Compare Golden Treasures of Myanmar by AMA Waterways

Day 1: yangon

Welcome to Yangon, a former royal capital known as the “Garden City of the East” for its lush tropical setting. Transfer to your hotel for check-in and spend the rest of the day at your leisure.

Day 2: Yangon

Meals: Breakfast

Your full-day tour includes: a visit to the city center and the unusually shaped Sule Pagoda; a photo stop at Kandawgyi Lake; Bogyoke Aung San Market (Scott’s Market), where you can shop for handicrafts, clothing and local delicacies; the massive reclining Buddha at Chaukhtautgyi Temple; and Shwedagon Pagoda, one of Myanmar’s most iconic religious sites.

Day 3: Yangon-Pyay-Embarkation

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before boarding a motor coach for the drive to Pyay for embarkation. Tonight, meet your fellow travelers at a Welcome Dinner.

Day 4: Pyay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Take a walking tour of Pyay, the former capital that once served as an important junction between Lower and Upper Burma and home to more than 80 gilded pagodas. During your city tour you will see the ancient Sri Kestra City Gate, enjoy a visit to the Sri Kestra Museum and the Payagi Pagoda.

Day 5: Minhla – Magwe

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Further upstream today, the ship will stop at Minhla, site of a great battle during the Second Anglo-Burmese War. A short walk brings you to a Colonial Fort, built by Italian engineers in 1860 to keep British forces out of Burma. Later, visit Magwe and take a panoramic coach tour to see the Mud Volcano in Minbu, the mythical home of fire breathing dragons living deep beneath the earth. You’ll also see the General Aung San “Bogyoke” Statue and the Myathalon Pagoda, situated on the banks of the river.

Day 6: Salay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Your ship cruises to Salay today, a small community that boasts more than 50 monasteries built of teak. Visit Yokesonekyaung, built in 1882 and the region’s oldest surviving wooden monastery, famous for its wood carvings and collection of religious artifacts. You will also see a splendid colonial-era house and the 13th century Man Pagoda, which contains the largest lacquer Buddha in Myanmar.

Day 7: Thant Kyi Taung – Bagan

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Join your fellow passengers for an excursion up Tant Kyi Taung Mountain to visit its famous pagoda, built in the year 1059 by King Anawrahta and known to house a sacred Buddha relic. Later, your ship’s Sun Deck offers the perfect vantage point for your first glimpse of the plain of Bagan, one of the world’s most awe-inspiring archeological sites. Upon arrival in Bagan, you will visit an observation tower where you will enjoy a beautiful sunset while sipping on a refreshing cocktail. Afterwards, transfer to a local temple and participate in a candle lighting ceremony blessed by local monks.

Day 8:Bagan

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Your full day in Bagan offers you three sightseeing choices. The first is climbing to the observation deck (250 steps) or the top (777 steps) of Mount Popa, legendary home of animist nat spirits. Afterwards, stop for lunch and enjoy a tasting of Jaggery, a palm sugar that is made from the Totty Palm Tree. Alternatively, you may enjoy free time to shop and explore other attractions at the Mount Popa Resort. Your third option is an excursion to some of the most distinctive pagodas in the Bagan Archaeological Zone, like Shwezigan Pagoda and the Ananda temple. Afterwards, you will spend some time at the lively Nyaungoo market, where you can search for local handicrafts, colorful textiles and other unique souvenirs. Later, visit the 13th century Gubyaulgyi Temple, which is situated near the Wetkyi-inn Village, and the Pyathada temple.

Day 9: Bagan – Yandabo

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Admire one last sunrise over Bagan before the ship departs for Yandabo, a peaceful village where the British and Burmese signed a treaty ending the First Anglo-Burmese War in 1826. Yandabo is widely known for its finely crafted terracotta wares and you’ll have a chance to see a pottery-making demonstration by local artisans, as well as glimpses of typical village life.

Day 10: Inwa – Amarapura – Sagaing

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

This afternoon you will visit Inwa, the capital of the Burmese kingdom for more than four centuries. Explore the ancient ruins of the city by horse-drawn carriage and see the splendid Bagaya monastery, built entirely of teak. Afterwards, drive to Amarapura to watch the sunset at the world’s longest teak wood footbridge, the U-Bein Bridge. If you prefer to spend more time relaxing on board, you may forego the Inwa village visit and choose to take the U-Bein Bridge excursion only.

Day 11: Sagaing – Mingun – Mandalay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

This morning ship stops today at the former royal capital of Sagaing, famous for its hundreds of monasteries and its tranquil atmosphere. In Sagaing, you’ll visit a local monastic school and the Soonuponyashin Pagoda. Continue on to Mingun where you will see its famous 12-foot high bronze bell and the massive ruins of Pathodawgyi (the “unfinished pagoda”), originally intended to be 499 feet high. Although only a third of it was ever completed, it remains the world’s largest brick pagoda. Alternatively, take a tuk-tuk ride through Mingun to explore the sights. You’ll also have a chance to visit the Myatheindan Pagoda, built in 1816 and painted white as a representation of the mythological Buddhist mountain, Mount Meru. Another option today in Mingun allows you to visit the Pathodawgyi, the Mingun bronze bell, and also offers you a chance to climb to the top of Myatheindan Pagoda (77 steps).

Day 12: Mandalay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

After arriving in Mandalay, head ashore for a full-day tour that includes many of the city’s most iconic sights, including the bronze Mahamuni Buddha, covered by the faithful with a thick layer of gold leaf. Visit the workshops of skilled craftsmen making thin sheets of gold and stop at Kuthodaw Pagoda (said to contain the world’s largest book, Buddhist scriptures inscribed on 729 marble slabs), Mandalay Hill, and Shwenandaw monastery, an architectural masterpiece filled with wood carvings. Instead, you may choose to take a half-day city tour of Mandalay which includes the Kuthodaw Pagoda, Shwenadaw Monastery, and Mahamuni Buddha. Afterwards you will have the unique opportunity to visit a local school in Mandalay. Tonight, enjoy a Farewell Dinner on board the ship with your fellow travelers.

Day 13: Mandalay-Disembarkation-Yangon

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast aboard the AmaPura, fly back to Yangon and check in to your hotel. The rest of the day is at your leisure.

Day 14: Yangon

Meals: Breakfast

Bid farewell to Myanmar and prepare for your homeward journey or your optional post-cruise extension to Inle Lake.