Myanmar Rediscovered

• Bagan’s stunning Plain of Temples from above and below via hot-air balloon and overland excursions
• Shin Pyu initiation ceremony, Buddhist monuments, boat excursions, and stilt villages at Inle Lake
• Shrines and monasteries of Mandalay; Yangon with a pre-dawn visit to gleaming Shwedagon Pagoda
• Rural adventures visiting a pottery village, Danu community, and conservation-focused elephant camp
• Burmese cuisine through cooking demos and classes, market visits, and special dining experiences

Off the travel radar for decades, this trip returns to some of Myanmar’s classic sights and explores new experiences and exchanges with local people who give fresh insight into how life has changed in recent years.

Starting in Yangon, meander markets, sample savory cuisine, and watch the light play off the golden Shwedagon Pagoda at dawn. Taste your way through Bagan, where between bites you explore the thousands of temples that punctuate the landscape, including a birds-eye view from hot-air balloons. Visit a rural village on the banks of the Irrawaddy River and sail to historic Mandalay, where an enduring teak wood monastery and sunset stroll on the world’s longest teak bridge are among the highlights.

Travel to Shan State, where hill tribe communities farm tea and mangoes in the highlands and Buddha-filled caves delight. Spend a wonderful morning feeding and bathing retired elephants in the river valley before heading for peaceful Inle Lake. Glide between leg-rowing fishermen and romantic temples at the lake’s edge, and witness young Buddhist monks entering the monastery in the Shin Pyu ceremony before returning to Yangon.