Family Myanmar Adventure
Bespoke Holiday Itinerary / Experience Tour

A great holiday itinerary for families wanting to discover the “classic” highlights of Myanmar with a completely unique, off-the-beaten-track adventure thrown in.

Travel by rail, river, lake and road exploring hidden temples, local villages and floating markets.  Enjoy cycle adventures, canoe trips and meet Elephants. There is plenty to keep all ages captivated and this holiday especially suits families with teenage children.

Highlights include:

• Exploring Yangon on the Circle Train– travel like the locals!
• Travelling by boat from remote Loikaw to Lake Inle looking out for peculiar temples poking out of the water. A magnificent off-the-beaten-track experience.
• Getting up-close to rescued elephants close to the charmingly colonial town of Kalaw
• Discovering the magnificent temples of Bagan
• Rattling through the Shan Hills on a local train journey from Lake Inle to Kalaw.
• Spending a day with the villagers of Yandabo on the Irrawaddy River

As with all of our suggested itineraries, we can tailor-make your holiday to suit your budget, style and expectations. Find out about our exclusive ‘Journey Planner’ here.

Your personalised quotation with Experience Travel Group will include:

• International Flights (which can be omitted from your quotation if you prefer)
• Accommodation as described
• Privately guided tours and transfers 
• Original Experience Travel Group "Signature" experiences 
• Full financial protection (full ABTA and ATOL bonding)
• Meals as described
• 24 hour in-country backup whilst away
• Your own dedicated travel expert in the UK 

For more on our pricing policy read here.

DAY 1 DEPART THE UK

Depart the UK on your overnight flight to Yangon

DAY 2 & 3 YANGON   THE CONTRASTS OF CITY LIFE

After an evening to relax you’ll join your guide to explore Yangon, touring the main sites and beyond in a style tailored to your family. This tour visits the landmarks but also gives you a sense of the contrasts of local village life and urban life. You’ll enjoy a street food dinner before returning to your hotel in the evening.

DAYS 4 & 5 LOIKAW   Off-Beat adventure

You’ll take a domestic flight north-east to Loikaw, a remote area that few tourists visit. Your guide will meet you on arrival and you’ll spend two days getting a sense of the rural way of life and exploring the local countryside. Visiting villages, exploring markets where tribes meet to trade and taking in the beautiful scenery you’ll begin to form a picture of Burmese life. 

DAYS 6-8 LAKE INLE   TRAVEL BY BOAT TO THE LAKE

With your guide you’ll board a small boat for the river journey to Lake Inle. This is a super way to get to Inle, it's fun and adventurous and there is much to see. En route you’ll glide past bamboo fields and little villages and fascinating Sankar where 100 Buddhist stupas poke out of the lake.

When you reach Lake Inle itself you’ll have two days exploring the rotating markets atop the lake, canoeing at sunset and going on a guided cycle adventure in the countryside.

DAY 9 &10  KALAW   ELEPHANTS AND SCENERY IN THE HILLS

Travel by train towards Kalaw. The simple train rolls through the scenic hills and slowly rattles into town. It is not the most comfortable or efficient way to travel but it is a great way to see the countryside and chat with the locals.

During your stay in Kalaw you’ll venture out into the surrounding countryside to the remote Green Hill Elephant Camp, a joint venture aimed at providing work and shelter for a number of retired elephants whilst reforesting some 190 acres of land. You’ll get an opportunity to bathe the elephants, as well as plant a tree on the site. After lunch you’ll then return to Kalaw in the company of your guide, to enjoy an afternoon discovering the abundant charms of this sleepy colonial hill station by bicycle.

DAY 11 – 13 BAGAN    EXTRAORDINARY city

You’ll take a 40 minute flight from Heho Airport down to famous Bagan (alternatively you could opt to  travel this route by road; it's one of the most scenic drives in Myanmar and takes around 6 hours).

During your stay, you’ll explore the pagodas of the extraordinary archaeological area on a guided bicycle tour. You’ll take a horse and cart ride to a quiet spot for sunset and after dark you’ll explore one of the most fascinating temples when most tourists have left.

There will also be time for a boat ride across the Irrawaddy to spend the morning with the friendly Buddhist monks and villagers of Kyun Thiri Island. You’ll pay a visit to the local monastery and spend the morning learning about the daily lives of this unique agricultural society, before heading back across the river to Bagan in time for lunch.

DAY 14 & 15 YANDABO  LIFE on the banks of the IRRAWADDY

After a lunch in Bagan you’ll travel slowly up the river towards the village of Yandabo. Here you’ll stay in a cosy hotel on the banks of the Irrawaddy River. You’ll spend your time here getting a flavour of village life along the Irrawaddy, one of the most important rivers in Myanmar.  Pottery is a popular local craft and water buffalo harvest the land in this sleepy rural area.

DAY 16– YANGON  A final night in the city

Take the river journey back to Bagan and board your flight back to Yangon (alternatively we could tailor your holiday to include a river journey on to Mandalay to spend a couple of extra days exploring).

Spend your last afternoon/evening exploring one of the country's most famous landmarks, the Shwedagon Pagoda. The recognisable golden stupa dominates Yangon’s skyline and sunset is a great time to visit, the colours are wonderful and a visit is a brilliant way to mark the end of your holiday adventure.

DAY 17 – FLY HOME

Transfer to Yangon airport for your flight home.