Pandaw Cruise - Pagan & The Upper Irrawaddy 11 days

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.

We start our Mandalay tour with a visit to the Mahamuni Pagoda with one of the country’s most venerated Buddha

images. Continue to a gold leaf and tapestry work shop and walk along the marble & stone carver’s street. Visit a silk

and cotton weaving work shop. Travel by bus to the famous “U Bein” bridge, it is about 1.2 km long and is said to be the

world’s longest teak wood bridge. It has been built in 1784. With small boats we sail over the Taungthaman Lake and

enjoy the sunset.

Morning cruising. Afternoon 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

then third defile of the 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. Later we go ashore and climb the Pagoda Hill at Tigyang with its stunning

views of the Irrawaddy.

Arrive at 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 Irrawaddy Flotilla Company 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 continue to an elephant logging camp at Katha in the

hardwood forests of the hills that surround the town and further upstream

Transfer by local boat to visit Kyun Daw village where we visit countless small Pagodas.

Cruise through the 2nd Defile, the most dramatic of the three gorges with cliffs towering over the narrow channel. Sail

downstream.

We explore by foot the ancient city of Tagaung viewing the fortifications, a famous nat or spirit shrine and the

archaeological area.

We cast off 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. Drive through the beautiful

Sagaing Hill to the hilltop to enjoy an amazing view over the region and Irrawaddy.

Morning visit to Ava and explore the ruins, visiting Bagaya Kyaung, a 200-year-old royal monastery made of teak with

elaborate woodcarvings. In the afternoon arrive at Yandabo village, famous for its production of terracotta pottery from

the riverbank clay.

Full day’s exploration of the 3000 plus Pagan monuments by coach

Disembark after breakfast.