10-Day Myanmar Culture and Heritage Tour from Tamu to Inle Lake

• Meet your tour guide and driver at the Tamu/Moreh border checkpoint, where they will assist you with the necessary documents and represent you during the border-crossing formalities and procedures at the checkpoint authorities' counters.
• Head to Kalay Myo, driving through curvy, twisty mountain roads while enjoying the landscapes along the way.
• Visit local villages en route on the outskirts of Kalaymyo.
• Wander around Kalay Myo by yourself and spend the night in Kalay Myo.

• Drive from Kalay to Monywa via picturesque Gangaw after breakfast. It takes around 9 hours to reach today's destination. Have lunch on the way.
• Arrive in Monywa in the late afternoon with your Burmese tour guide.

Relax and enjoy an overnight stay at a hotel in Monywa.

• Visit the colourful Thanboddhay Pagoda, home to more than 500,000 images of Buddha, and Hiaungdawmu Buddha, the second-largest reclining Buddha in Burma.
• Head off to Bagan en route via Pakokku.
• Visit some untouched local villages on the way to Pakokku and, if time permits, continue driving to Bagan.
• Enjoy the sunset from one of the best sunset corners of Bagan.

Overnight stay in Bagan.

• After breakfast at the hotel, devote the day to discovering Bagan, the "mystic" extraordinary archaeological site that has nothing to envy of Angkor, with its 3,000 temples.
• Start your sightseeing tour with a visit to the colourful Nyaung Oo Market in the Nyaung Oo region. Continue to a diverse selection of the most important pagodas and temples, such as Shwezigon Pagoda, a prototype of later Myanmar stupas built by King Anawrahta in the early 11th century; Wetkyi Inn Gubyaukgyi, known for its fine mural paintings of Jataka scenes; Htilominlo Pagoda, noted for its plaster carving; Ananda Temple, one of the best-preserved masterpieces of Mon architecture; and the Tharabha Gate.
• Then, take a lunch break at an excellent local restaurant.
• Transfer back to the hotel to refresh and relax until the afternoon sightseeing begins.
• Visit a lacquerware workshop, then continue to Dhammayangyi, a massive 12th-century temple admired for its architecture.
• Continue to Sulamani Temple, dating from the 12th century, which is also an excellent place for a photo stop.
• Move to the jetty to take a private sunset boat and enjoy the sunset from the Ayeyarwaddy River.

Overnight stay in Bagan.

• After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the jetty to take a ferry boat to Mingun, 11 km upriver from Mandalay on the western bank of the Ayeyarwaddy River.
• After a boat trip of about 45 minutes, begin your tour on foot to visit Mingun Pagoda, an unfinished pagoda that might have been the biggest in the history of Buddhism, Mingun Bell, the world's largest ringing bell, and Myatheindan Pagoda.
• Then, stream down to Ava, with lunch arranged on the boat.
• Upon arrival at Ava, the former royal capital of Inwa (Ava), explore by horse-drawn carriage and visit NanMyint Watch Tower, the remains of the palace building nicknamed the 'leaning tower of Ava', MahaAung Myay Bone Zan Monastery, built of brick and stucco, and Bagayar Monastery, famous for its impressive ornate woodcarvings and teak posts.
• Then continue to U Bein Bridge. At 1.2 km, it is the world's longest teak footbridge. It is a hugely photogenic structure stretching across Thaungthaman Lake and coming alive in every sense as dusk approaches.
• After that, drive back to the hotel and enjoy an overnight stay in Mandalay.

• Head off to Inle Lake, located in Southern Shan State. Although it seems to be a long drive, it is worth it because of the beautiful scenery, fantastic landscapes, and interesting tribal peoples.
• On the way, visit Pindaya's limestone cave, with its maze of chambers displaying more than 8,000 Buddha statues, as well as local handicraft workshops producing Shan paper made from mulberry bark and traditional umbrellas made from the same paper used by monks all around the country.
• Take a lunch break at an excellent local restaurant in Pindaya.
• After lunch, drive straight to Nyaung Shwe, the major gateway to Inle Lake, which takes approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. Inle Lake is one of Myanmar's best-known sights. The Intha people, a tribe of Mon descent, mainly inhabit the lakeshores and floating villages.
• On arrival at Nyaung Shwe, transfer to the boat stand and continue directly to your hotel on Inle Lake.

Overnight stay in Nyaung Shwe, Inle Lake.

• After breakfast, transfer to the jetty and take a boat ride for a full day of sightseeing on Inle Lake.
• Start your lake exploration at one of the local five-day markets, if market day coincides with your stay in Inle Lake. Highlights include Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, which enshrines the famous five Buddha statues covered in gold and now worn smooth, the unique leg rowers, the floating gardens, and the silk-weaving village of Inpaw Khone.
• Take a lunch break at an excellent local restaurant on Inle Lake.
• After lunch, continue your excursion to a hand-rolled cigar-making factory, a blacksmith workshop, and Nga Phae Chaung Monastery, well known for its ancient Buddha images made of teak, bamboo, and lacquer. Its nickname is "Jumping Cats Monastery" because monks once trained cats to jump through hoops.
• Visit the stilt houses to observe the lifestyle of the water dwellers and see another corner of Inle Lake's floating gardens.
• Return to your hotel and enjoy an overnight stay in Nyaung Shwe, Inle Lake.

• Drive along the road connecting the border points of Thailand and Myanmar.
• Leave Inle Lake and continue driving to Khun Hin, a small town on the way to Thachileik.

Overnight stay in Kun Hin.

• Head towards Keng Tung, located in Eastern Shan State and nestled in a sprawling valley surrounded by undulating hills and mountains carpeted in paddy fields and tea plantations. It is situated at the heart of the 'Golden Triangle', where the borders of Myanmar, China, Laos, and Thailand converge, giving it strong cultural influences from Myanmar's eastern neighbours.
• Drive through the high Shan plateau with many winding roads, twists, and turns.
• Visit some forgotten tribal villages and relax with an overnight stay in Keng Tung.

• Leave Myanmar through the Thachileik border point. Drive straight from Keng Tung to Thachileik to pass through the Thailand-Myanmar border and enter Thailand.