Mandalay City Tour

In order to have the explicit knowledge of Mandalay, You will need to spend about three or four days.Start the Mandalay sightseeing from the busy ZEGYO MARKET (closed on Sabbath days and gazette holidays). Then visit to MAHAMUNI Pagoda, home to Mandalay's holiest Buddha statue. Stop to see Stone Carving and, later, to see Gold Leaf being beaten into tissue thin pieces. Then, Visit to Myanansankyaw Palace: the last royal capital of the Myanmar monarchy, rebuilt long after it had been bombing in the Second World War. In the afternoon, visit SHWENANDAW MONASTERY, an ancient wooden building with intricate carvings, which was once King Mindon's home. Continue to KUTHODAW to see the 'world’s largest book', being the Buddhist Scriptures inscribed on marble slabs. Visit Kyaukdawgyi Pagoda to see a large Buddha statue carved out of a single block of local marble.   Enjoy spectacular views at sunset from MANDALAY HILL where there are interesting glass-studded temples. The scenery from Mandalay Hill is extremely different.

Mandalay Day Return Trip

AMARAPURA - MINGUN

Morning boat trip to MINGUN, site of an earthen brick pagoda towering 50 meters above the Ayeyarwady River, and home to the world’s largest ringing Bell of 90 tons in weight and unfinished pagoda to go with it. Mingun Pagoda was dedicated to be the world largest monument however which today stood uncompleted. After that, visit to Settaw Yar Pagoda across from the PondawYar Pagoda. Then to Mya Thein Dan Pagoda which is astounding for its architectural design. From there, go to Daw Oo Zun Home for the Age in the north of Mingun Village. Visit around Mingun Villages by bullock cart is also exhilarating.The Boat Trip is interesting because you will see all types of wooden boats and bamboo rafts, carrying goods up and down the river.

AMARAPURA

In the late afternoon, cross back to Mandalay and go to Amarapura, observe the Hteravada Buddhist Monks’ daily life at Mahagandayone Buddhist Monastery which is the biggest Buddhist University in Upper Myanmar, the most interesting site in Amarapura. Cross over 1.2 km long U Bein Teak Wooden Bridge, built above the seasonal Taung Thaman Lake in 1786 with over 1700 discarded palace huge teak pillars which have stood firm for 150 years and enjoying the sunset is very special. If you have extra time, you can visit to the village at the other side of Taungthaman Lake and observe the rural life and also can visit to Kyauktawgyi Pagoda built in 1849 is designed as Anandar Pagoda in Bagan. On the way back, you can cross the lake by boat instead of walking again over the bridge is also enjoyable side track.

AVA - SAGAING

Across Ava Bridge to take the local ferry to visit Innwa (AVA), located on an island between the Ayeyarwady and the Myitnge Rivers. You will visit Innwa by horse carts and pass through the ANCIENT CITY WALLS to visit a brick and stucco monastery called MAHA AUNGMYE BONZAN (also known as Queen Mae Nu Ok Kyaung). There has a Judson Memorial Stone about 200 yards away from Okkyaung.  Continue to 17 meters high NANMYIN WATCH TOWER –  climb to the top offers exquisite views over the river, you can see the green panorama of Sagaing hill dotted with  numerous pagodas and white wash Kaungmudaw Pagoda at distant. Observe also to the impressive wooden monastery of BAGAYA KYAUNG upright with teak pillars amounting to 267 in total.

SAGAING

Sail up the river or drive to Sagaing where visit the picturesque SAGAING HILL which is perhaps the living centre of Buddhist faith in Myanmar today. Hillsides are dotted with numerous pagodas and monasteries. Among them, Visit to Famous SunOo PonyaShin Pagoda, Umin Thonezei (means thirty Caves) and Some Nannaries houses. Then down the Hill and Visit to Kaung Mudaw Pagoda built by King Bodaw Payar in 18 centuary and noteworthy for its massive structure, prototype of Sanchi Pagoda in India.  On the way back to Mandalay, jump down near the 1.5 km long AVA Bridge and study Thapyay Dan Fort which was built by an Italian engineer in 1860. Then cross the 1.5 km long AVA Bridge.

PYIN OO LWIN

Pyin Oo Lwin (May Myo), one-time British hill town hideaway, about two hours drive from Mandalay, offers cool weather, eclectic architecture and stagecoaches. The streets in the town are an interesting place to walk about, lined with a mishmash of building styles; iron grillwork, balconies, chimneys and wood-carved decorations accent the architecture. The town's clock tower, the Purcell Tower with its Big Ben chime, the Peik Chin Myaing Cave, which houses many Buddha images, and some models of Myanmar's most revered pagodas. The cave lies in a beautiful setting with some waterfalls around. It is a favorite weekend destination for local tourists. Also interest of place is the national Kandawgyi Botanical Garden. The garden, founded back in 1915, is home to a large variety of trees and flowers from Myanmar and abroad as well as numerous birds. Through the steep hill track across from the Kandawgyi National Park, is the National Landmark Garden with the complete miniature of Myanmar Landmark, the most beautiful BE waterfall, and wondering around the town with horse cart offers great pleasure and enjoyment.

MONYWA

About 4 hours drive out of Mandalay, we can get to Monywa lies on the banks of the Chindwin River, 140-km northwest of Mandalay. It is the gateway for excursions to the cave temples of Phowin Taung, situated across the river and reached by ferry. The caves are famous for their Buddha statues, mural paintings and wood carvings. There are quite a few legends about the caves, related mostly to nats (the Myanmar spirits). There are supposed to have been over 400,000 Buddha image carved out in the caves. Another highly important attraction is Thambuddhe (or Sambuddha Kat Kyaw) Pagoda, completed in 1951 after 12 years of construction with over 800 small stupas on and around the pagoda. There are also reportedly 582,357 Buddha statues on the ceiling, walls, and archways with niches in and on the temple compound.