RANGOON TO BHAMO - SAIL 1000 MILES UP THE IRRAWADDY

Please note: The itinerary for this expedition is indicative only. As we travel to remote areas, changes to the itinerary will inevitably occur. A flexible approach is required if you book this cruise.

Embark for lunch and followed by exploration of Rangoon. The largest city in Myanmar, Rangoon (Yangon) is a mix of cosmopolitan high-rises, stunning architecture and historical sights.

Early morning departure from Rangoon and pass Twante canal. Visit Maubin’s surroundings, the Delta area and Nyaung Don country life. Moor over night at Zakagyi.

We continue our exploration of Delta creeks and stop at Donabyu, another little known town with a busy port and bustling markets. In the First Anglo Burmese War of 1825 the Burmese General Maha-Bandoola was defeated here following a long and disastrous campaign by the British. Afternoon walk in Zalon city to visit beautiful Golden Buddha image and return to ship. Moor overnight at Henzada.

Sailing all day and we stop to visit the markets and see old colonial buildings in the sleepy Delta town of Manaung. We enter the Irrawaddy River.

Early morning we sail slowly upstream and downstream A Kaut Taung area, to view Buddha carvings on the mountainside, from the upper deck or Sundeck. We reach Prome by the afternoon and travel by coach to the 5th-8th century archaeological site of Thiri-ya-kittiya, the former centre of the Pyu civilization with a fascinating museum of early Buddhist artifacts and sculptures.

This pleasant colonial town once guarded the border between Royal Myanmar and British Myanmar following the 2nd Anglo Myanmar War of 1855. Many of the buildings including the covered market date from this period. Thayet also boasts the oldest golf course in Myanmar (1885). We visit the market, see the colonial houses and ride out by horse cart to the golf course, passing through the former British botanical garden.

Minhla - We visit the two Italian built forts constructed to keep the British at bay from Royal Myanmar. The fight for the Minhla redoubt was the only serious action in the war and the death of a young subaltern inspired Kipling to write a poem.We ride Trishaws to reach the magnificent Magwe Myat-thalon Pagoda, constructed with solid gold bricks. Of interest are the many nat shrines and hermitages within the temple precincts.

Here we visit the Yout-saun-kyaung monastery with its spectacular wood carvings; we also explore an area of splendid colonial-style houses and continue sailing upstream.

In the morning, moor at the Tan-Chi-Taung mountain and enjoy the view. Continue with one of the highlights of your trip with a tour of a selection of the 3,000 listed monuments at this World Heritage Site, Pagan.

Further exploration by coach of the monuments follow by a lacquerware workshop and visit to the local markets. Sail in the noon to upstream. Evening walk at Oh Ne Kyaung village to see the local life in this typical river side community.

This small rural village is specialized in pot making. We visit the Pandaw School, built with past donations from Pandaw passengers.

Morning visit to the ancient city of Ava, which served as the capital of the Burmese kingdom for nearly 400 years, longer than any other ancient capital. Morning tour by coach to Ava jetty and across the Myit Nge(Dokehtawady) river by small ferry boat, followed by horse carts to Menu Oak Kyaung monastery built by the chief queen in 1822. End the morning with a visit to the splendid Bagaya Kyaung monastery built entirely of teak in 1834.

Afternoon excursion to Sagaing where there are 1000 hermitages and sanctuaries rich in woodcarving and religious art. From Sagaing Hill admire the bird’s eye view over the Irrawaddy river curving around Sagaing from Soon U Ponnya Shin hill top-pagoda. Later an introduction to the Buddhist nuns’ way of life at a nunnery.

Drive to Amarapura, a former capital (initially from 1783 to 1819 and subsequently from 1839 to 1852). Visit a silk and cotton weaving workshop, Amarapura’s major business.

At sunset take a local boat on Taungthaman lake at U Bein Bridge, the world’s longest teak bridge.

Visit Mandalay. The excursion starts with a visit to Mahamuni Buddha Image, one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Myanmar. The statue was brought here in 1785 by King Bodawapaya after the invasion of the Arakan Kingdom in 1784. To pay respect to the Buddha image, male devotees apply gold leaf to the image. As a result, the Mahamuni Buddha Image has been covered with a thick layer of gold leaf (about 15 cm). The walk continues along the street renowned for its marble carvers.

Continue to Shwe Kyaung (Golden Palace Monastery) which was built in 1857 and was originally part of the royal palace before it was moved to the present site in 1879.

Explore UNESCO listed Kuthodaw Pagoda, with the world’s biggest book. It accommodates 729 marble slabs engraved with the Buddha’s Parli Scriptures housed in shrines.

After the gold leaf hammering workshop, stop by the moat surrounding the Royal Palace for a great photo opportunity with a backdrop of Mandalay Hill.

Visit the spectacular potteries near Kyauk-myoung where the famous 50-gallon water pots are handmade. We see all stages of manufacture from the throwing of the pots to the weeklong firing in huge kilns. We return to the ship and enter the third defile of Irrawaddy.

Stop at Khan-nyat village with its many Buddhist monasteries and visit the former head teacher's house, which also includes his small museum collections. We go ashore and climb the Pagoda Hill at Tigyang with its stunning views of the Upper Irrawaddy River.

We reach the enchanting colonial town of Katha, setting for George Orwell’s Burmese Days. Little has changed since then. Of interested are the fire station’s collections of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company’s ship’s bells taken from sunken ships in the Second War. Katha was the final resting place of the old flotilla and here over a hundred ships were scuppered in 1942 in an Act of Denial before the advancing Japanese. We also visit an elephant logging camp at Katha in the hardwood forests of the hills that surround the town and further upstream.

Transfer by Local boat and visit Kyun Daw village where we will visit countless small Pagodas.

Cruise through the 2nd Defile, the most dramatic of the three gorges with cliffs towering over the narrow channel. We are approaching Bhamo.

Bhamo the most northerly navigable point of the Irrawaddy, 1000 miles from Rangoon and gateway to China, set in the Kachin hills and guarding the forbidding First Defile. Beyond the modern-day city with its bazaars and ethnic hotch potch lies delightful countryside and we take a boat trip to the confluence of the Taping River that flows down from China.

Walking tour of the ancient city of Tagaung viewing the fortifications, a famous nat or spirit shrine and the archaeological area.

Slip our moorings early in the morning and stop at Mingun to see the largest working bell in the world and the unfinished pagoda that is the largest single mass of brick building in the world. We also visit the Mingun Old People’s Home originally established with the assistance of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company in the 1930s.

Disembark after breakfast at the Jetty.