Min Gala Ba! Welcome to Myanmar. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm today. You can arrive at any time during the day as there are no activities planned until this important meeting. Please check with hotel reception or look on the reception noticeboard for where and when the meeting will take place. If you're going to be late, please inform reception. We'll be collecting your insurance details and next of kin information at this meeting, so please ensure you have all these details to provide to your leader. If you have free time to explore before the meeting, we recommend stepping out onto the streets of Yangon. Why not head over to Bogyoke Market and haggle with the locals? There’s also Sule Paya Pagoda, a 2000-year-old golden temple, and the Gems Museum, which houses some of the world’s largest sapphire, ...

Start the day with a city walking tour of Yangon. Your leader will show you the city centre and some major attractions around town. In the afternoon, you’ll visit the holiest shrine in the country, the Shwedagon Paya. This gold-gilded pagoda is studded with diamonds and gems, and said to contain eight hairs of the Buddha. It’s a particularly impressive sight at sunset when the lights come on and the stupa shines beautifully. We also head down to Kandawgyi Lake, where you’ll see Karaweik Hall, a reconstruction of a golden royal barge floating on the eastern side.

Rise for a very early start today, for your morning flight to Nyuang-U (about one and a half hours). From there, transfer to the ancient city of Bagan (about 20 minutes). Bagan is an archaeological site where Theravada Buddhism was first introduced to the Kingdom. It was once the site of 10,000 temples, pagodas and monasteries and still has over 2,000 brick and gilded ruins. You’ll start your visit with an orientation tour of the town and visit the archaeological site tomorrow. After the orientation tour, head to the nearby Shwezigon Paya, one of the town's main Buddhist sites, also incorporating a compound dedicated to the pre-Buddhism deities, the 37 Nats.

Spend the entire day sightseeing in Bagan. You’ll be given a bicycle and toured through the site by a local guide. You’ll get to see many of the large and impressive temples such as Ananda Pahto, Htilominlo Temple, That Bin Nyu Paya (the highest pagoda in Bagan), Dhammayangyi Pahto and Shwesandaw Paya, as well as some of the smaller hidden gems. Exploring the temple site by bike is a great way to take in the atmosphere of this amazing place. There are also many opportunities to climb stairs to vantage points and capture some magical views. To fully enjoy the day out, please make sure you wear comfortable clothes and adequate protection from the sun (long sleeves, sunglasses and hat). After touring the temples, head back to the hotel for a short rest before heading out again to see the enormous Shwe Sandaw Temple at sunset. ...

Enjoy a free day in the area of Bagan. You may like to spend more time exploring the stalls at the archaeological site, the cafes in town, or the nearby Nyaung U Market – one of the more interesting markets in the country. Other places of interest include the Archaeological Museum and the Royal Palace. Taxis to these local sites cost around MMK5,000. Another option is to take a day trip to Mt Popa, a mountain topped with monasteries and stupas. Climb the 777 steps to enjoy incredible views from the top and make a visit to the strange shrine devoted to the 37 Nat spirits. Your leader can help you arrange transport to Mt Popa for the best price, starting from MMK60 000, and the cost can be split between participating group members.

Venture off the tourist path today, further into central Myanmar. Travel by private minibus for around two hours, stopping along the way at a local market. Arrive at your unique community lodge outside the town of Myaing, north of Bagan. You'll be one of the first to experience this new community-based tourism initiative – the first of its kind in Myanmar. Arrive at the community lodge, then head out on a bicycle for the afternoon and ride around the nearby villages. Stop at the first village for lunch and enjoy a presentation about the project from a local member of the community (your leader will translate). The activities and meals are shared amongst the four villages nearby, so that they all benefit from the project. This is also a great opportunity to practice your Burmese. Visit a thanka farm and try out the genuine prod...

Wake up early this morning and cycle to the small, 170-year-old wooden monastery nearby. A couple more minutes on the bike and you’ll stop at a village for a simple local breakfast prepared by the residents. This is another great chance to strike up a conversation and practice your language skills. After breakfast you’ll cycle to another village and visit a women’s cooperative to learn about their weaving, sewing and craft (this is where Intrepid bags are made). Pedal back to the lodge mid-morning and bid farewell to the community. Travel on a private bus towards Mandalay with a lunch stop en route. Along the way, you’ll visit the beautiful Sagaing Temples, a collection of gilded stupas on the nearby hills. Total driving time from the community lodge to Mandalay is about six hours.

This morning your leader will take you on a walking tour of Mandalay. After seeing the town close up, you’ll take a boat down the famous Ayeyarwady River to Mingun. Here you’ll see the Mingun Pahtodawgyi, an enormous stupa which would have been the largest in the world if it had been completed. You’ll also see the world’s largest ringing bell and the beautiful white Hsinphymae Pagoda which sits nearby. After the excursion to Mingun, return to Mandalay where you’ll have some free time to do some optional activities. Perhaps find some quiet moments at the ancient Sweinbin Teak Monastery, or try your hand at gold leaf making in the Gold Pounders District. There’s also the Mahamuni Buddha Temple, an important pilgrimage site complete with giant golden Buddha. Tonight visit Mandalay Hill, which is where Lord Buddha is said...

Today will be a long day of driving towards Kalaw. Along the way, you’ll visit the U Bein Bridge, the longest teakwood bridge in the world. You then head onto the Great Road of China, a new superhighway built by the Chinese. Finally, make your way into the mountains of Shan state and experience the stunning scenery of the area.

Today is a full day of hiking around the hills around Kalaw (approximately 6 hours). A local guide will take you to a tea plantation and some small villages. Stop and chat with locals along the way and have lunch at one of the small settlements. This experience will take you off the beaten track and away from the tourist throng. If there’s time in the evening, you might like to visit some of the lovely pagodas around town as well as a local market. Notes: While today's walk is not difficult, you’ll cover about 20 kilometres in total and will be on your feet for most of the day. You’ll need a reasonable level of fitness for this part of the trip, and remember to bring appropriate hiking shoes. A support vehicle can be arranged to access the trails upon request from the halfway mark, so this means that you’ll need to be able...

Leave Kalaw for Nyuangshwe today, where you’ll be spending time around Inle Lake. You’ll set off across the mountains and farms and stop off at the Pindaya Caves, one of the Golden Caves in Shan state. Pilgrims flock here to worship the 8,000 golden Buddha images within the caverns, tunnels and chambers of the huge limestone cave. The drive will take you to the resort town of Nyuanshwe which will be our base for the next few days as we explore Inle Lake.

Start the day by heading out in a motorised boat. You’ll see local life on the lake, including fisherman who use a distinctive leg-rowing technique on their boats, floating tomato plantations and cottage industries such as silversmiths, weavers and cigar makers. If you’re lucky, you might even see the floating market which circles the lake every five days. Here you can buy traditional wares produced by the locals. For lunch we visit Phaung Daw Oo Paya, the most religious site in the region. Eat near the beautiful pagoda and then take a quick look inside at the various images of Buddha. You can also see a golden barge which is used during Phaung Daw Oo festival. Make a few more stops at local villages to meet the locals, then head back to your accommodation in Nyaungshwe.

Enjoy a free day around Inle Lake. Perhaps visit the Mingala morning market or Nyuangshwe's oldest Buddhist monastery, Yadana Man Aung Paya. For those wishing to venture further afield, you could hire a bike and cycle to the nearby hot springs, villages or temples. Perhaps join a tour to the Red Mountain Estate Winery or a boat trip to the Inthein villages. The price of these activities will depend on the number of people joining. Ask your leader about doing these optional activities. In the evening, enjoy a traditional Shan banquet. Notes: Due to the extremely high volume of tourists currently visiting Inle Lake we are not always able to secure our preferred accommodation. At times like these we may need to stay in a property with a lower room standard than in other destinations on this trip.

Bid farewell to the splendour of Shan state and make your way to the airport in Heho. From here, take a one-hour flight back to the hustle and bustle of Yangon. The journey ends with an optional final dinner and night out on the town in Yangon.

Go beyond the city centre and see a real cross-section of life in Yangon on a full day tour, taking the Circular train on a steady loop through suburban Yangon. Travel with the locals as you sit back and see the world of Yangon's residents. For today you will have a local guide. Meet at 8.30 AM in front of the Asia Plaza hotel. From here you will head to the Central Railway Station. There are a couple of stops along the way, to go wandering through a local market, then another for lunch, before walking through some streets rarely explored by visitors. The tour will return to your hotel mid afternoon. As this is a combination trip, your group leader and the composition of your group may change at this location. There will be a group meeting on the evening to discuss the next stage of your itinerary and you're welcome to attend, ...

Enjoy a free day in Yangon today. Perhaps go search for a bargain in Bogyoke Market, or venture to the southern side of the river to Twante.

Pack an overnight bag for the one-night stop in Kyaiktiyo. The remainder of your luggage can be stored on the bus which will be waiting at the base camp while you're visiting the pagoda. Travel by road to Kyaiktiyo, home of the Golden Rock (190km, approx. 4 hr). Along the way you will stop at Bago, the ancient centre of the Mon kingdom in the 13th century. Here you will visit the Shwemawdaw Pagoda, which is even larger than the famous Shwedagon Pagoda, and the Shwethalyaung Buddha, one of the largest Reclining Buddhas in existence. After exploring Bago, you will continue to Kyaiktiyo for the night. It is approximately a five-hour drive to the base camp at Kinponsakan, where you will transfer to an open air truck with basic wooden bench style seating, and take a bumpy drive for 45 minutes up a steep hill to Rathedaung. A...

Enjoy sunrise at Golden Rock, then truck back to base before the drive to Hpa An (105 km, approx. 4 hr) travelling through picturesque countryside and sugarcane fields. On the way we stop off at Kawkune Caves to see the 7th century stone carvings and clay Buddhas hidden inside. After arriving in Hpa-an, we'll head to the Shweyinhmyaw Pagoda for sunset.

This morning visit the local market, Kyaikalatt Pagoda and Lombumni Garden with its thousand Buddha image located at the base of Mt. Zwegabin. In the afternoon, depart for Mawlamyine (approx. 2 hours). En-route stop in at U Na Auk's Monastery. The shrines might not be as old as some others that you will see, but they are interesting because of the mixture of traditional and more modern architectural styles. U Na Auk is famed for his business which ran in competition to the British during the Colonial era. Mawlamyine was British Burma’s administrative centre between 1872 & 1852 as well as first British settlement in Myanmar.

The following morning we start off with a trip to the local markets before entering the Seindon Mibaya Kyuang, which was formerly the last queen of Myanmar's residence. Free time this afternoon to take a boat to the delightfully named Shampoo Island (Gaungse Kyun). The pretty little island is named after the fact that water from a spring on the island used to be used for the annual royal hairwashing ceremony. The stupa on the island is said to contain a hair of the Buddha! The cost of this transport can be split between the participants. Spend sunset tonight at Kyaithalan Paya.

Today we will travel to nearby Ogre Island (Bili Kyun) to witness some of the many cottage industries of the local communities. All kinds of crafts are made here, such as pipes, walking sticks and products from coconut fibre. In the afternoon we take the ferry back to Mawlamyine where we stay for the night.

Begin our long day of driving today with a trip to Thanbyuzayat, (60 km/approx. 90 mins) where we visit the Death Railway Cemetery which contains more than 3000 graves of the WWII Allied POWs who were set to work building this rail link between Thailand and Burma. Continue the drive to Dawei (Tavoy - approx 6 hours), a rarely visited seaside town.

After stopping by the morning market, we travel by coach for 90 mins before changing to a light truck for the 30 min drive to a fishing village on an offshore island where we learn about the local way of life, including the fish drying industry. In the afternoon, visit to Maungmagan beach and have plenty of time to relax before our border crossing day tomorrow. This evening enjoy a home cooked dinner in the home of a local family.

A long drive today, approximately 8 hours in total, so make sure you have some snacks for the journey. Firstly travel along a winding dirt road (6 hours) to the Myanmar/Thailand border at Htiki. The distance between the 2 borders is around 5km. Say goodbye to your Myanmar leader here and meet your Thai leader at the Baan Nam Pu Ron immigration point. From here it is 66km to Kanchanaburi, which will take around 1.5 hours.

Enjoy a free day kayaking or maybe pick up some tips at a local cooking school.

Visit the Erawan Waterfall before transferring to Hellfire Pass. From there we will drive to Nam Tok train station for a rail trip along the Death Railway and see the Bridge Over the River Kwai before heading back to Kanchanaburi for the night.

Our final leg of the trip takes us to Thailand's capital, Bangkok (approx 2 hours 30 mins). Depending on the time of our departure and arrival, there may be free time for optional activities in Bangkok before our optional final night dinner with the group.

There are no activities planned for the final day and you are able to depart the accommodation at any time. Consider booking some extra nights to explore the history and the beauty of Thailand’s vibrant capital.