zGolden Treasures of Myanmar Land and Cruise

Welcome to Yangon, a former royal capital known as the “Garden City of the East” for its lush tropical setting. Transfer to your hotel for check-in and spend the rest of the day at your leisure.

Your full-day tour includes: a visit to the city center and the unusually shaped Sule Pagoda; a photo stop at Kandawgyi Lake; Bogyoke Aung San Market (Scott’s Market), where you can shop for handicrafts, clothing and local delicacies; the massive reclining Buddha at Chaukhtautgyi Temple; and Shwedagon Pagoda, one of Myanmar’s most iconic religious sites. Meals B

Check out of your hotel after breakfast and transfer to the airport for a short flight to Mandalay, the last royal capital of the Burmese kingdom. Tonight, meet your fellow travelers at a Welcome Dinner. Meals B,L,D

This morning you’ll tour the village of Mingun, where you will see its famous 12-foot high bronze bell and the massive ruins of Pathodawgyi (the “unfinished pagoda”), originally intended to be 499 feet high. Although only a third of it was ever completed, it remains the world’s largest brick pagoda. Alternatively, take a tuk-tuk ride through Mingun to explore the sights. You’ll also have a chance to visit the Myatheindan Pagoda, built in 1816 and painted white as a representation of the mythological Buddhist mountain, Mount Meru. Another option today in Mingun allows you to visit the Pathodawgyi, the Mingun bronze bell, and also offers you a chance to climb to the top of Myatheindan Pagoda (77 steps). In the afternoon, explore the legendary city of Mandalay. Your tour includes many of the city’s most iconic sights, including the bronze Mahamuni Buddha, covered by the faithful with a thick layer of gold leaf. Visit the workshops of skilled craftsmen making thin sheets of gold, marble carvings and tapestries. Stop at Kuthodaw Pagoda (said to contain the world’s largest book, Buddhist scriptures inscribed on 729 marble slabs), and Shwenandaw Monastery, an architectural masterpiece filled with wood carvings. Before returning the ship, watch an unforgettable sunset at the world’s longest teak wood footbridge, the U-Bein Bridge. Meals B,L,D

The ship stops today at the former royal capital of Sagaing, famous for its hundreds of monasteries and its tranquil atmosphere. In Sagaing, you will visit a local monastic school and Soonuponyashin Pagoda. Continue on to Inwa (Ava), capital of the Burmese kingdom for more than four centuries, where you will see the sights in a horse-drawn carriage. Highlights include the Bagaya monastery, built entirely of teak. Meals B,L,D

Arrive in Yandabo, a peaceful village known for its finely crafted terracotta wares. See a pottery-making demonstration by local artisans as well as glimpses of typical village life. Later, your ship’s Sun Deck offers the perfect vantage point for your first glimpse of the plain of Bagan, one of the world’s most awe-inspiring archeological sites. Upon arrival in Bagan, you will have two tour options. Choose to visit an observation tower where you will enjoy a beautiful sunset while sipping on a refreshing cocktail. Afterwards, transfer to a local temple and participate in a candle lighting ceremony blessed by local monks. Or you may choose to watch the sunset from the top of Guni Temple instead, and then meet with your fellow travelers at the temple for the candle lighting ceremony. Meals B,L,D

Your full day in Bagan offers you three sightseeing choices. The first is climbing to the observation deck (250 steps) or the top (777 steps) of Mount Popa, legendary home of animist nat spirits. Afterwards, stop for lunch and enjoy a tasting of Jaggery, a palm sugar that is made from the Totty Palm Tree. Alternatively, you may enjoy free time to shop and explore other attractions at the Mount Popa Resort. Your third option is an excursion to some of the most distinctive pagodas in the Bagan Archaeological Zone, like Shwezigan Pagoda and the Ananda temple. Afterwards, you will spend some time at the lively Nyaungoo market, where you can search for local handicrafts, colorful textiles and other unique souvenirs. Later, visit the 13th century Gubyaulgyi Temple, which is situated near the Wetkyi-inn Village, and the Pyathada temple. Meals B,L,D

Join your fellow passengers for an excursion up Tant Kyi Taung Mountain to visit its famous pagoda, built in the year 1059 by King Anawrahta and known to house a sacred Buddha relic. The ship then cruises on to Salay, a small community that boasts more than 50 monasteries. Visit Yokesonekyaung, built in 1882 and the region’s oldest surviving wooden monastery, famous for its wood carvings and collection of religious artifacts. You will also see a splendid colonial-era house and the Man Pagoda, which contains the largest lacquer Buddha in Myanmar. Meals B,L,D

Today you will visit Magwe and take a panoramic coach tour to see the Mud Volcano in Minbu, the mythical home of fire breathing dragons living deep beneath the earth. You’ll also see the General Aung San “Bogyoke” Statue and the Myathalon Pagoda, situated on the banks of the river. Meals B,L,D

Your day begins with an exciting trishaw ride through the village of MaGwe, after which you will stop at a local market. Later in the afternoon journey to Minhla, the site of a great battle during the Second Anglo-Burmese War. Today’s walking tour will take on a visit of a Colonial-era Fort, constructed by two Italian brothers in 1860 to keep the British forces at bay. After a series of conflicts, the fort ultimately fell to the British in 1885. Meals B,L,D

Tha Yet Myo is a pleasant town that once guarded the border between Royal Burma and British Burma after the Second Anglo-Burmese War of 1855. It has a number of well-preserved colonial-style houses and buildings dating from the mid-1800s, as well as one of the oldest golf courses in all of Myanmar. Take a walk through the greens of this historic golf course and enjoy a visit to one of the oldest post offices in the region. In the afternoon you’ll enjoy a glimpse of rural village life in the small town of Pha Hto. Meet the locals and visit a nearby school where the children have prepared a special performance for their visitors. Meals B,L,D

After the ship arrives in Pyay, take a walking tour of this former capital that once served as an important junction between Lower and Upper Burma and home to more than 80 gilded pagodas. During your city tour you will see the ancient Sri Kestra City Gate, enjoy a visit to the Sri Kestra Museum and the Payagi Pagoda. Meals B,L,D

After breakfast aboard the AmaPura, board a motor coach for the drive to Yangon. Check in to your hotel and spend the rest of the day at your leisure. Meals B

Bid farewell to Myanmar and prepare for your homeward journey or your optional post-cruise extension to Inle Lake. Meals B