Depart From: Depart from home for your flight to Asia.

In Transit: Overnight flight to Asia.

Arrive To: Arrival to Yangon International Airport. Check into your program hotel.

Afternoon: Join your group leader for a program orientation followed by a welcome dinner.

Dinner: Welcome dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Park Royal

Meals Included: Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Begin your understanding of Burma with a presentation on Burmese history. Then continue on a field trip to discover this city. Stroll in the Chinese and Indian neighborhoods. Make your way from Sule Paya to the Scott Market, along the way exploring a Hindu temple, a Chinese temple and a Jewish synagogue. End the morning exploring Bogyoke Aung San market (aka Scott's market).

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant in town.

Afternoon: Explore Shwedagon Paya. Shwedagon is a Burmese icon and a must see while in Yangon. Unlike many great sites around the world, Shwedagon is visited mostly by local Burmese. The giant gold gilded Paya serve as a meeting point for families, friends and teenagers looking to enjoy the cool night air. The bell shaped structure is said to be covered with over 8 tons of pure gold, making it an impressive presence in the night sky.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel or in town.

Lodging: Park Royal

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Long transit. Please note that you must be able to get in and out of small boats and travel much of the time on boats while at Inle Lake.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Check out of hotel and fly to Heho. Upon arrival, transfer to lunch.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant in town.

Afternoon: After lunch, board private motorboats to head out to Inle Lake, one of Myanmar's most spectacular sights. Pass villages on stilts over the lake, inhabited by the local Intha people. Visit an Orchid Nursery and learn about the beautiful flowers. From there explore the floating gardens of Inle Lake, learn a little about how these are created. End the afternoon exploring a Monastery nick named "Jumping Cat Monastery."

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Pristine Lotus Spa Resort

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Must be flexible and sturdy enough to get in and out of small wooden boats. Must be able to walk across planks with minium help.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Participate in a presentation on the positive impact of tourism for the Burmese people and their economy. Then continue to explore the morning market, held at different locations each day. Continue to In Dien, a hillside village dotted with thousands of small stupas built in the 15th century. Finish the morning with a boat ride along the canals of Nam Hu to view the local architecture of the houses and bridges.

Lunch: Lunch at a centennial family house. By tradition, the historic house is preserved by the oldest daugher for future generations.

Afternoon: This afternoon, visit the village of Paw Khone where very difficult but beautiful woven work is done using lotus flower stems. Stroll through the village and learn about daily life in Inle lake.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Pristine Lotus Spa Resort

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Must be able to be ok with uneven stairs and walks of at least 1.5 to 2 miles.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Leisurely morning to relax before departing for Heho for flight to Mandalay.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Transfer to Heho for flight to Mandalay. Upon arrival explore the area around the old royal capital of Amarapura. Walk over U Bien's Bridge, the world’s longest teak bridge, constructed with over 1000 teak posts and is over one kilometer long. Visit Maha Ganayon Kyaung, home to over 1000 monks to learn about their unique way of life. Meet local weavers famed for their Longi's (the traditional skirt type garment worn by Burmese men). Explore Shwenandaw Kyaung, a superb example of a traditional monastery. End the afternoon at Kuthodaw Paya, known as the world's largest book and featuring more than 700 engraved stone slabs.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant in town.

Lodging: Mandalay Hill Resort

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Participate in a presentation on the chronology of the royal capitals of Amarapure, Inwa and Mandalay. Then travel on a restored rice barge up the Irrawaddy River to Mingun. Located across the river from Mandalay this ancient site is home to what would have been the world's largest pagoda had King Bodawpaya not met an early demise. Discover the Mingun bell and the Hsinbyume paya.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Free afternoon to explore on your own.

Dinner: Dinner on your own to explore the local fare.

Lodging: Mandalay Hill Resort

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Spend the day exploring Pyin U Lwin, the former British Hill Station that colonial officers called Maytown, where they came to enjoy the cool climate. Explore the city center, its beautiful architecture and the National Gardens.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Free time in Pyin U Lwin to explore this town on your own.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Mandalay Hill Resort

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Depart for Monywa. Along the way, visit Thanboddhay Pagoda, a huge Buddhist temple covered with more than 500,000 Buddha images. Stop at Boditahtaung Pagoda which houses the largest reclining Buddha image in Myanmar, at 100m long and 27m high.

Lunch: Lunch en route.

Afternoon: This afternoon continue your exploration of the Burmese countryside with a visit to the Hop Win Daung Caves. With a unique landscape more like the Serengeti than Southeast Asia, the caves date back to the 15th century and are dotted with hundreds of sandstone carved temples.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Win Unity Resort

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Please note that the total drive to Bagan is about 7 hours with rest and lunch stops.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Visit the old market of Monywa. Monywa is known as a place for trade, so this market is one of the livelier ones in this area. Then resume your journey to Pakokku and have lunch at arrival.

Lunch: Lunch at a restaurant.

Afternoon: After lunch, drive towards Bagan while enjoying the scenery. On arrival at Bagan, check-in to the hotel and take some refreshment.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Lodging: Areindmar Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Please note if you really want to experience the temples, then you will need to be able to walk bare feet for at least 2 miles in and around the temples.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Attend a presentation about Architectural Evolution of Bagan: Early, Transition, Middle and Late periods- led by the Study Leader. Then begin exploring the the temples that represent the early Bagan period. We will begin the exploration by visiting the Temple of Gubyaukgyi, which was built in 1113 by Kyanzittha's son Rajakumar, on his father's death. This temple isof particular interest because of the well-preserved paintings inside, which are thought to date from the original construction of the temple and to be the oldest remaining in Bagan. The temple is typical of the Mon style in that the interior is dimly lit by perforated rather than open windows. Also, visit Manuha Paya, known as the Mon King Temple, which is said to represent his view of being imprisoned. Then lastly, visit Nan Paya. Nan Paya is an early period Sandstone temple which reflects unique carvings from the early Bagan period.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: This afternoon continue with your discovery of the temples of the Early Period. In particular, explore the Shwezigon Pagoda. Shwezigon was built as the most important reliquary shrine in Bagan, a centre of prayer and reflection for the new Theravada faith King Anawarahta had established in Bagan. End your Bagan discovery on a horse cart ride back to the hotel as the sun sets over the vista of temples.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Areindmar Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Please note if you really want to experience the temples, then you will need to be able to walk bare feet for at least 1 1/2 miles in and around the temples.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Begin the morning by attending a presentation on temples of the Transition and the Middle Period led by a local expert. Then head to the Shwe San Saw Pagoda. Here climb to the top to get a view of the Bagan complex and see how the architecture evolved in height and style during this period. Continue with a visit to Ananda Temple and Ananda Ok Kyaung, another examples of middle period architecture.

Lunch: Lunch at a restaurant in town.

Afternoon: This afternoon learn about Lacquerware and the work involved in creating masterpieces. Meet the owner of a 4th generation lacquerware factory, who shows us the difference between the various quality levels and the complete process involved in making lacquerware. End your discovery of Bagan appropriately at the end of the day. Start by visiting one of the local villages for a late afternoon stoll to learn about village life. Then continue to explore the ruins of the late period temple and learn about the fall and collapse of the Bagan Dynasty.

Dinner: Dinner on own.

Lodging: Shwe Yee Pwint Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel.

Morning: Begin the morning by visiting the Ngat Pyit Taung Monastery. Explore the temple's caves to learn about local traditions and beliefs. Afterwards, visit the Monastic Primary School where you can meet and interact with the school's children.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Head to the riverside near Nyaung U Village where you will board a private local boats for a slow cruise down the Irrawaddy River. As you cruise the on the river, observe the lifestyle of the fishermen and riverside villages.

Dinner: Dinner at hotel.

Lodging: Shwe Yee Pwint Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Early morning transfer to the airport for your flight to Yangon. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel and check in.

Lunch: Lunch on your own.

Afternoon: Free time this afternoon to explore Yangon.

Dinner: Farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

Lodging: Myanmar Life Hotel or similar

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Transfer to the airport for your return flight home.

Meals Included: Breakfast