Spiritual Myanmar
12 days - 11 nights
- Take part to traditional rituals with monks and nuns and get a deeper understanding of Buddhism
- Experience the magic atmosphere of Bagan, from sunrise to sunset
- Stretch your mind and body during exclusive yoga sessions in breathtaking locations
- Awake your taste buds and treat yourself to authentic culinary experiences with local families
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DAY 1: YANGON ARRIVAL
Feeling jet lagged? Start your vacation off with a delightful spa treatment which will restore your mind, body and soul. You will then head to Shwedagon, spiritual symbol of the country. Shwedagon Pagoda is largely considered to be the most important religious site of Myanmar.
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DAY 2: BAGAN
A private instructor will lead you on the path of relaxation during an exclusive yoga session, facing Shwedagon. You will then meet with a member of the Yangon Heritage Trust (YHT), a non-profit group working to preserve colonial-era buildings, who will reveal to you the history behind the many colonial building of downtown Yangon.
In the late afternoon, fly to Bagan, the mystical archeological plain dotted with hundreds of temples! -
DAY 3: BAGAN
Start in the early morning, as the sun slowly rises, casting light over the holy temples. Continue your spiritual awakening journey by taking part to the soan offering – the mid-morning food offering to the monks. You will continue your day by visiting some of the most emblematic temples and discovering the rural life still taking place among the ancient temples.
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DAY 4: BAGAN
Treat yourself to authentic family recipes during a cooking experience with a local family in their small garden. After a visit to the local market, to pick up fresh ingredients, you will join a family ready to share their secret recipes with you. Finish off the day with a revitalizing yoga class on a sandbank, as the sun is setting.
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DAY 5: BAGAN
Take a break from your program of visits to enjoy the facilities of your hotel, treat yourself to a massage or explore the ancient temples at your own pace.
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DAY 6: MANDALAY
You will journey to Mandalay, surrounded by the Ancient Royal Capitals. You will visit Sagaing Hill covered with hundreds and temples. At sunset time, discretely enter the compound of Shwe Kin Monastery – a delicately carved of monasteries teak-wood structure. Every evening, young monks walk in line to the main hall where they perform the evening chants.
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DAY 7: MANDALAY, AMARAPURA
In the early morning, you will join the local worshipers at Mahamuni Pagoda and witness the ritualistic washing of the Buddha’s face. You will continue with a visit of the highlights of Mandalay. In the afternoon you will travel to a monastery in a serene and quiet environment, at the foot of Mandalay Hill to enjoy a unique introduction to meditation. Your teacher will open your eyes and soul, and guide you on your way to your own self-perception.
As the sun sets on the city of Amarapura, you will enjoy the special atmosphere on the legendary U Bein bridge. -
DAY 8: MANDALAY, HEHO, KALAW & NYAUNG SHWE
You will meet the team of Green Hill Valley Elephant Project whose aim is to protect local ecology, elephants and traditions of the regions’ people. The project has taken on 7 Asian elephants from logging camps where they were no longer able to be looked after and given them a home, medical care and other support. The activities are intended to expose the natural beauty of the area as well as the role of elephants and mahouts in Myanmar.
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DAY 9: NYAUNG SHWE
Grab a bike and go on a morning ride around the small town of Nyaung Shwe. You will experience the small town waking up to its everyday morning activities. The dirt tracks will lead you to small villages on the lake’s shores. Enjoy the pure, fresh air while you ride through the fields. The rest of the day is for you to enjoy the amenities of the hotel, delight in a fresh and healthy meals of Shan specialties or indulge in a traditional massage.
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DAY 10: INLE LAKE
With an open terrace with 360-degree views, in the heart of the lake, you will enjoy practicing yoga surrounded by morning sunlight and the quiet waters of the lake. For lunch, treat yourself to a culinary experience unlike any other! You will have a delicious Shan picnic in a glad of the bamboo forest of Indein, after paying a visit to the intriguing pagoda complex. In the afternoon, you will get aboard a small wooden canoe usually used by the lake farmers to take care of their gardens. Take a deep breath, close your eyes and give in the serenity of the floating gardens.
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DAY 11: INLE LAKE
The early morning is the best moment to enjoy the lake. At this time of day you will be privileged to have the lake for yourself, with local fishermen being the only ones out. After a walk in the fields alongside farmers, you will join an Intha family in their stilt house for a typical lunch experience in their quaint house.
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DAY 12: INLE LAKE - YANGON DEPARTURE
You will fly to Yangon and will finish your holiday by a traditional Afternoon High Tea by the lake or wander around Bogyoke Market for some last minute souvenir shopping before the transfer to the airport for your departure flight.