The main stupa at Shwedagon, Yangon, Myanmar. Image © Getty Images.
Myanmar has not gotten a lot of good press lately, but things are changing. With international sanctions slowly easing and the country getting some much-needed attention from travel professionals, travel operators like Friendly Planet Travel are making inroads into the country, allowing travelers to discover the magic of what was once Southeast Asia's hermit kingdom.
"Myanmar is one of the most up-and-coming travel destinations in all of Asia, and we are thrilled to be one of the few tour operators offering a trip there," says Peggy Goldman, President of Friendly Planet Travel. "In a land of timeless beauty, isolated for so many years, Myanmar is a must for travelers looking for a truly authentic destination."
Ancient temples and pagodas in Bagan, Myanmar. Image © Getty Images.
Friendly Planet Travel's offers a 13-day Mystical Myanmar tour that lets travelers become trailblazers in an untainted travel destination. The tour starts in Myanmar's capital city of Yangon, proceeding to the archaeological treasure of Bagan, where guests can see the city's well-preserved pagodas up close - Shwezigon, Gubyaukgyi, Htilominlo, and the Ananda Temple, among others, await.
A visit to the busy Nyaung Oo market and a meet-and-greet with the locals in the small Phwar Saw Village follow the temple jaunt, concluding with a pony cart ride through Bagan and a sunset cruise along the Ayeyarwady River.
Visitors then proceed to the legendary Mandalay, the last capital of the third Myanmar Empire, where they can see the Mahamuni Pagoda (where the most sacred statue of Buddha in Myanmar resides) and Shwe Kyaung, "the Golden Palace Monastery" (home to a series of famous woodcarvings).
Buddhist monks walking down road near Lake Inle, Shan State, Myanmar. Image © Getty Images.
From there, travelers will join a morning boat excursion to Mingun and its Buddhist shrines, monasteries, and meditation centers. At Mingun, they can explore one of the most famous buildings in the world - the unfinished pagoda started in 1790 by King Bodawpaya.
They'll continue to Ava, an ancient village renowned for its picturesque ruins, before crossing over a bridge across the Ayeyarwady River to Sagaing, the living center of Buddhist faith in Myanmar. After a short flight to Heho, travelers will experience a private boat ride to the Shan State on Inle Lake, a vast, picturesque lake surrounded by hazy-blue mountains. The lake's native lake-dwellers, known as Inthas, are famous for rowing their boats with one leg.
After a relaxing day by Inle Lake, travelers will return to Nyaung Shwe by boat and head to Heho for the return flight to Yangon. Travelers will spend their remaining days in Myanmar exploring the capital, seeing the magnificent gold-plated Shwedagon Pagoda and partaking of of authentic Chinese cuisine in Yangon's Chinatown.
People praying at Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar. Image © Getty Images.
Friendly Planet's 13-day Mystical Myanmar tour is available for $2,799 on the departure date of May 12. For just $100 more, travelers can start their journey on April 21, if booked by March 30.
The Mystical Myanmar Tour includes round-trip airfare from Los Angeles; all intra-Myanmar flights and ground transportation; accommodations in deluxe and superior first-class hotels; a daily breakfast buffet, seven lunches, and five dinners; and comprehensive sightseeing with an English-speaking tour guide.
For more information about Friendly Planet Travel's Mystical Myanmar tour, please visit the company's website at www.FriendlyPlanetTravel.com; the blog at blog.FriendlyPlanet.com; or contact Jackie Zima at 610-228-2138 (office), 215-534-2973 (mobile), or write to Jackie@GregoryFCA.com.