4 Days - 3 Nights - Yangon - Hpa An - Mawlamyine - Yangon
(By Public Train, Private Car and Boat)

ITINERARY IN BRIEF

Day 01 - Leaving Yangon by Train to Bago, Continue by car to  Hpa An
Day 02 - Hpa An and its beautiful caves and scenery
Day 03 - Day trip to Mawlamyine with one of the biggest reclining Buddhas in the world
Day 04 - Return to Yangon

Departure: daily
Please note: This tour can also start from Hpa An and tailored to your desire.

DAY 1: LEAVING YANGON BY TRAIN TO Hpa An (B/-/-)

After an early breakfast we proceed to the train station (Your pick up time will be around 6:15 Am in order to catch the first train). The train moves slowly through the outskirts of Yangon, ideal for getting an idea of the daily life along the train tracks. An attraction is Bago main market with a wide range of local products, from fruits to all kinds of things for daily use.

Along the way we pass smaller villages and have time for a stop for refreshments and have a look at the daily life. Tip: Buy some seasonal fruits along the road side.

After lunch we pass Bayin Nyi Cave, where after the legend a king’s brother was hiding from the Mon insurgents. The cave is situated on a lime stone cliff wall and surrounded by hot water bathing pools and colorful marshlands.

In the afternoon we will arrive in Hpa An. If time permits, we enjoy the sunset at Shwe Yin Myaw Pagoda at the bank of Thanlwin (Salween) River. Here you will get to know why Hpa An literally translated frog vomit means.

Lunch and Dinner are to your own account.

Meals:  none
Overnight stay: Hotel around or in Hpa An

DAY 2: Hpa and its surroundings (B/L/-)

After a short drive we visit Kaw Gun Cave also known as the ‘Cave of the Ten Thousand Buddha’s. The walls are holding up more than 2000 tablets of Lord Buddha with Mon inscriptions. Until today not all of them are encrypt as the cave can be dated back to the 7th century. Our next stop is Kyauk Kalat Monastery, which is built on top of a single rock formations surrounded by a scenic lake.

Further down the road is Lumbini Garden with Mt. Zwekabin as a scenic backdrop. The 1000 Buddha statues and the 722 Meter high mountain are giving the place a mystic touch. We enjoy traditional Burmese lunch at a nearby local restaurant.

We pass Ein Du village, which is famous for traditional cotton weaving. We take along around one of the factories and explain the skilled work.

Probably the most beautiful cave is Saddar Cave. We walk through an entire lime stone mountain range. Especially the caves stalagmites and stalactites are incredibly beautiful. Fortunately we don’t need to return the same way. A traditional wooden boat is taking us under the lime stone range back to the other site from where we walk back to the car park.

In the late afternoon we visit the bat cave, where more than thousands of bats come out every night to find food. The sky is darkening and it is said they fly as far as Mawlamyine to still there hunger (optional).

Lunch and Dinner are to your own account.

Alternative 1: You can choose the more active version and trek Mount Zwekabin in the morning instead of visiting Kaw Gun Cave and Kyauk Kalat Monastery. In the afternoon we continue by car to Saddan Cave

Alternative 2: Half day morning cylcing tour on less visit paths (Same sights except Kaw Gun Cave). In the afternoon we continue by car to Saddan Cave (Supplement applies).

Meals:  Breakfast at your Hotel, Traditional Lunch
Overnight stay: Hotel around or in Hpa An

DAY 3: Day Trip to Mawlamyine (B/-/-)

After breakfast, we take the private boat to Mawlamyine (Moulmein). Enjoy the scenic cruise along the Thanlwin River. Along the way we stop at U Nar Auk Monastery, which was built during the British Colonialization from the finest craftsmen during this time.

Mawlamyine is the 4th largest city of Myanmar as well as 1st capital of British Burma, boasting of intact colonial era buildings. We visit the Mon Cultural Museum with its displays of bronze, silverware, ceramics and sculptures (closed on Sundays and Public Holidays).

We learn about handmade clay pots at a clay pot workshop nearby Mawlamyine. One of the world’s largest reclining Buddhas lays near Mudon Township. We have a look around the monument.

We visit Kyaikthanlan Pagoda, immortalized in Rudyard Kipling’s poem that begins: “By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin’ lazy at the sea/ There’s a Burma girl a-settin’, and I know she thinks o’ me…”.

In the later afternoon we return to your hotel in Hpa An. Lunch and Dinner are to your own account.

Meals:  Breakfast at your Hotel
Overnight stay: Hotel around or in Hpa An

DAY 4: Return to Yangon (B/-/-)

After breakfast we have enough time to walk over the busy main market of Hpa An and soak in the atmosphere. Maybe you want to buy some souvenirs. Arrival in Yangon in the afternoon.

If you need to fly to other destinations from Yangon Airport, you might have to leave early from Hpa An (Driving time 5 hours). Please inform us accordingly.

Meals:  Breakfast at your Hotel
Overnight stay: none

Included Services

• Private transfer as specified in the itinerary

• All entrance fees to the sites mentioned in the itinerary

• English speaking guide (other languages on request)

• Accommodation with breakfast on double occupancy (Single supplement varies)

• 2 bottles of water & 2 cooling towels per person / day

• Luggage handling fees at airports

• 1x Traditional Burmese Lunch