Ayeyarwady Explorer

12 day(s) 11 nights

Ayeyarwady Explorer

Tour Overview

This enjoyable cruise is a distinctive way to explore the outstanding beauty of Ayeyarwady from Yangon to Mandalay. For 12 days, passengers are about to unearth the magical temples of Bagan, remote land of Pyu and signatures of Burma kingdom in Mandalay.

Tour Highlights

Travel Itinerary

12 day(s) 11 nights from Yangon
Say goodbye to the staff as you check-out after breakfast
A short, early-morning sail across the river will see us berthed at Mandalay City at about 08:30am. A morning tour will show you the main sites of this fabled city including the Kuthodaw Pagoda (“the world’s biggest book”), the atmospheric Shwenandaw Monastery, which used to be part of King Mindon’s living quarters and where he died in 1878, the reconstruction of the Royal Palace and the view from the top of the famous Mandalay Hill.
In the afternoon the tour will continue to show you the highly revered, gold-encrusted Buddha at the Mahamuni Temple. You will also see gold-leaf beating, visit a silk-weaving factory, pass through dusty streets filled with marble-carving workshops and finish the afternoon with sunset at the famous 200 year old, teak, “U Bein’s Bridge”. Farewell Dinner and evening entertainment on board.
Acommodation: Heritage Line / Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
After breakfast, leave the ship for a horse-drawn carriage tour of the ancient capital of Ava, home to the Burmese Kings for many centuries. A coach will then take you across the river to Sagaing using a bridge built by the Colonial British in 1934. Here you will visit a silversmith, seeing techniques unchanged for centuries. Back on board lunch will be served as we sail on to reach Mingun, site of the huge unfinished pagoda of King Bodawpaya and the world's biggest un-cracked bell. Here there will be an early-afternoon walking tour to see these sights and also visit the Myatheindan Pagoda, built in 1816 and painted white as a representation of the mythological Buddhist mountain, Mount Meru.
Acommodation: Heritage Line / Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
After the busy touring of the preceding days, today is another chance to simply relax on the Sun Deck, watching the unfolding scenery slip past and returning the waves of the village children on the riverbanks. During the morning there will be the opportunity for a Ship Tour and an afternoon lecture on the “History of Mandalay”.
Acommodation: Heritage Line / Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
After breakfast the morning tour will take you to the bustling Nyaung-U market and the revered Shwezigon Pagoda. Then you will make a visit to one of the famous lacquer ware shops where the fascinating production techniques of this ancient craft will be explained. After seeing the fine frescoes inside the Wetkyi-In Gubyaukgyi Pagoda you will return to the ship for lunch.
In the afternoon there are two options. The first is a visit to sacred Mount Popa, an extinct volcano which is believed by the Burmese to be home to their animist spirits the Nats. This will include a stop at a Toddy Palm plantation.
The second option will explore the area around Myinkaba Village. Here you will visit the Manuha Pagoda which dates from 1059 and is where King Anawrahta imprisoned the Mon King, Manuha. A short distance away is the beautiful architecture of the Gubyaukyi temple. The tour will then move to the area around Minnanthu Village and will include a walk through the village itself.
Acommodation: Heritage Line / Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Today there will be a morning tour of the sleepy riverside town of Salay that will show you the beautiful Youqson Kyaung, a beautifully-carved teak monastery built between 1882 and 1892 and now run by the Department of Archaeology as a museum. A short distance away is the Mann Paya, home to a huge statue of the Buddha, unusually made from lacquer. In Colonial times Salay was home to wealthy oil merchants and still has some fine examples of Colonial houses and you will make a special visit inside one of these.
Enjoy lunch while cruising through the hills of Chuak, birthplace of “British Petroleum” and still producing oil today. In the afternoon we will arrive in Bagan where there will be a Sunset Tour of this incredible area, starting with the mysterious Dhammayangyi, the majestic Ananda and continuing on to see the pretty Sulamani, before finishing at one of the “sunset” pagodas.
Acommodation: Heritage Line / Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Another morning tour, this time by tuk-tuk, will show you around Magwe; stopping at the bustling market before enjoying some more peaceful river views from the high vantage point of the Mya Than Lun Pagoda. This pagoda was built in 1929 using solid gold bricks.
Back on the ship there will be a final “Burmese-for-Beginners” lesson where you can learn how to write your own name in beautiful Burmese script.
After lunch our Chefs will have a Burmese Cookery Demonstration and following Afternoon Tea there will be a lecture entitled “History of Bagan”.
Acommodation: Heritage Line / Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
This morning there will be the opportunity to stretch your legs in the morning and walk in the colonial-period town of Thayet. Like many Asian countries, the cool of the morning sees small towns and villages at their busiest and there is also an ideal light for photography. After lunch, things will be a little warmer for the first of the two forts we will see this afternoon – Gwechaung Fort – for which you will experience very local transport (ox-drawn carts); while the second, Minhla Fort, is just a short walk along the riverbank from our mooring place for tonight. These forts were built by Italian engineers working for King Mindun to protect the Kingdom of Ava from British invasion.
Acommodation: Heritage Line / Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Our yoga session can again start your day before disembarking after breakfast for a tour of Pyay. Known as Prome to the Colonial British, in the mid 19C this was the dividing line between British-held “Lower Burma” and the Kingdom of Ava and, as such, was an important trading point. We will also visit the ancient Pyu city of Sri Ksetra which is nearby and was granted World Heritage Status in 2014.
After lunch and afternoon tea there will be a lecture entitled “Myanmar, Past and Present” which will give an overview of the history of this complicated country, including a look at the present situation.
Acommodation: Heritage Line / Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Early-morning yoga is available as we continue northwards. Again, relaxation is the order of the day simply watching the life on the riverbanks slipping by. A second “Burmese-for Beginners” is on offer this morning, followed by a Book Review, looking at classic and current literature available on this fascinating country. Early in the afternoon there will be a demonstration of “Myanmar Traditional Dress” and, to continue the cultural theme, this afternoon's lecture will be entitled “Myanmar Ways of Life”. A Cocktail Party before dinner will give you a chance to wear your traditional “longyi”.
Acommodation: Heritage Line / Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Early-morning yoga is available as we sail for Danuphyu. Despite their heroic resistance and the skillful leadership of their great General Maha Bandoola, here, in 1825, the Burmese army suffered a crucial defeat in the First Anglo-Burmese War. General Maha Bandoola himself also fell here and we will visit his memorial, now situated in a Pali Monastic University. We will also visit a small, family-run cheroot producer and take tea with the locals in a tea shop
After lunch on board there will be an explanation and demonstration concerning the ancient habit of betel-chewing. Tasting is optional!
Acommodation: Heritage Line / Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
After checking-in and a short Safety Briefing you can enjoy a relaxing day's sailing, an ideal way to unwind after the busy streets of Yangon City. Our spacious Spa facilities (including the Ayeyarwady's only Swedish-style sauna) and our 8 meter, Jacuzzi-style swimming pool await you. For those wanting some mental stimulation there will be the first of our “Burmese-for-Beginners” language lessons during the morning and a lecture on the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company during the afternoon. We will pass through the Twante Canal which was built by the British between 1881 and 1883 to connect the Yangon River with the Irrawaddy River and shorten transit times for the steamers of the IFC; the biggest fleet of river ships ever seen.
Acommodation: Heritage Line / Meals: lunch, dinner

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