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* Classic Myanmar Tour (9Days/8 Nights)
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“The Shwe Dagon rose superb, glistening with its
gold, like a sudden hope in the dark night of the soul of which
the mystics write glistening against the fog and smoke of the
thriving city.” |
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− W. Somerset Maugham, The Gentleman in the Parlour (1930)
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Highlights:
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Hot air ballooning over the ancient kingdom of Bagan. Visiting
the incomparable Shwedagon Pagoda. Cruising by the villages on
stilts and floating markets of Inle Lake. Bicycling near Bagan’s
prominent temples and pagodas. Pasting gold leafs on the Maha
Muni Buddha image in Mandalay. Taking a scenic boat ride
upstream Irrawaddy River to Mingun. |
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Season: 01 October 2006 – 30 April 2007
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T R I P B A C K G R O U N D
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Long isolated from the outside world, Myanmar has
preserved its rich cultural and religious traditions to a
greater extent than many of its neighbors. Most visitors are
enchanted by Myanmar’s exotic temples, pagodas and monasteries,
but they are likewise enthralled by the Burmese people, who are
quick to smile and largely uninfluenced by western ways. You’ll
observe hundreds of Buddhist monks, clad in orange robes, lining
up and walking quietly, with rice bowls in hand, to collect one
of their two daily meals from devotees. You’ll encounter men
wearing sarong-style longyis, and women adorning their faces
with Thanaka paste to repel the sun and attract young men.
You’ll see women performing centuries-old candle and umbrella
dances, and expert puppeteers recounting Buddhist legends during
colorful marionette shows. And you’ll see farmers and fisherman
delivering their wares on bullock carts to remote village
markets. On your 8-day soft adventure and cultural tour,
through a connection flight from Singapore or Bangkok you arrive
Yangon, home to the incomparable Shwedagon pagoda. Other
highlights of your trip include hot air ballooning over the
ancient kingdom of Bagan at sunset; cruising by the villages on
stilts and floating markets of Inle Lake; taking an easy bicycle
tour of Bagan’s prominent temples and pagodas; pasting gold
leafs on the Maha Muni Buddha image in Mandalay; and taking a
scenic boat ride upstream Irrawaddy to Mingun. |
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^^Top^^ |
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I T I N E R A R Y
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Note: We will gladly customize an
itinerary to meet your preferences. |
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Day 1 - BANGKOK / YANGON
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Arrive Yangon by Thai Air flight TG#303
(ETA:0855) from Bangkok or by Silk Air MI#516 (ETA: 1150) from
Singapore.
 Yangon is a charming city with wide, tree-lined
boulevards, shimmering Buddhist stupas and British colonial
architecture. Founded in 1755 by King Alaungpaya, Yangon became
the capital after the British conquered Upper Myanmar in 1885.
Formerly known as Rangoon, Yangon was renowned as the “Queen of
the East.” Yangon is now considered to be the most delightful
city in all of Southeast Asia, bustling without urgency, traffic
jams, high rise buildings and department stores.
Upon your arrival you’ll be met your guide and transferred to
the hotel. After check-in and lunch at the hotel enjoy an
excursion this afternoon to Burma’s most famous site – the
Shwedagon Golden Pagoda. Built 2,500 years ago to house eight
sacred hairs of Buddha, the structure has been restored and
enlarges continuously. Sixty tons of gold leaves covered the
central tower; its weather vane is enlivened with a 76-carat
diamond and 4,350 additional diamonds and precious stones. The
pagoda is surrounded by numerous other places of worship for the
10,000 pilgrims who visit each day. Many kinds of religious
observances are in progress simultaneously and even the
procession of sweepers has a ritual quality. Return to the hotel
after sunset viewing for dinner and a good rest.
The Strand or Governor’s Residence (L, D) |
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Day 2 - YANGON / INLE
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After breakfast check-out hotel and transfer to
Yangon Airport for flight to Heho which is the gate way to Inle
Lake. Overland to Nyaung Shwe by car (1 hr drive) and take one
of the long out board motor boats of Inle area with comfortable
armed chairs to transfer to the scenic and serene Inle Princess
Resort with spacious teak chalet houses overlooking the lake on
the eastern shore.
Inle Princess Resort (B, L, D) |
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Day 3 - INLE
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 Located in the Shan State at 2950 ft above sea
level and ringed with mountains, Inle is a beautiful lake with
calm, crystalline water. The lake supports 17 villages on
stilts, mostly inhabited by the Intha people. You’ll observe
skillful fisherman in canoes using a leg-rowing technique that
frees up their arms to handle their zaung, an ingenious, conical
shaped bamboo-net trap used to catch fish. You’ll also observe
villagers anchoring patches of weed, silt, roots and soil to be
used as floating farms to cultivate tomatoes, squash, cucumbers
and flowers.Highlights of your private boat tour of Inle Lake
will include visits to the Jumping Cat Monastery, a cheroot
rolling factory, a silk weaving factory, the Wish Fulfilling and
Phaung Daw Oo Pagodas and the picturesque Indein village.
Inle
Princess Resort (B, L, D) |
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^^Top^^ |
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Day 4 - INLE / MANDALAY
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This morning, you’ll head by boat to a lakeside
village to observe a very lively and colorful market run by the
Pao people, who constitute the second largest tribe in the Heho
area. The Pao’s are particularly photogenic with their brightly
colored headdresses and handsome features. After the market,
you’ll be transferred by boat and car to Heho for your short
flight to Mandalay. Upon arrival you’ll be privately transferred
to your hotel. Though some local temples pre-date the city by
300 years, Mandalay was founded as the last royal capital in
1857, only 28 years before the British assumed control of the
region. Mandalay has since remained a cultural center and is
considered the most Burmese of Myanmar’s cities. This afternoon,
you’ll enjoy a private tour of Mandalay, visiting the Shwenandaw
Kyaung (Golden Palace Monastery), Mandalay Hill and Kuthodaw
pagoda, called “the world’s largest book” for the 729 stone
slabs on which are inscribed the whole of the Buddhist
scriptures.
This evening, you’ll enjoy a Burmese puppet show with
traditional dancing. Sedona Mandalay Hotel (B, L, D) |
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Day 5 - MANDALAY / INNWA (AVA)
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 This morning, you’ll stop at a gold leaf making
workshop before visiting the Maha Muni Pagoda (“Great Sage
pagoda”), which houses the most venerated Buddha image in
Mandalay. This exquisite image is cast of bronze but is lavishly
gilded with gold leafs placed on it by devout worshippers (and
some tourists). You will then proceed to Amarapura to visit the
prestigious Maha Ghandhayon Seminary, where 800 to 1,200 monks
clad in burgundy and orange robes study and live. At lunchtime,
you’ll observe them lining up and walking quietly, rice bowls in
hand, to collect one of their two daily meals from local
devotees.After lunch at Sagaing across Irrawaddy River drive
to the delightful town of Innwa (Ava), which was the capital of
the Burmese kingdom from 1364-1841. You’ll enjoy the drive
around Innwa, passing by picturesque villages, farms,
monasteries and pagodas sprinkled around the area within the old
city walls.
Sedona Mandalay Hotel (B, L, D) |
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Day 6 - MINGUN / BAGAN
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This morning, you’ll take a one hour boat trip up
the Irrawaddy River to the ancient city of Mingun, perhaps the
most charming and interesting village around Mandalay.
Accessible only by river, Mingun boasts the world’s largest
intact bell (87 tons), dedicated to the huge unfinished Mingun
pagoda, and intended to be the world’s largest. (King Bodawpaya
executed the artist who created the bell so as to prevent its
duplication.) Mingun also offers friendly inhabitants,
traditional thatch homes set amidst lush vegetation and the
beautiful Hsinbyume stupa. This afternoon, you’ll be
transferred to the airport for your short flight to Bagan. Bagan
is one of the wonders of Asia, a veritable sea of temples and
pagodas amid endless greenery and ubiquitous palm trees. By the
end of the Bagan Dynasty’s golden era (11th to 13th centuries),
Bagan had an estimated 4,446 temples and pagodas, reflecting a
period of extraordinary religious fervor. Currently, there are
2,217 temples and pagodas covering an area of 16 square miles,
the result of earthquakes, erosion, looting and ransacking.
Upon arrival, you will visit a temple for viewing the sunset
over Bagan from its top if time permits.
Thiripyitsaya Sakura Hotel (B, L, D) |
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^^Top^^ |
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Day 7 - BAGAN
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 This morning you will have the most memorable
moment of your life by seeing the valley of Bagan from the hot
air balloon at sunrise. It gives you the vivid bird’s eyes view
of the valley with 2217 temples. Many of these architectural
wonders are visually stunning, mixing gold, red brick and white
plaster in varying degrees. Many contain beautiful murals
depicting stories from the life of Buddha. After breakfast at
hotel, your tour will continue by car, visiting Ananda Temple,
Mingalazedi, Shezigon pagoda, Thatbyinnyu and others.You’ll
have lunch at an outdoor riverside restaurant in New Bagan,
overlooking the great Ayeyarwaddy River. Take a short break at
hotel.
Later in the afternoon you’ll embark on an easy bicycling
excursion (or horse cart ride) to visit some of the more
prominent temples and pagodas of Bagan’s central archaeological
zone.
Thiripyitsaya Sakura Hotel (B, L, D) |
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Day 8 - BAGAN / YANGON
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Morning flight to Yangon and private transfer to
your hotel. This afternoon, you’ll enjoy exploring Yangon
beginning with historic downtown district and continue to the
colonial-era Strand Hotel, the bustling Yangon river front with
stevedores carrying 110 lbs rice sacks on their shoulders. Then
take a stroll through the sprawling Bogyoke Aung San Market
(Scott Market) where everything such as gems, wooding carvings,
lacquer ware, textiles, cds and everything are sold under one
roof.
The Strand or Governor’s Residence (B, L, D) |
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Day 9 - YANGON / BANGKOK
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After breakfast at hotel you will be transferred
to Yangon International Airport for your departure flight to
Bangkok by TG#304 (ETD: 1010) or to Singapore by MI#515 (ETD:
1245) (B, _, _) |
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^^Top^^ |
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--- End Of Service --- |
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Place |
Hotel |
Room Category |
| Yangon |
Governor’s
Residence |
Governor’s
Room |
| Bagan |
Thiripyitsaya
Sakura |
River Suite |
| Mandalay |
Sedona
Mandalay |
Club Suite |
| Inle Lake |
Inle Princess
Resort |
Lake View
Chalet |
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Trip Cost (2007/2008)
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Luxury Category
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| Trip Cost |
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3215 USD* per person (Based on double
sharing) |
| Single Supplement from |
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1145 USD |
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| Deposit |
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50% of trip cost |
| Trip Length |
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9 days |
| Trip Grade |
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Easy |
| Accommodations |
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First Class & Deluxe |
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*Deduct $225 without hot air ballooning |
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Trip Cost Includes:
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- 8 nights accommodation - sharing a twin room in first
class and deluxe hotels
- All meals beginning with lunch on day 1 and ending with
breakfast on day 9
- All Internal Airfare
- Yangon airport international departure tax
- Porterage at airports
- All elective soft adventures (hot air ballooning &
bicycling in Bagan)
- Boat fare in Inle lake and to/from Mingun
- Bottled water and wet towels during sightseeing and
transfers
- Private touring and transfers
- Professional English-speaking tour guide throughout
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^^Top^^ |
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Trip Cost Excludes:
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- Obtaining Myanmar Visa at your end and Myanmar Visa Fees
- All International Airfare
- Any insurance, including travel insurance and personal
insurance
- Excess baggage charges
- Items of personal nature such as laundry, faxes, phone
calls, etc.
- Accommodations en route or return from Myanmar
- Services not mentioned in our itinerary
- Any item not specified as included
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Payment and Reservations
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Final payment of the deposit is due 60 days prior
to the arrival date. We have to secure our reserved rooms of
most of the hotels by paying half or full advance as earliest as
possible for there are limited number of the best hotels at each
destination. |
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Cancellation Policy
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We will do our best to accommodate any changes
you may request after your confirmation has been sent. If there
is a cancellation a fee is payable by you to our agency on the
following scale: Cancellations received between: |
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| 45-30 days of the scheduled arrival date |
10% of tour price |
| 29-22 days of scheduled arrival date |
20% of tour price |
| 21-14 days of scheduled arrival date |
50% of tour price |
| 13-7 days of scheduled arrival date |
75% of tour price |
| 6 or less days of scheduled arrival date |
100% of tour price |
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Trip Grade: Easy
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All included adventures are elective and low
intensity. Activities include bicycling, elephant back riding,
and walking. Adventures may be replaced at travelers request
with cultural excursions. Because the trip ventures into remote
areas, some discomfort may result from the elements, cultural
differences, rough roads and schedule changes. |
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^^Top^^ |
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Accommodations:
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Accommodations are based on double occupancy in
first class and deluxe hotels. Singles who sign up will be
subject to a single supplement charge. |
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Climate:
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The best time to travel in Myanmar is between the
months of November and March, when rainfall is minimal and
temperatures are more moderate. High temperatures range between
88-93 degrees, while lows are between 66 and 73 degrees. |
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^^Top^^ |
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Arcadia Travels Limited
R-3, 102, Pan Hlaing Estate,Sanchaung Township 11111
Yangon, MYANMAR.
Tel/Fax: (+951) 505 405
Email:
Website: www.myanmartravelport.com
www.arcadiatravels.com
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