"This is Burma, and it will be quite unlike any land you know about,” wrote Kipling. Compelling highpoints of this slumbering, courageous, kindly land: Yangon (whose Shwedagon Temple the Raj’s laureate called “a golden mystery . . . a beautiful winking wonder that blazed in the sun”); the Plain of Temples at Bagan; a deluxe cruise along the ever-shifting extravaganza of the Irrawaddy River; exquisite Mandalay; and a flight up to the Shan Hills’ gorgeous Inle Lake. (And, for those who wonder, we’re convinced that tourism to Burma is an unquestionable net plus for the Burmese people. They’ve told us so, often.)

Day 1: arrive in Yangon • Day 2: fly to Bagan • Day 3: board Pandaw • Day 4: cruising on the Irrawaddy River • Day 5: arrive in Mandalay • Day 6: fly to Heho • Day 7: Inle Lake • Day 8: fly back to Yangon • Day 9: depart.

Angkor Extension is available for this trip

Beyond the Last Village is available for this trip

Hiking in Shan State: Kengtung is available for this trip

Hiking in Shan State: Pindaya is available for this trip

Laos Extension is available for this trip

Maymyo and Hsipaw is available for this trip

The Golden Rock is available for this trip

The Lost Kingdom of Arakan is available for this trip