Take an early morning flight to Bagan and transfer to the Belmond Road to Mandalay vessel. Before setting off on your cruise you’ll have time for a guided tour of the 2,000 temples and pagodas for which Bagan is famed. You’ll enter some of the most significant sites before watching the sunset behind a field of ornate temples spires and domed pagodas.
After a couple of hours spent haggling for handicrafts, wood carvings, fabrics and rattan artefacts in Bagan’s hectic markets – or exploring the locale on a bicycle – you’ll set sail along the Ayeyarwady where you’ll be able to watch fishing and trading vessels busily working on this vast waterway. You’ll drift serenely past a parade of quaint villages, with homes built on stilts, and picturesque scenes of life on the busy waterside.
The following day you’ll land at the charming village of Shwe Kyet Yet, and in the afternoon you’ll be guided around Mandalay – widely regarded as the centrepiece of Burmese culture. Back on board you’ll watch the sunset and indulge in a sumptuous dinner
The next day takes you to Mingun to inspect the impressive Hsinbyume Pagoda and the world’s largest crack-free bell. From Mingun you’ll ascend into the Sagaing Hills – the living centre of the Buddhist faith in Myanmar. The small town of Sagaing is famous for its silversmiths who work in the traditional way using centuries-old skills.
Stay: Four nights in a deluxe cabin on the Road to Mandalay river cruiser