Destination: Myanmar

LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION

Itinerary: The Big-Four Frenzy

SEVEN TO NINE DAYS / YANGON TO INLE LAKE

If time is short, you can still take in Yangon, Mandalay and a few nearby ancient cities, Bagan’s 3000 temples, and do a boat trip on Inle Lake.



Starting in Yangon, stretch your plane legs up the steps to the Shwedagon Paya at night, when its famed 2000-year-old golden zedi (stupa) glows under the floodlights. For the bulk of the next day, wander around downtown ending at Bogyoke Aung San Market, which has the country’s best selection of handicrafts and souvenirs. Hire a private driver, fly, or take a train or an overnight bus to Mandalay, where you can climb up Mandalay Hill, see the famed Mahamuni Paya and witness the Moustache Brothers one day, and on the next make a slightly rushed day trip to zedi-studded Sagaing Hill, then the leaning tower of Inwa, and monk- and fisher-filled U Bein’s Bridge in Amarapura at sunset.

The boat trip down the Ayeyarwady River to Bagan takes a day but is a relaxing way to take in life along one of Asia’s mightiest rivers. In Bagan, take a horse-cart or cycle around 42 sq km of 800-year-old temples. Next day, cool off in the Shan Hills to the east at Inle Lake – reached by bus, taxi or plane – where dugout canoes can take you to floating markets under the flight path of egrets; after a day, consider a day trip to Pindaya Caves to see their 8000 Buddha images. Fly or take a bus back to Yangon.