Arrive at Yangon airport where tour guide is waiting for you and transfer to the hotel. Begin with Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda to see a huge reclining Buddha image, Karaweik Royal Barge (a royal floating barge on a lake for a fantastic photo view). Afterwards, visit Bogyoke Market ( Scott Market ), to give the opportunity to see Myanmar's wide range of handicrafts and souvenirs. Shopping time with hundreds of food , clothes, handicrafts and gems store. In late afternoon, complete your day in Myanmar with an extended visit to one of the world's most spectacular monuments, the Shwedagon Pagoda: its golden stupa is the 'heart' of Myanmar. The pagoda is believed 2,500 years old and the central stupa is surrounded by dozens of intricately decorated buildings and statues. There are always many Myanmar people praying and making offering in the pagoda. Transfer and overnight at hotel. Read more

Yangon (1 Night)

Early Breakfast at Hotel. Early morning transfer to the airport for domestic flight to Bagan. Arrive at Nyaung U Airport and transfer to Myitche, a typical Irrawaddy River village with many cottage industries. Stop for a visit at the morning market, a huge, colorful market selling everything from fresh goods to handicrafts. This is a very local market and the vendors will be surprised to see tourists as very few go. There are many delicious treats being made, a good chance to try the local snacks. Nearby there is a small village where the locals weave house wares from rattan (or cane) and we will make a short stop there to see the production. Continue by boat to Pakkoku. The land surrounding the Irrawaddy in this area is extremely fertile with fields growing tobacco, cotton, chili and peanuts. Depending on the time of year the locals may be planting, harvesting or processing the crops and there are plenty of chances to stop and interact with the local farmers. Arrive in Pakkoku at midday and lunch time at your own account. Afterwards, explore the quaint town of Pakkoku with an opportunity to see Thanakha Market and cheerot makers. Next, it’s time to take a break from the midday heat and cruise back down the Irrawaddy River by boat (approximately 2 hours). Put your feet up, relax and enjoy this scenic stretch of the river reaching Bagan mid-afternoon where you will be transferred back to your hotel. Overnight at hotel. Read more

Bagan (1 Night)

Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to one handicraft lacquerware workshop before experiencing luxury cruise on Sanctuary Ananda with 3 nights on board. Check in at 12:30pm and enjoy lunch on board. After lunch on board, visit Kayminga pagoda complex to see the different architecture of the stupas first-hand. Next, on to the great golden Shwezigon Pagoda which is said to contain important relics of the Gautama Buddha, two bones and a copy of a tooth. 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. Overnight on board. Read more

Sanctuary Ananda (1 Night)

Breakfast on board. Visit the bustling local market of Nyaung U. The daily market is where the farmers meet to buy and sell a variety of goods, ranging from fruit and vegetables to china and lacquerware. After, visit Bagan to see the Ananda Temple, regarded by folklore as one of the most beautiful temples in Myanmar. Then return to the ship and start sailing upstream towards Sagaing during which a variety of on board activities will be offered including a longyi (sarong) and thanaka (cosmetic) demonstration, and a talk on Myanmar. A delicious dinner in the Talifoo Restaurant will then follow. Overnight on board. Read more

Sanctuary Ananda (1 Night)

Breakfast on board. Enjoy a back of house tour and cooking class with our Executive Chef as we cruise the Irrawaddy. In the afternoon, visit the pagoda sprinkled Sagaing Hill, an important religious and monastic centre, home to some 554 monasteries and 6,000 monks and nuns. Here visit a Monastic school and orphanage to have the opportunity to meet some of the residents and understand the teachings of Buddhism. 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. Overnight on board. Read more

Sanctuary Ananda (1 Night)

Breakfast on board. Early this morning Sanctuary Ananda will sail north to the quaint village of Sin Kyun, a village just north of Mandalay sponsored by Sanctuary Retreats Philanthropy. This is the perfect setting to mingle with the local Burmese people and discover what modern life is like in an ever-changing Myanmar. Enjoy 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. Overnight at hotel. Read more

Mandalay (1 Night)

Breakfast at hotel . Transfer to Mandalay airport for domestic flight to Heho. Arrive in Heho and drive to Nyaung Shwe jetty at the edge of the Inle Lake: famous for its unique leg rower. Arrive in Naung Shwe and Enjoy a full day boat trip on Inle Lake - a photographer’s dream. Its calm waters are dotted with floating vegetation and fishing canoes, to which scenic hills provide the perfect backdrop. See the lake’s unique ‘leg rowers’ - Intha fishermen who row standing up with one leg wrapped around a single oar, leaving their hands free to manipulate the conical fishing net.Stop at Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the holiest religious site in southern Shan State. Visit a traditional silk-weaving workshop which uses wooden handlooms, and a blacksmith’s forge. Pass endless floating gardens, where Intha lake dwellers grow fruit and vegetables. Continue by boat to visit Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery, one of the oldest on the lake, where you can see exquisite Buddha statues which are more than 200 years old. Transfer to hotel and free time. Overnight at hotel. Read more

Inle Lake (1 Night)

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer by boat to visit the lake’s morning market, the location of which changes every day. The Intha and Paoh hill tribes sell their fresh products here. Continue by boat onto the Pa-Oh village of Indein, on the western shore of Inle Lake, enshrined among hundreds of stupa ruins and overgrown shrubbery. Head back to the lake and stop at the weaving village of Inpawkhone and a cheroot factory, where traditional Burmese cigars are handmade. Transfer by boat to your hotel. Free time at the hotel. Overnight at the hotel. Read more

Inle Lake (1 Night)

Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to Heho Airport for domestic flight to Yangon. Arrive at Yangon airport and free time at leisure with local guide. Tranfer to Yangon International Airport for international departure flight.