Mandalay
Arrival in Mandalay
Transfer and Sightseeing Mandalay (fullday)
Visit Kyauktawgyi Pagoda
KYAUKTAWGYI PAGODA: built between 1853 and 1878 and chiefly interesting for the huge seated image of the Buddha carved from a single block of marble. The marble block from the mines of nearby Sagyin was so colossal that it required 10,000 men laboring for 13 days to transport it from a canal to the current site.Visit Mahamuni Paya
MAHAMUNI PAYA: originally built by King Bodawpaya in 1784 when a road paved with bricks was constructed from his palace to the paya's eastern gate. The centerpiece of the shrine is the highly venerated Mahamuni image that was transported to Myanmar from Mrauk U in Rakhaing in 1784.Visit Shwe In Bin Kyaung
Shwe In Bin: A Chinese merchant, U Set Shwin, married a local Burmese lady and with his newly acquired fortune built a monastery for his religious wife. It is built of teak, has Burmese carved doors and paintings depicting General Prendergast negotiating with court ministers prior to King Thibaw's exile.Visit Shwenandaw Kyaung
SHWENANDAW KYAUNG: a monastery of great interest, not only as a fine example of a traditional Burmese wooden monastery, but as a fragile reminder of the old Mandalay Fort. At one time this building was part of the palace compex, and was used as an apartment by King Mindon and his chief queen, and it was here that he died. After Mindon's death, King Thibaw Min had the building dismantled and reassembled on its present site in 1880 as a monastery.Visit Mandalay Hill
MANDALAY HILL: an easy climb up the sheltered steps bring one to a panoramic view over the palace, Mandalay and the paya-studded countryside. The famous hermit monk, U Khanti, is credited with inspiring the construction of many of the buildings on and around the hill in the years after the founding of the city.



Overnight :   Mandalay
Meal :   B

Mandalay
Excursion to Inwa (Ava), Sagaing and Amarapura
INWA: this ancient city, for a long time a capital of Upper Burma after the fall of Bagan, is on the Mandalay side of the Ayeyarwady River close to the Ava Bridge. From 1364 Inwa was the capital of the Burmese kingdom for more than 400 years, until the shift was made to Amarapura in 1783.
NANMYIN: the 27 meter high masonry watch tower is all that remains of the palace built by Bagyidaw. The upper portion was shattered by the 1838 earthquake and the rest has taken a precarious tilt.
MAHA AUNGMYE BONZAN: a brick-and-stucco monastery built by King Bagyidaw's chief queen for the royal abbot Nyaunggan Sayadaw in 1818.
BAGAYA KYAUNG: a monastery built of teakwood and supported by 267 teak posts. The main hall stands on a raised platform, separate from the monks’ quarters, and is designed so that space between the walls and roof allows air to circulate.
AVA BRIDGE: this British-engineered, 16-span bridge dates from 1934 and was the only structure that crossed the Ayeyarwady River until 1998 when a new Chinese-engineered bridge was completed at Pyay.
SAGAING: located on the right bank of the Ayeyarwady River, it is widely regarded as the religious center of Myanmar. It is popularly known as 'Little Pagan' as the Sagaing ridge is crowded with around 600 pagodas and monasteries in which there are more than 3000 monks. There are also around 100 meditation centers in the area.
THABYEDAN FORT: the fort built by the Burmese as their final resistance against the British forces in the third Anglo-Burmese war in 1886.
KAUNGHMUDAW PAYA: this is Sagaing's most important temple. It was built by King Thalun in 1636 and styled after a Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) pagoda in commemoration of the re-establishment of Ava as the royal capital.
TUPAYON PAYA: contracted by King Narapati of Inwa in 1444, Tupayon is of an unusual style for Myanmar: it consists of three circular stories each encircled by arched niches.
AUNGMYELAWKA PAYA: situated on the river front, this zedi was erected by Bodawpaya in 1783 on the site of his home before he became king. It is built of sandstone and based on Shwezigon Pagoda.
DATPAUNGZU PAYA: a comparatively recent pagoda which houses many relics from other older temples that were demolished when the railway was built through Sagaing.
HSINMYASHIN PAYA: built in 1429 and known as the Pagoda of Many Elephants because of the elephant statues stationed at each entrance-way.
AMARAPURA: the name means City of Immortality, but its period as capital was brief. It was founded by Bodawpaya as his new capital in 1783, not long after he ascended the throne, on the advice of court astrologers. His grandson and successor, Bagyidaw, moved back to Ava in 1823. The four pagodas that marked the four corners of the city walls still remain, as well as the watch tower and treasury building.
PAHTODAWGYI: built by King Bagyidaw in 1820, this well preserved pagoda stood outside the old city walls. The lower terraces have marble slabs illustrating jatakas (scenes from the Buddha's life).
BAGAYA KYAUNG: built when Bodawpaya moved the capital to Amarapura, it was destroyed by fire in 1821. It was rebuilt several times and it is no longer a monastery, but houses a museum and library, of interest for its collection of palm-leaf manuscripts.
PALACE RUINS: little remains of the palace except for two masonry buildings - the treasury building and the old watch tower. King Bagyidaw and King Bodawpaya were both burnt here on the site of their 'tombs' and their ashes placed in velvet bags and thrown into the Ayeyarwady River.
U BEIN'S BRIDGE: the shallow Taungthaman Lake is crossed by a long and rickety teak bridge, curved to withstand the wind and waves. During the dry season, the bridge crosses mostly dry land.

Overnight :   Mandalay
Meal :   B

Mandalay - Lashio
Transfer
By train from Mandalay to Lashio via the Gokteik Viaduct
Journey northeast parallel to Highway 3 past Pyin Oo Lwin, the Gokteik Viaduct and Hsipaw.
GOKTEIK VIADUCT: a unusual railway viaduct built by the Pennsylvania Steel Co over a deep gorge 100 years ago. At that time it was the second highest railway bridge in the world.Transfer train station




Overnight :   Lashio
Meal :   B

Lashio - Pyin Oo Lwin
By vehicle from Lashio via Goktheik Viaduct to Pyin Oo Lwin
GOKTEIK VIADUCT: an unusual railway viaduct built by the Pennsylvania Steel Co over a deep gorge 100 years ago. At the time it was the second highest railway bridge in the world.Sightseeing Pyin Oo Lwin
Originally a Shan Danu village. A legacy of the influx of South Asians during the British colonial era is that Pyin Oo Lwin is home to around 5,000 Nepalis and 10,000 Indians. For many years it was a British hill station as due to the altitude, even at the height of the hot season, it is pleasantly cool and the air is fresh.
BOTANICAL GARDEN: Colonel May used Turkish prisoners of war to develop this 237-acre botanical garden during WWII. The garden features wide expanses of manicured grass, large flower beds, natural forest, rose gardens and an orchid house.
PURCELL TOWER: this clock tower near the town entrance was a present from Queen Victoria, who offered an identical tower to Cape Town in South Africa.
NAUNG KAN GYL PAYA: located at the top of a hill, there are good views of the town from here.
CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: a 100-year-old church south of the central area which features a large brick sanctuary with a belltower and cruciform floor plan. The vaulted wooden ceilings and well appointed interior are impressive.
JAPANESE WAR CEMETERY: cemetery containing around 50 graves. Each year during the months of December and January, friends and families of the deceased come from Japan to pay their respects.

Overnight :   Pyin Oo Lwin.
Meal :   B

Pyin Oo Lwin - Mandalay
Excursion to ethnic minority villages and waterfalls near Pyin Oo Lwin
There are several natural attractions around Pyin Oo Lwin, including a number of caves, waterfalls and tribal villages.
PWE KAUK FALLS: this is a very pleasant picnic spot.
SHAN VILLAGES: Mogyopyit, Yechando and Ye Ngeye can be visited on the way to the Pwe Kauk Falls.
ANISAKAN FALLS: it is quite a descent through a river gorge to reach the falls, which consist of five sections; the third one is particularly impressive.
PEIK CHIN MYAING: this large Hindu-Buddhist shrine cave was developed by local Nepalis and later co-opted by the government as a tourist attraction in 1990.By vehicle from Pyin Oo Lwin to Mandalay
Journey southwest on Highway 3 parallel to the Myanmo railway line.



Overnight :   Mandalay
Meal :   B

Mandalay
Transfer



Meal :   B