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Your Itinerary
Day 1 - Bagan
Today you will be greeted by the friendly staff aboard the Sanctuary Ananda, before enjoying lunch on board. After lunch, we will visit Kayminga pagoda complex to see the different architecture of the stupas first-hand. After, visit the Ananda Temple, regarded by folklore as one of the most beautiful temples in Myanmar.
Enjoy the sunset over the Bagan plains and admire the light change on the pagodas as they exude antiquity and mystery. Finally, the sun sets behind the hills on the far side of the Irrawaddy River, filling the sky with a reddish glow, a truly magic moment.
A welcome briefing and champagne reception will be hosted in the Kansi Panorama Lounge before a candlelit sandbank dinner is served with the backdrop of the twinkling lights of Bagan.
Meals: Lunch and dinner
Day 2 - Bagan
Start the day watching the sun rise in a hot air balloon (extra cost) or alternatively visit the bustling Nyaung U market, where farmers meet to buy and sell everything from fruit to lacquer ware. Continue to the golden Shwezigon Pagoda which was the first major monument to be built in the Burmese style and said to contain relics of Gautama Buddha.
Return to the ship to sail upstream towards Sagaing, relaxing in your suite or the lounge as you cruise past villages and distant pagodas gracing the hills. Enjoy the onboard activities which include a cultural demonstration, a back of house tour and an informative talk on Burmese history.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 3 - Mandalay
In the morning enjoy a back of house tour and cooking class with our Executive Chef as we cruise the Irrawaddy towards Mandalay.
In the afternoon you will visit the pagoda sprinkled Sagaing Hill, an important religious and monastic centre, home to some 554 monasteries and 6,000 monks and nuns. Afterwards, take in the views from the top of the hill on the terraces of the Soon U Ponya Shin Pagoda which are truly breathtaking. Amarapura, was once known as ‘The City of Immortals’. Today, the leisurely ‘clack-clack’ from the looms of the cotton and silk weavers has replaced the noisy bustle of this former capital.
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 the Sanctuary Ananda.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 4 - Mandalay
Breakfast is served before check out in Mandalay.
If you are leaving on a later flight we can arrange a tour of Mandalay. This will include a visit to Mahamuni Pagoda, one of Myanmar’s most religious monuments housing the revered Mahamuni Image. Lastly, a visit to Kuthodaw Pagoda (Maha Lawka Marazein) built by King Mindon in 1857, in effect a copy of the Shwezigon Pagoda in Bagan.
Meals: Breakfast
4 day River Cruise - from £509
