7: Mandalay | Mandalay Highlights

Meals: Breakfast

In the morning, explore the reconstructed Mandalay Palace for a taste of the royal Burmese architecture in historic times. The compound is spread out over 413 hectares surrounded by a moat and wall.

In the afternoon, you’ll go to see the Highlights of Mandalay, you’ll start off your day with an opportunity to learn about the distinct Buddhist culture unique to Burma. You’ll visit the Mahamuni Image where you’ll have an opportunity to watch locals pray and place the gold paper on the statue of Buddha for the blessing. You can participate as well if you like for a small donation to the temple(only men are allowed to place the gold on the statue).

You’ll also visit a gold paper factory to see how golden leafs are made, a staple in Burmese religious practices. Then you’ll visit the 19th-century Shwenandaw Monastery (Golden Palace Monastery) famous for its teak carvings of Buddhist mythology.

Next, you’ll see the Kuthodaw Pagoda which is a Buddhist stupa that contains the world’s largest book of Buddhism. King Mindon commissioned large tablets inscribed with the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism – a key Buddhist text.

At the end of your day, you’ll enjoy a gorgeous sunset from the top of Mandalay Hill.

Accommodation: Mandalay Hill Resort

Day 8: Mandalay – Heho | Flight to Inle Lake | Kakku Pagodas

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, take a flight to Heho. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport.

Continue to the 3rd century Kakku Pagodas complex, a lesser-known wonder which has been featured on National Geographic. Stop on the way for a visit to the Ayetharyar Vineyard where you’ll taste Myanmar’s local wine and view a beautiful landscape of the surrounding hills and countryside. Then visit Taung Gyi, the capital of the Shan State. Next, stop is the Kakku Pagodas. 2,548 large white pagodas are set on a square – packed in closely together. You’ll be wandering through marvelous pillars and stupas of Kakku. Each stupa is intricately crafted with delicate images and sculptures that are in beautiful detail.

Enjoy lunch. Then visit a Pa-O village on the way. Continue to Inle Lake for check-in and overnight.
Accommodation: Shwe Inn Tha Floating Resort

Day 9: Heho – Kalaw | Inle Lake Discovery | Transfer to Kalaw

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Your excursion today will be made by a private longtail boat to see the life of the Intha tribe(the name of locals who live on the lake), to discover their unique floating farms and life on the water. Witness local fishermen who catch their prey while using only one leg to paddle the boat. Then you’ll visit the Long Neck Karen Women who come down from their homes in the Shan Highlands to sell their handicrafts to visitors.

Check out from the resort and transfer to the Hill Station of Kalaw for overnight.

Intha Tribe at Inle Lake – 16 Days Myanmar Thailand Laos Border Mekong Cruise

Accommodation: Royal Kalaw Hills Resort

Day 10: Kalaw | Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, you’ll be picked up from your hotel to Magwe Village where you will be welcomed by the Green HillValley Elephant Camp Team. And then, they will lead you to the camp for about 15 minutes walking. You’ll get light refreshment before continue to walk (5-7minutes) to the small stream where elephants bathe and you may feed and bathe them. You’ll have lunch at the camp. In the afternoon, take a trekking tour with the guide, Along the way, clients will be introduced to local village traditions and to the natural beauty of the surrounding forest. The area is known for fauna (birds, butterflies,) and flora (orchids, teak, and bamboo forest). Trekking programs range from easy to more strenuous. You may join the reforestation program by contributing your labor in planting regional trees. After the tour is finished, you will return back to the car either on foot or on Elephant’s back. Finally, you’ll return back to the hotel for your evening.

Accommodation: Royal Kalaw Hills Resort

Day 11: Heho – Chiang Rai | Flight to Tachileik | Golden Triangle Discovery

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast
Transfer to Heho airport with our guide for your flight to Tachileik. There is our representative will greet you and assist you to the border. After going through Thai immigration, our guide from Chiang Rai will be waiting to greet you with a signboard.

Continue to the Golden Triangle, where the Ruak River and the Mekong river meet forming the borders of three countries – Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos – the area is known for its stunning views. Visit the Hall of Opium museum to learn about the history of the Opium War. Continue on to the ancient city of Chiang Sean at Wat Chedi Luang – a stone city and the first capital of the Lanna Kingdom. Then go to Chiang Rai for check-in and overnight.

Accommodation: The Imperial River House Resort

Day 12: Chiang Rai – Pakbeng | Mekong Gateway to Laos: Primitive Villages

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
In the early morning, check out of the hotel for a transfer to the border to embark on a cruise to Luang Prabang. Our guide will help you get to border customs where you will go through on your own. Then take the shuttle across friendship bridge(you will need to pay for the ticket on your own which is around $1-2 per person). On the other side, you’ll go through Laos border customs to get your visa. A representative of the cruise will be waiting in the welcome area to greet you.

Then embark on the cruise upstream. Tranquil river scenery along this untouched part of the Mekong will make this an interesting day. On the way, stop to visit a local hill tribe and learn about their culture and life in this remote part of the world. Continue onto Pakbeng where beautiful views of the Mekong await. Enjoy dinner from a terrace lookout as the sunsets. Overnight in Pakbeng.

Accommodation: Le Grand Pakbeng

Day 13: Luang Prabang | Mekong Gateway to Laos: Pak Ou Caves

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Rise early for a delicious breakfast and freshly brewed Laos coffee while you enjoy expanse views of lush jungle and peaceful river. Continue for the second leg of the journey toward Luang Prabang. Palm trees, Bodhi, and rosewood line the shores with the occasional village life along the river. Visit the mysterious of Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims who come to make their request to the “Lord Naga” – a legendary river serpent believed to live in this part of the Mekong.

Continue to Luang Prabang, the old King’s city of Laos – full of Buddhist temples and monks with surrounding jungles at the fork of two rivers.

Mekong River – 16 Days Myanmar Thailand Laos Border Mekong Cruise

After you arrive in Luang Prabang, our guide will greet you at the pier and transfer you to the hotel and assist with check-in. Feel free to explore the beautiful city of Luang Prabang on your own to discover night markets selling local tapestries and souvenirs.

Feel free to explore the beautiful city of Luang Prabang on your own to discover night markets selling local tapestries and souvenirs.
Accommodation: Villa Santi Hotel

Day 14: Luang Prabang | Luang Prabang Highlights

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

First, we visit the morning Phousi Market, where you will see such diverse offerings as dried buffalo skin, local tea, and saltpeter among the chickens, vegetables, and hill-tribe weavings. Laos is also known for its traditional crafts, and today you will visit local villages of Lao ethnic minority groups at Ban Ouay, a Hmong village, Ban Ou a Laoloum village and Ban Thapene, a Khmu village. This then takes us to the beautiful Khouang Si Waterfall where you can cool off with a refreshing swim in the pools or walk along the forest trails. We then return to Luang Prabang.
In the afternoon, your half-day city tour begins with a visit to the Royal Palace Museum, which hosts a range of interesting artifacts. We then head to the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture. We also have time to visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrines of Wat Aham and Wat Mai. A visit to Luang Prabang would be incomplete without ascending the 329 steps to the top of Phousi Hill for a beautiful sunset view of the city and its glowing reflection on the Mekong River. The tour ends after a visit to the famous Night Market, where you can find a lovely collection of handmade textiles made by local and hill-tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang.

Accommodation: Villa Santi Hotel

Day 15: Luang Prabang – Bangkok | Kuang Si Waterfall | Flight to Bangkok

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Transfer in the morning to Ban Long Lao village – a Hmong and Khmu ethnic village who live simple lives off the land in a self-sustained community. After exploring the village and mingling with the locals, you’ll begin the hike to Kuang Si Falls. Along the way are lush green forests and clear streams. Visit a cave along the way that once acted as a bomb shelter. Arrive at Kuang Si Waterfall – one of the most turquoise waterfalls in the world.

Stunning Kuang Si Waterfall – 16 Days Myanmar Thailand Laos Border Mekong Cruise

Check out from the hotel and take an afternoon/evening flight to Bangkok. Upon arrival, the hotel shuttle will greet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel for check-in.

Accommodation: The Park Nine Hotel and Serviced Residence Suvarnabhumi

Day 16: Bangkok | Farewell!

Meals: Breakfast
Today transfer with the shuttle to the airport before your onward flight. Thank you for traveling with us!

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