Myanmar is still in a state of transition from a military to a (largely) civilian government. Political difficulties remain to be resolved — alas, the army, shows little sign of simply going back to barracks and staying there — but the country feels infinitely more relaxed than it did five or six years ago. Burmese people are happy to see an increased number of American visitors and are eager to converse with them. The opportunities for luxury travel are restricted by a relative lack of disinguished hotels, but standards are improving and Burmese airlines now fly reliable modern aircraft. At the heart of any itinerary should be a cruise on an Ayeyarwady riverboat. Cruises to remote areas north of Mandalay and those on the Chindwin River, the main tributary of the Ayeyarwady, can last up to 13 days. Most travelers opt for a journey of three or four nights. Myanmar was isolated from the rest of the world for nearly half a century. The country is likely to develop rapidly, however, so now is the time to see it before modernity intrudes.
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Arrive in Yangon and transfer to the Belmond Governor’s Residence, located in the green and tranquil Embassy District. The main building is an atmospheric 1920s teak mansion with a wraparound porch. The hotel is an ideal place to recuperate after a long flight, and has a lovely swimming pool and excellent restaurants.
In the morning, take an escorted tour of the Shwedagon, one of the most remarkable religious buildings in Asia. Situated on a hilltop in central Yangon, the pagoda is 325 feet tall and still dominates the city’s skyline. Tradition insists that it is more than 2,500 years old and was constructed to cover relics that include eight strands of the Buddha’s hair. However, archaeologists maintain that it was built over a millennium ago, between the sixth and 10th centuries. The Shwedagon is solid and made of bricks covered with gold plates; the crown is encrusted with thousands of precious gems, including at least 4,500 diamonds and a 72-carat diamond at the very top. It is a focus of Buddhist devotion for the people of Myanmar, and its precincts possess a delightfully serene and meditative atmosphere.
After lunch you may wish to visit the National Museum of Myanmar, with its extensive collection of ancient artifacts, inscriptions and historic memorabilia. Later, stroll through the colorful Bogyoke Market, with its numerous stores selling Burmese jade and rubies.
Downtown Yangon has changed little since independence in 1948 and its grand brick colonial buildings remain largely untouched and gently decaying. Take a leisurely escorted stroll around the grid of streets laid out in 1852. The Yangon Heritage Trust, established in 2012 by Harvard-educated architect Dr. Thant Myint-U, organizes daily walking tours; many of them start at the YHT’s office on lower Pansodan Street. Afterward, have lunch at The Strand Hotel, which opened in 1901. Freshen up at the Governor’s Residence and then embark on a two-hour sunset cruise on the Yangon River. Later have dinner at Monsoon restaurant, which serves delicious pan-Asian cuisine in an atmospheric converted shophouse.
Take a 45-minute flight from Yangon to Heho and transfer to the Inle Princess resort on the shore of picturesque Inle Lake in Shan State. Set at an elevation of 2,900 feet, the lake is 14 miles long and in most places only a few feet deep. Inle is famous for its exquisite scenery and for the colorful Intha people, many of whom live in stilt villages built over the water. This afternoon, enjoy a treatment in one of the resort’s spa chalets.
Take an early morning boat trip on Inle Lake. The Intha people farm the fabulously fertile floating gardens, which are attached to the lake floor by bamboo poles. They also fish using a specialized technique: As the margins of the lake are covered by reeds, they have adapted a distinctive style of rowing that involves standing on one leg at the stern of their boat and using the other leg to manipulate an oar. Standing enables the fishermen to see over the reeds and to spot fish in the clear, shallow water. These are then trapped in conical baskets.
In the afternoon pay a visit to one of the silk-weaving factories, for which the region is renowned.
A short 35-minute flight will bring you to Bagan, on the banks of the Ayeyarwady River. Bagan once had about 200,000 inhabitants and 10,000 Buddhist temples before its destruction in the late 13th century at the hands of the Mongol Kublai Khan. Its wooden structures disappeared, but many of the brick pagodas survived. Today, about 2,200 remain, surrounded by quiet fields.
From the airport, transfer to one of my four recommended riverboats — Sanctuary Ananda, R.V. Strand, Belmond Road to Mandalay and Belmond Orcaella — all of which offer high levels of comfort, service and cuisine. In the late afternoon, a traditional horse-and-cart will take you on a tour of the magnificent pagodas, including the famous 11th-century Ananda Temple, with its four 30-foot gilded Buddhas. Later, climb to a viewpoint on the Shwesandaw Pagoda, to observe a truly unforgettable sunset.
Those who are feeling energetic can rise early to take a dawn flight by hot air balloon over the plains of Bagan. Later in the morning, your cruise begins as the boat heads north up the wide and serene expanse of the Ayeyarwady. In the afternoon, you can take a cooking lesson, or simply watch the world slip by from a lounger on the upper deck.
In the morning you may wish to participate in yoga and meditation classes. After lunch, passengers will be taken on escorted tours of local villages, to see the traditional lifestyle of Burma’s rural population.
Today your riverboat arrives in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, with a population of about 1.3 million. In the 19th century it was the seat of the last rulers of independent Burma, King Mindon and King Thibaw. Mandalay stands amid the remnants of four royal capitals spanning 500 years of Burmese history and is also a center of Buddhist studies.
In the morning, you will be taken on escorted tours to the numerous monasteries and pagodas scattered across Mandalay Hill, as well as those on nearby Sagaing Hill on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady. Later in the day, you will have the opportunity to visit an open-air jade market, as well as a renowned family of bronze casters that specializes in the creation of Buddha images. It may also be possible to witness a Buddhist noviciation ceremony at which boys become monks and enter a local monastery.
This morning you take a 50-minute flight from Mandalay to Yangon, where you change planes for a one-hour flight across the immense Irrawaddy Delta to Thandwe on the Andaman Sea. The transfer to Ngapali Bay Villas & Spa takes just 20 minutes along a quiet road lined with small restaurants and modest village houses. Freshen up in your self-contained thatched villa, which overlooks a three-mile stretch of unspoiled beach. For dinner, try the resort’s Tamarind restaurant, which serves excellent local seafood.
The next three days are spent relaxing by the pool amid lush tropical vegetation, swimming in the tranquil Andaman Sea, enjoying treatments in the splendid Frangipani Spa, or wandering along the glorious beach to visit local markets and casual restaurants.
A morning flight takes you back to Yangon in time for lunch overlooking the pool at the Belmond Governor’s Residence. A day room has been reserved for your use until it is time for your evening transfer to the International Airport for an overnight flight back to the United States.
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