Pandaw Cruise Myanmar 7 nights

Transfer from airport to ship. Embark for lunch and afternoon excursion to central Mandalay visiting the palace and hill areas, crafts workshops and shopping. Overnight Sagaing Jetty.

We sail to Mingun where we see the largest working bell in the world and the unfinished pagoda, being the largest single mass brick building on earth. We also visit the Mingun Old Peoples’ Home, originally established with the assistance of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company in the 1930s.

In the afternoon, we drive to Amarapura, the former capital of Myanmar where we enjoy a boat trip on the Taungthaman lake and watch the sunset behind the world’s longest teak bridge – U Bein Bridge. We will also see silk weavers at work in their shop. Overnight at Sagaing Jetty.

Set sail at 8.30am for Yandabo village which is famous for its production of terracotta pottery using riverbank clay. The afternoon is spent in the village watching the tradesmen at work. Sail to Shwe Than Tint to spend the night.

Sail to Pakokku where we explore the colourful local market and town using the popular tuk tuk as our transport. In the afternoon we will moor at the foot of the Tan-Chi-Taung mountains and ascend by WWII jeep to visit a selection of the 3,000 listed monuments at this World Heritage Site. Overnight in Tan-Chi-Taung.

Between Tan-Chi-Taung and Salay we take a pause to make a rewarding visit to one of eight clinics in the Pagan area which is supported by the Pandaw Charity.

Our next scheduled stop is at Salay, once a bustling trading port but is now a sleepy village filled with colonial architectural treasures and timeless teak monasteries and home to the best-known teak carved monastery in Burma.

We end the day and stay overnight at Pakhannge, a Pagan dynasty city with several period temples and a collection of 18th and 19th wood carved monasteries from the Konbaung Period. This was the last Burmese monarchy before British colonial rule.

More about Salay and Salay House

(Add this as a click through in black font with 2 photos- one of Yout-saun-kyaung monastery and one of Salay House from their website)

Salay can truly claim to have stepped off the beaten tourist track.  It first emerged during the 12th and 13th centuries as an overspill of Old Pagan and pagodas of the era are scattered in and around the town.

The Mann Paya Buddha is one such relic. Legend has it that local villagers spotted the hollow 20-foot wooden statue floating downriver after heavy flooding in 1888. The villagers dragged it ashore and coated it in gold lacquer.  The Mann Paya is believed to be one of the only lacquered and largest Buddha images in the country. Nobody knows for certain who carved it, but its style suggests an origin of around 1300 AD.

The only remnants of the Burma Oil Company are the crumbling colonial houses in hues of peeling blues and greens which housed rig workers in the area from 1886. These are partly disguised behind an avenue of starfruit trees,

SALAY HOUSE is another highlight of this village. A beautifully restored trading company warehouse built on the banks of the Irrawaddy in 1906 and now operated as a museum. This is a cultural and historical addition to our itinerary where you can enjoy learning about British Colonial Burma through information panels set among artifacts and antiques. There is an outdoor decking where you can enjoy classic Burmese dishes and admire the view over the Irrawaddy. http://www.salayhouseburma.com

We enjoy a day of sailing and sights along the way to Pagan where we tie up late afternoon for overnight stay.

Enjoy a full day exploring Pagan and visit lacquer workshops.

Disembarkation in Pagan.

Please Note: There is no late check out possible.