lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

PLAN YOUR TRIP

ITINERARIES

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MYANMAR

LAOS

VIETNAM

BANGLADESH

THAILAND

CAMBODIA

CHINA

INDIA

Myitkyina

Katha Bhamo

Kyaukmyaung

Shwebo

Monywa

Amarapura

andalay

yin Oo Lwin

Pakokku

Pyay Taungoo

Ya n g o n

Chaung

Tha Beach

Ngwe

Saung

Hsipaw

Kyauktan

Thanlyin

Shwegu

eiktila

ANDAMAN

SEA

Bay of

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Sinbo

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No Fees Please!

Down the Ayeyarwady

18 Days

No Fees Please!

Limit the amount of money that goes

to the government by following this

itinerary; it ventures off the beaten

track and covers mainly private busi-

nesses. In Yangon visit the 2000-year-old

Sule Paya while on a downtown walking

tour. Hop on a ferry to explore nearby rural

villages Thanlyin and Kyauktan, return-

ing to Yangon to catch an overnight bus to

Mandalay. Skip the $10 government fee by

visiting alternative sights, such as Yankin

Paya, and by making a day trip to Ama-

rapura. Bus or taxi into the Shan Hills at

Hsipaw and take a privately guided trek

to Palaung villages. After two nights, taxi

downhill to Pyin Oo Lwin for a night in the

old British hill station. Bus hop from Man-

dalay back to Yangon via the lakeside town

of Meiktila and the 16th-century capital of

Taungoo, which off ers a delightful guest-

house overlooking a beguiling rural scene.

From Yangon, take either a boat or a bus to

low-key Pathein to pick up a sun parasol

from private workshops, then fi nish with a

couple of days sunning yourself with the lo-

cals at either Chaung Tha Beach or Ngwe

Saung Beach.

24-28 Days

Down the Ayeyarwady

Fly to Myitkyina, capital of Kachin

State and home to two of Myanmar’s

most colourful festivals. A pair of one-

day river-boat rides descend through

the Ayeyarwady River’s fi rst defi le to at-

tractive old Bhamo with an overnight stop

along the way in the delightful car-less village

of Sinbo. Choose a fast boat or slow ferry

to historic Shwegu through the grander,

shorter second defi le, and then continue on

to Katha, a former colonial outpost where

George Orwell based his Burmese Days.

From Katha express boats can zoom south

all the way to Mandalay in one day. Alter-

natively, continue down river by slow ferry,

spending a couple of nights aboard, and pos-

sibly jumping ship at Kyaukmyaung with

its fascinating riverside pottery factories.

An hour’s drive west is the former Burmese

capital Shwebo, from which you can head by

road to Mandalay or to appealing Monywa

and colourful Pakokku. From Pakokku you

can board a ferry to Myanmar’s multi-temple

masterpiece, Bagan. If you head direct from

Katha to Mandalay, visit the nearby ancient

city sites, including Mingun and Inwa, before

jumping on an Ayeyarwady boat to Bagan, or

even a plumping for a bargain four-day river

odyssey all the way to Pyay.

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