Thursday            YANGON – ARRIVAL   
Day 01              
Meet on arrival at Yangon airport and transfer to hotel. p.m. After lunch we start for a sightseeing tour that includes the old colonial-style city center with the gilded Sule Pagoda, dating back over 2,000 years, Bogyoke (Scott’s) Market, with hundreds of stores (closed on Mondays) and a visit of a gems shop. The tour continues to Chauk Htat Gyi, a huge reclining Buddha image followed by a photo stop made at Karaweik Hall, a royal floating barge. An extended visit to Shwedagon Pagoda, one of the world’s most spectacular religious monuments, will conclude today’s sightseeing tour of this picturesque Garden City. The golden dome of the Shwedagon Pagoda rises 98 meters above its base and is covered with 60 tons of pure gold. Dinner. Accommodation. (L/D)

Friday              YANGON – MANDALAY           
Day 02    a.m. After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport for domestic flight to Mandalay. Upon arrival at Mandalay airport and transfer to hotel.  Drive to Amarapura, 15 km from Mandalay. Visit Mahagandayon, a famous Buddhist monastery, where more than a thousand monks live and study; continue to 200-year-old U Bein teak bridge, built in 1782 at the time when Amarapura was the royal capital. Visit Bagaya Monastery, with a superb collection of Buddha statues. Before returning to Mandalay, stop at a traditional hand-woven silk workshop en route. p.m. After lunch, proceed on a comprehensive sightseeing tour including  Mahamuni Pagoda, with its spectacular Buddha image covered in thick layers of gold leaves, Shwe Inbin, one of the most outstanding monasteries in the country, Shwe Nan Daw Kyaung or Golden Palace Monastery, a superb example of a traditional wooden building and Kuthodaw Pagoda, known as the world’s largest book consisting of 729 marble slabs engraved with Buddhist scriptures. A visit is also made to a jetty to observe daily life at the river and to a craftsmen’s workshop to see kalaga tapestries being created. Sunset from Mandalay Hill. Dinner at a local restaurant. Accommodation. (B/L/D)

Saturday            MANDALAY –  BAGAN
Day 03   A.M. 
After breakfast, an early start is made for the drive (300 km - 8 hours) by road to Bagan with rest stop at Meiktila. This is a scenic journey of varied agricultural landscapes and small villages. Lunch at a local restaurant en route. P.M. Continue to Mount Popa, an extinct volcano with its shrine dedicated to animist spirits, known as “Nats”. For the energetic, there is time to climb 777 steps to the shrine at the top of the volcanic plug. Drive on to Bagan and transfer to hotel.  Continue to watch sunset from the Bupaya Pagoda, a memorable experience with the view over the Ayeyarwaddy River and the many ancient monuments, which make this one of Asia’s most impressive archaeological sites. Dinner.  Accommodation. (B/L/D

Sunday            BAGAN                             Day 04  A.M. 
Early start, by horse-drawn carriage (when available), to Ywa Haung Gyi Temple to see dawn rise over Bagan. Return to the hotel for breakfast. After breakfast, a full day of sightseeing, starting with the busy local market and continuing with visits to a diverse selection of the most important pagodas and temples. Included are: Shwezigon Pagoda, built by King Anawrahta in the early 11th century as a religious shrine; Ku Byauk Gyi, a temple with exquisite murals of Jataka scenes; Khay Min Ga Temple, noted for its spectacular panoramic view of the area’s many monuments and Ananda Temple, with four huge standing Buddha images and numerous seated figures in niches around the galleried interior. p.m. After lunch, visit of a lacquer craftmen’s workshop in nearby Myinkaba village.  Continue sightseeing to Manuha Temple, built in the mon style in 1059; Nanbaya Temple, a unique sandstone monument, said to have been the palace of King Manuha and Myingaba Gu Byauk Gyi Temple, noted for mural paintings under the protection of Unesco. Dinner at a riverside restaurant. Accommodation. (B/L/D)

Monday            BAGAN – YANGON – DEPARTURE
Day 05  A.M./P.M. 
Transfer to airport for return flight to Yangon. Balance of the day at leisure to pursue individual interests. Transfer to Yangon international airport. Depart Yangon by international flight for next destination. (B/L)