You will meet with your guide at the Arrival Hall of Yangon international airport. Transfer to your hotel and check in (Check in at 14;00 noon and early check in depends on room availability).

Take a time at a hidden little gem Café and try tasty local snacks for afternoon chill. Visit to the Kandawgyi Lake you will enjoy a short walk on the wooden bridge to line up along the lake, giving you a stunning view on the Shwedagon pagoda, but also on the royal barge, standing at the side of the lake, Karaweik. Continue your visit to the Kyauk Hta Gyi Pagoda, famous for its impressive reclining Buddha. End the tour at The Shwedagon pagoda for a unique experience to discover the most venerated religious place of Myanmar. Enjoy your welcome dinner in the evening.

In the early morning, transfer to airport and fly to Heho. Upon your arrival at Heho airport, you will be transferred to Nyaung Shwe the gateway of Inle Lake about 2.5 hours. You’ll have a lunch break while enjoying stunning views of the canal, rice paddies, and exotic surroundings. From Nyaung Shwe jetty take a boat and travels along the canal and unique floating gardens. Arrive at your hotel and check in.

Begin your visit to Pa-Oh village of Indein for 45 minutes by boat. Indein is one of the small villages of Inle Lake on the western bank. You’ll see hundreds of ancient stupas most are ruins overgrown with bushes. The pagoda hill is quiet, calm and mesmerizing view from the hill release the fatigue and refresh everybody who ascend to the peak. Travel along the narrow creek, there are twists and turns. Since both the sides are paddy fields you can see the farmers ploughing and harrowing by water buffaloes. It is compulsory to see Novice monks; buffalo boys and village girls wash and swim in the creek.

Have your breakfast, visit the floating market for a glimpse of daily life. Continue to Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda and Innpawkhone village to see silk weaving and lotus industries. Enjoy a traditional meal in an authentic Intha house at an island village on the lake. After your lunch, walk through a luxuriant bamboo forest next to the small stream and return to the waiting boat. Return to Nyaung Shwe, transfer to airport and fly to Mandalay.

Upon arrival Mandalay airport, you’ll be transferred to hotel and check in (Check in at 14;00 noon and early check in depends on room availability).

This morning visits the Kuthodaw Pagoda known as ‘The World’s Biggest Book’ and Mahamuni Pagoda Image. Check in at 12:30pm and lunch will be served on board as you cruise towards the pagoda sprinkled hills of Sagaing. You will visit a Monastic school and will have the opportunity to meet some of the residents and understand the teachings of Buddhism before taking in the views from the top of the hill on the terrace of the Soon U Ponya Shin Pagoda.

Amarapura, known as ‘The City of Immortals’ which in its heyday, held some 200,000 inhabitants. Visit one of the textile workshops, followed by the U Bein Bridge, a spectacular place to enjoy the sunset.

Visit the U Bein Bridge, a spectacular place to enjoy the sunset. This long teak bridge snakes across the Taungthaman Lake.

After sunset, return to Sanctuary Ananda for dinner.

Early this morning Sanctuary Ananda will sail north to the quaint village of Sin Kyun, a village just north of Mandalay sponsored by Sanctuary Retreats Philanthropy. Take an optional tour to witness firsthand the way of life in this unspoilt location seldom viewed by outsiders. Following the village Chief’s request for a library and a house for an English teacher, Sanctuary Retreats Philanthropy donate the money necessary to begin this new partnership as they believe they will be able to provide further funds to improve the quality life of the villagers.

After lunch, a variety of on board activities will be offered including a longyi (sarong) and thanaka (cosmetic) demonstration, a back of house tour, and a talk on Myanmar – covering the country’s incredibly rich history, the recent controversial decades and the outlook for the future of The Golden Land. A delicious dinner will bring this thought-provoking day to an end.

Join a cooking class with the ship’s Executive Chef for a cooking demonstration to test your knowledge of local delicacies and learn how to create delicious Asian dishes.

You’ll spend the rest of the morning sailing downstream towards Bagan. Take time to enjoy the luxuries on board Sanctuary Ananda with a spa treatment or relax by the pool with a book from the library.

Enjoy lunch as we enter pagoda sprinkled Bagan.

You will head to the top of Tan Chi Taung mountain to enjoy your first glimpse of the Bagan plain, containing more than 2,000 pagodas and stupas. Next, you will watch an Elephant dance on the shore, an age old acrobatic dance used to entertain the Bagan people, before re-boarding the Sanctuary Ananda.

As the ship sail back to your jetty, enjoy the breathtaking and beautiful sunset from the Kansi Panorama Lounge with one of the signature cocktails.

Tonight, a candlelit dinner is served on the banks of the Ayeyarwady river.

Balloon Experience Over Bagan:   Begin your morning with an incredible hot-air balloon flight over Bagan’s temple-studded plains. Have your morning snack on pastries and croissants, and sipping coffee and tea as the balloon is inflated.  Climb aboard before gently rising above thousands of gilded stupas and earthen temples all back-dropped by the impressive Ayeyawady River.  A truly unforgettable and unique experience. (Note: available only from 15th October to 31st March; all flights weather permitting).

Visit the bustling local market of Nyaung U, the daily market where farmers meet to buy and sell a variety of goods, ranging from fruit and vegetables to china and lacquerware. Then move on to the great golden Shwezigon Pagoda, said to contain important relics of the Gautama Buddha, two bones and a copy of a tooth. A horse-cart will be your mode of transport through the Bagan plains, with several photo stops and a visit to Sulamani pagoda.

After lunch on board, visit the Ananda Temple. Completed in 1091 AD, it is commonly referred to as one of the four great temples in Bagan. Visit a lacquerware workshop.

Enjoy the sunset over the Bagan plains. A local performance will be followed by a farewell dinner on board.

Enjoy an early breakfast before check out. Transfer to Bagan airport for your flight to Yangon. If time permits, visit the famous Bogyoke Market or Scott market (closed on Mondays and Public Holidays). The complex houses hundreds of small stalls where local people use to buy jewelry, tailor made clothes is a good place to buy numerous souvenir items to be memorials of the visit Myanmar. Have lunch and relax at a beautiful oasis in town. After lunch, transfer to airport and depart from Myanmar.

Please Note: All timings shown on this website are for your guidance only.

The water level of the river is changing depending on the season. From the months of January to June, the water levels of the Ayeyarwady may drop for a period of a few weeks to a few months, creating a narrower channel for navigation. To accommodate for changes in water levels, Sanctuary Ananda may operate on an adjusted itinerary during these periods and the mooring locations may be amended.