14 Days Family Trip to Burma with Ancient Stone City of Angkor Extension

ITINERARY

Day 1: Yangon | Arrive in Yangon | Royal Style Welcome Dinner

International Flight: Excluded
Meals: Dinner

Welcome to Burma! Upon arrival in Yangon, our guide will greet you at the airport welcome area and transfer you to the hotel for check-in.

In the evening, go out for a Myanmar royal style welcome dinner on a floating marble boat. Enjoy a fine cuisine as you begin an enchanting journey with our 14 Days Family Trip Burma Ancient Stone City Angkor.

Royal Marble Boat in Yangon

Accommodation: Belmond Governor’s Residence

Day 2: Yangon | Burma’s Capital City

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
After breakfast, 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. Continue to the highlight of Yangon: the golden Shwedagon Pagoda, which has been described as one of the wonders of the world. Shwedagon plays a very important role in the Old Burmese History and also is an important Buddhist icon. Enjoy the sunset over the pagoda.

Accommodation: Belmond Governor’s Residence

Day 3: Yangon – Bagan | Flight to Bagan

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast
Board a morning flight to Bagan. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel for check-in.

Accommodation: Aureum Palace Hotel

Day 4: Bagan | Bagan’s Valley of a Thousand Temples

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Take a bike tour through the pagoda area to discover more interesting sites of Bagan. With over 4,400 temples, there is not enough time to possibly visit them all. Our experienced bicycle guide will leave with you from the hotel and take you through scenic natural paths where you’ll adventure through Bagan at your own pace. Want to take a turn down this road? You choose the way if you like and your guide will give you the history of each temple and folklore of each village settlement you encounter.

Amazing misty sunrise at Bagan Ancient City

Accommodation: Aureum Palace Hotel

Day 5: Bagan | Mount Popa

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Your Mount Popa excursion begins after breakfast when your tour guide and driver will meet you at your hotel.

We then head east toward Mount Popa, an extinct volcano standing 1518 meters high. Mount Popa has played an important role in Myanmar culture, religion and history since earliest times. Its shrine is dedicated to the worship of the 37 Nats, the Burmese ancient animist spirits.

Learn about nats and nat worship as you climb the stairs to the top with your local guide. The view over the Myingyan Plain from the top of the volcanic peak is impressive. Then transfer back to Bagan late this afternoon.

Accommodation: Aureum Palace Hotel

Day 6: Bagan – Mandalay | Hot Air Balloon Ride | Flight to Mandalay

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast
Experience the unrivaled majesty of thousands of ancient temples drifting below you in style, comfort, and safety. You’ll rise early in the morning to beat dawn for a spectacular sunrise over the unique Bagan scene aloft in your hot air balloon. The captain will explain the safety procedures, and you can some coffee or tea before departure. Then the balloon will take off and you’ll be treated to an amazing view of the temples across Bagan. It is also great to see the other balloons in flight. After an hour ride, you’ll have a smooth landing.

Board an afternoon flight to Mandalay. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you and continue to your hotel for check-in.

Accommodation: Hilton Mandalay

Day 7: Mandalay | Explore Mandalay Highlights

Meals: Breakfast

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 a 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 leaves 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.

Accommodation: Hilton Mandalay

Day 8: Mandalay | Amarapura Ancient Capital

Meals: Breakfast , Lunch

Morning: Transfer by private vehicle to Sagiang, the capital of Sagaing 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: Hilton Mandalay

Day 9: Mandalay – Siem Reap | Flight to Siem Reap

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast
Today you will take a flight to Siem Reap with a short stopover in Bangkok. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel for check-in.

Siem Reap is a quaint town in Cambodia and the gateway to the vast remains of the Angkor empire. Discover the Royal Gardens on your own with ancient trees home to a colony of giant fruit bats. Take a stroll along the scenic riverside and visit the night markets to find unique souvenirs. You may also want to spend the evening with a visit to Pub Street with several restaurants and bars that stay open late into the night. Many restaurants have live entertainment in the evening.

Accommodation: Shinta Mani Villa – Bensley Collection

Day 10: Siem Reap | Angkor Thom Ancient City by Bicycle

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Enjoy a relaxing cycling tour in the morning in ancient Angkor Thom – a stone city built around the time of Angkor Wat.

The biking tour will start at the South Gate – a photogenic bridge at the gateway of the stone city of Angkor Thom which has made its way into many Hollywood movies. Angkor Thom which was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer Empire. Enter the stone city and explore shaded trails and ancient monuments. Visit Bayon Temple where you will be surrounded by 216 gigantic stone faces which fame as “Khmer Smile”, you will also visit the Terrace of Elephants, the Royal Palace and the Terrace of the Leper King. Stop your cycling trip with a visit to the local monastery to chat with monks and see their daily life.

Ta Prohm Jungle Temple

After having a lunch near the Royal Pool of Srah Srong, continue to visit Ta Prohm. Worn by time, rain, and overpowered by the jungle, this immaculate structure is hidden under canopy will leave you feeling like you’ve stepped into the movie set of a treasure hunt adventure. Your private tour guide will give you the history and stories passed through oral tradition.

Ta Prohm temple in Jungle of Cambodia

Be prepared to enjoy a beautiful traditional dance performed by a team trained in the Dance of Apsara.

In the evening, you will be picked up from the hotel lobby and transferred to Angkor Village Hotel Theater for a traditional Apsara Dinner Show. where you will have a unique dining experience which will bring ancient Khmer culture to life in spectacular surroundings while you enjoy the very best in Cambodia cuisine. This one-of-a-kind cultural experience highlights the mysterious civilization and heritage of Khmer spoken through choreography and music. Colorful costumes and playful activities will give you insights into the Khmer daily life and wedding traditions while you enjoy a delicious meal to welcome your family to the Kingdom of Wonders.

Accommodation: Shinta Mani Villa – Bensley Collection

Day 11: Siem Reap | Zip-line Adventure with Gibbons

Meals: Breakfast , Lunch

This day, prepare to visit the #1 “Craziest” Zipline in Asia.
World Class Course Features:

21 platforms high in the treetops
10 thrilling ziplines
4 sky bridges spanning hundreds of metres
Spiral staircases circling trees
A 50 ft. abseil finish
The longest single zipline in Cambodia
6 hectares teaming with exotic wildlife
Re-introduction of wild-gibbons
State of the Art Safety Equipment

After the course, you will be transferred back to the hotel. The afternoon is at your leisure to relax or cool off in the hotel’s pool.

In the evening, you’ll go to visit Phare Cambodian Circus. Be amazed by stunts and choreography unique to Cambodia’s performing arts. You’ll watch as a story written by locals is acted out with an impressive stage show. Be prepared for laughter and wonder as you enjoy the performance. After the hour-long spectacle, you’ll return to your hotel for the evening.

Zip-line adventure through tropical rain-forests

Accommodation: Shinta Mani Villa – Bensley Collection

Day 12: Siem Reap | Countryside of Cambodia and Kompong Phluk Floating Villages | Water Filter Donation

Meals: Breakfast
In the morning, start with an ox-cart ride through Cambodia’s green countryside where you’ll see many coconut trees, rice fields, and water buffalo. After that, continue the trip to the largest lake in Southeast Asia, the Tonle Sap. You’ll take a boat ride to Kampong Phluk which means, Harbor of the Tusks due to it’s history in the elephant trade several centuries ago. You’ll also see the mangrove forests nearby.

Then go to visit a small village to donate a slow sand water filtration system. You’ll have a chance to meet with the village families. The water filtration system will be able to provide potable/drinking water to the whole village. We can also arrange to have your logo or names painted on the filter ahead of time. The installation staff will instruct the villagers on how to maintain the filter.

Optional recommendation: We recommend that if you have any used children’s books in your home that you no longer need, you may bring them with to donate to the children in the village. This can impact the village children to focus on their education and provide them English reading materials not available from their school.

More information on the slow sand water filtration system provided can be found on the Center for Disease Control website here: https://www.cdc.gov/safewater/sand-filtration.html

Accommodation: Shinta Mani Villa – Bensley Collection

Day 13: Siem Reap | Angkor Wat Sunrise and Photo Treasure Hunt

Meals: Breakfast
Before the light of day, your guide will pick you up from your hotel and escort you to the front of Angkor Wat Temple. From here, you’ll watch one of the most revered sunrises in the world. Our guide will arrange a light picnic breakfast for you to enjoy in front of the world’s #1 Heritage Site.

Then ready for an adventure? In the early hours, you’ll go on a photo treasure hunt to discover the vast Angkor temple while the rays of the light play through the chambers as the morning haze settles and giving the temple a mystical ambiance. You will receive a map and a list of unusual objects or places that you’ll need to find and take pictures of throughout the day. Do as a family or split up into teams depending on your preference. For an added twist, the participants need to be in the picture as well(Please note that digital cameras are not included). After your adventure, you’ll return to your hotel for some rest and leisure time.

Angkor Wat Sunrise

Accommodation: Shinta Mani Villa – Bensley Collection

Day 14: Siem Reap | Farewell!

Meals: Breakfast
Today our guide will transfer you to the airport before your homeward flight and will bid you a fond farewell. Thank you for traveling with us and chose our 14 Days Family Trip Burma Ancient Stone City Angkor!

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