Myanmar , Its People

Mingalaba! Welcome to Yangon, the city of glistening temples! Today, meet and greet your guide at the airport. Our driver then will transfer you to the hotel in the downtown city for check-in. After a short break, start our amazing photography tour to capture the exotic colonial architecture, busy markets, and spectacular Buddhist monuments.

We will make our first visit to Bogyoke Aungsan Market, the most lively market in the city where you can capture the hectic pace of trading and colorful stalls where sell an array of fabric, jewelry, and attractive items. (Note: the market is closed on Mondays and gazette holiday). Then proceed to Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda, home to the incredible 66 meters long reclining Buddha image. You can spend your time to witness the daily homage of Burmese people and explore the special symbols on the feet of the statue before moving to the next destination. Follow your guide to Kandawgyi Lake, a beautiful photo stop of Yangon where you will have a chance to save the best photo from the park to the golden floating Karaweik Palace, one of the most iconic landmarks of Yangon. Return to the hotel in the evening.

Overnight in Yangon..

Power up your morning photography at Shwedagon Pagoda ,one of the most impressive Buddhist pagodas in Myanmar and the pride of Yangon. The morning ambiance at the pagoda is incredible as you will beat most of the crowds. Take this chance to save the best photo to the peaceful ambiance and several monks in the pagoda. After that, your guide will take you to the street around Yangon to photograph the narrow street which is full of small workshops and market stalls. Also, don’t miss your chance to take photos of the local people who live there.

In the afternoon, wander through old Yangon to see its crumbling colonial buildings, bookshops, and street side food stalls. Around twilight, we will make our way to Chinatown, one of the most vibrant streets in Yangon. Make use of the last light of the day to take the photo and enjoy the hectic atmosphere of the 19th-century street .Overnight in Yangon

Leave Yangon this morning to board a flight to Loikaw, a city and the capital of Kayan State where attracts travelers with the greatest ethnic diversity in the country. Arrive at Loikaw, visit Hta Nee La Leh village. Head to Kaetoebu hall and shrines, where animist traditions are practiced. The totem poles which tower into the sky will be highlights of our morning visit. Together with photography, you will have an opportunity to learn why these sites are significant to Kayan people, and about the festival and events, which held every year. Also, learn about the traditional ritual of hunting at the village hunting shrine. The people here are so friendly and happy to be subjects for your pictures for a short time .Overnight in Loikaw . ( Warmly notes : Domestic flight to Loikaw from Yangon is very limited – So program is subject to change based on availability of domestic flight on your confirmed travel date )

Today is an amazing day for you to explore the life of Kayan people living in the Panpet village. The spectacular rice fields outer rim are wonderful scenery for you to capture the natural beauty in the region. Keep going in the village, you will have a chance to meet with the special long neck women who still keep their tradition of wearing brass rings to make their necks appear longer. There is no tourism infrastructure in the village but the people here are always welcome and happy to take photos.Overnight in Loikaw.

This morning, say goodbye to the authentic tribal life of Loikaw to take a scenic boat ride  to Inle Lake, a beautiful highland lake where will excite your travel senses by the breathtaking mountain ranges and water melted into another. The route takes us through Phae Khone located to the south of the lake from there we will  embark the boat . on the way visiting Sagar – offering an insight into a less-visited part of Inle Lake and allowing you to interact a little more with the local people who call the lake their home. And then we will stop over some interesting villages on the way and enjoy the sunset from the boat .Overnight stay at hotel in Inle Lake.

Start the day with an early boat trip to Indein village, a small village on the Western shore of Inle Lake. After passing through bamboo groves, there will be over a hundred ancient stupas that are over 1000 years old in front of us. They are impressive and attractive with different sizes and shapes. Some are crumbling and have vegetation attempting while others still glittering with their golden exteriors. Spend your time to wander around these sites and walk through the colonnade where is filled with market stalls before returning to the lake.

After that, we will spend the whole afternoon to explore the natural beauty of the lake itself. Continue your boat trip and look for the iconic leg-rowing fishermen for a photo dream. We also make our way to Ywama village to visit the traditional silversmiths. Then we visit Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the holiest site in Inle Lake where houses five 800-year-old golden Buddha statue.Overnight the hotel in Inle Lake.

Leave Inle Lake this morning to get on the train ride to transfer to Kalaw. The 3-hour ride will give you a window to numerous villages scattered around the beautiful scenery. Besides, it allows you to rub shoulders with the locals along the way. At an altitude of 1320 meters above sea level, Kalaw is a beautiful hill town for an escape from the summer heat. Spend your time to walk around the street to capture the ancient architecture on the street’s building. Then make your way to a hill tribe village near the town to experience the local life and photograph the daily life of the villagers who still maintain their living in simple houses.Overnight in Kalaw

Today will be a long day of driving to Bagan, the land of sun and ancient pagodas. The scenic drive will lead you through beautiful scenery and interesting villages where provide you many opportunities to take photos. Before arriving in Bagan, you will reach Mt Popa, an extinct volcano where is famous for the monastery that perches dramatically atop a sheer-sided volcanic plug. It’s also home to 37 Nats (Burmese spirits), an important worshipping of Burma. Take time to climb up to 7787 steps where is filled with interesting monkeys which can be a great subject for photos. From the top of the mountain, the magnificent view of the large area. Save your best photos then return to the car to transfer to the hotel in Bagan for check-in.Overnight in Bagan

 

Today is a full day for you to explore the man-made masterpiece of Bagan remains among the countless temples and pagodas in the region. After breakfast, we will directly proceed to local Nyaung Oo Market in search of the wonderful moments of daily life and interactions between people. After that a visit to Shwezigon  pagoda a 1,000-year-old Buddhist stupa whose glittering golden bell-shape dome became a model for pagodas throughout Burma ( Where the great chance for shooting at long corridor with the shadow of concrete pillars ) . Before lunch indoor photo shots with elder man  in one of the Buddhist temple .Then take a lunch break at good local restaurant and then take a little break at hotel for refreshing and relaxing before afternoon sightseeing.

Afternoon  sightseeing begin hanging around the Sularmuni Temple and shooting the farm animals coming back in group on the dusty road near the Sularmuni Temple, then sunset shots from one of the best corner of Bagan .. and overnight stay at hotel in Bagan.

Wake up early this morning to make sure you do not miss the best moment in the day to have an awesome photo with hot air balloons. From all four corners, it’s hard not to be hypnotized by the wonderful temples merging into the blue sky dotted with colorful hot air balloon.

After returning to the hotel for breakfast, we make our way to Mindat, a little mountain town in Chin State where is famous as the kingdom of the face tattooed women. Perched on the slopes of a mountain, Mindat does not steal the heart of intrepid people for its stupendous view over the soft feminine blue curves of the surrounding mountain but it also where you can discover the vibrant culture and daily life of the fascinating face tattooed women who made this place well-known to the world. Overnight in Mindat.

Begin your amazing morning with a visit to the local market where you can expect to capture authentic people shots. Then we also head into the mountains to visit some remote villages to discover their daily life, traditional culture, dancing, music and fold tales. Nowadays, the custom of facial tattoos has been forbidden by the Myanmar government and young generations do not want to practice it as well. As a result, it is predicted that this Chin culture’s part will be gone soon. So make sure you travel as soon as possible to not miss the chance to save their best pictures.This evening, we spend the night in a local house in the village to experience their life.Overnight in the homestay..

Today is another day for you to explore the Chin Hills village. Continue to visit the villages and trek through the mountainous scenery for some landscape photography.Overnight in Mindat.

Say goodbye to the untouched landscape of Mindat this morning to drive back to Bagan. Upon arrival, we take a domestic flight to Yangon. Back to Yangon, drive to Shwedagon Pagoda to take the sunset photo when it lit up against the night sky.Overnight in Yangon