Mandalay is about 600 kilometers north of Yangon on the Irrawaddy River. It is the second largest city and was the capital of the last independent kingdom of Myanmar, home to several Buddhist monasteries and exquisite examples of Myanmar masonry.
Today, Mandalay is considered to be the cultural center of Myanmar and has the strongest Buddhist atmosphere in the country.
Start Planning
The best time-frame for a first trip to Mandalay is 3 days. First explore Mandalay and the ancient city's authentic Buddhist culture, before going on the third day to Mingun. Alternatively on day 3 you could relax on a boat from Mandalay to Bagan, taking 10 to 14 hours depending on the water levels.
Day 1 City tour
For visitors to Mandalay, some of the famous Buddha temples will be a priority. We recommend seeing the Mahamuni Pagoda and Shwenandaw Monastery to taste the flavor of the country's Buddhist culture; and later enjoying a gorgeous sunset view from Mandalay Hill.
09:00–10:00 Mahamuni Buddha Image
The Mahamuni Buddha image is deified in the Mahamuni Buddha temple. It originally came from Arakan and is highly venerated by the people of Myanmar because they consider it a reflection of the Buddha's life.
The image is cast in bronze and weighs 6.5 tons. It stands on a 1.84-meter high pedestal and reaches a height of 3.82 meters. Among all the stories about the pagoda, there is one which maintains that it was miraculously preserved from a huge fire in 1970s, while Mandalay city was otherwise mostly destroyed.
Today, pilgrims continue to place more and more gold on the statue, which has already added a 6-inch layer of gold over the last century or so.
Tip: Female visitors are not allowed to get close to the Buddha.
10:30-11:00 Shwenandaw Monastery
Shwenandaw Monastery is a historic Buddhist monastery situated near Mandalay Hill. It is a monument with a long history; built by Emperor Mindon in the 1800s.
Shwenandaw is well-known for its teak carvings of Buddhist myths, and its decorated roofs and walls. It is regarded as a masterpiece of wood carving. When Mandalay became the new capital, the building was dismantled and transported to Mandalay. After that, the monastery served as the home of Emperor Mindon.
The Shwenandaw Monastery is the last wooden Royal Palace surviving to the present day.
Tips
1. The monastery opens daily at 10 am and closes at 6 pm.
2. Visitors can take a rickshaw or taxi to get to the monastery from downtown Mandalay.
11:30-12:30 Kuthodaw Pagoda and the World's Largest Book
Kuthodaw Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa in Mandalay, containing the world's largest book. In 1857, King Mindon ordered the pagoda to be built as part of the foundation of the new royal city of Mandalay.
For fear the teachings of Gautama Buddha would be lost to posterity with the invasion of the British into the region, King Mindon conceived the idea of preserving the teachings by inscribing texts of the Tipitaka, the entire Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism, on marble slabs.
The slabs are each 1 meter long, 1.5 meters wide and 13 centimeters thick. The pagoda is named after the 730 marble slabs and called "the world's largest book".
If you like taking photos, this is a must-visit destination, with great opportunities for pictures of rows of white stupas.
Tip: The pagoda opens daily from 8 am to 8 pm.
12:30-14:00 Lunchtime
15:00-16:00 Mandalay Palace
Mandalay Palace was the last royal palace of the last Myanmar monarchy. It was built by King Mindon, who moved his capital from Amarapura to Mandalay. Unfortunately, the whole palace complex was destroyed by fire during World War II, but it was rebuilt in 1990s.
Frankly, the palace today is like an empty shell compared with its past glory. But if you have time, you can still go and catch a glimpse there of the local history and culture.
17:30-18:30 Sunset over Mandalay Hill
Mandalay Hill is northeast of the city center. It's famous for its abundance of pagodas and monasteries, and has been a popular pilgrimage site among Myanmar Buddhists for about 200 years.
The Sutaungpyei Pagoda is at the top of the hill. Travelers climb up the steps to get to the summit of the hill for a panoramic scene of Mandalay. If you don't want to climb, there is a one-way road for visitors to drive up, saving time and leading to an escalator and a lift to the top of pagoda.
The best time to visit is at sunset. You will be surprised at the beauty of the temple on top of Mandalay Hill – with glass mosaics of many colors.
Not to be missed
In the early mornings, monks and nuns go around collecting alms-food on the city streets. Some walk in a group while others just walk alone. The food they collect from door to door is their main food for the day or even for a longer period of time. Visitors are advised to witness such solemn moments.
Besides, there is a street downtown which is famous for making stone statues of Buddha, where you can witness how the profile of Buddha is carved. If you go in the morning, you may encounter monks collecting their aims.
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Excellent planned and executed Myanmar excursion
Asia Highlights and their local Myanmar partner "mAsia" did an excellent job in planning and execution of a one week trip to Myanmar.The various tour guides and drivers had good knowledge and good command over English. More
Gerd,
Jan 2018
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My experience in Thai
All of this was well organized by the local office. The holiday was wonderful. Our guide, Mr. Longdy( Siem Reap)were exceptional. He shared his extensive knowledge of the many wonderful places we visited, and were flexible to take us to additional places along the way based on discussions. Thank you so much .shared their extensive knowledge of the many wonderful places we visited, and were flexible to take us to additional places along the way based on discussions. More
kelli,
Jul 2023
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Seamless Planning
From the day I submitted an inquiry request, I instantly received a response from Monica asking my preferences for my trip. She has been attentive and responsive to our every needs and we very much appreciate it. Looking forward to our trip in November but many thanks to Monica for making this experience to seamless thus far. More
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Jul 2023
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Very professional agency for a memorable trip to Asia
A special thanks to Albee who worked with us and helped to tailor the itinerary to our taste, she was amazing and always available for whatever we needed. The trip would not have been the same without her and her team. Thank you! More
Daniela,
Jul 2023
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It was our first time in Cambodia and …
It was our first time in Cambodia and we had a wonderful time. The accommodations, food, and sites were really beautiful. We ended our trip with a relaxing massage. Sam was very accommodating to our needs and knowledgeable. Thank you for the laughter and for being so kind. More
Amy Oakes Moon,
Jun 2023
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Our guide Borin - never boring!
Our guide Borin, in Cambodia, was knowledgeable, understanding and thoughtful in every aspect of the plan he put together for our trip to Siem Reap and in its execution. He can read the room, and knew exactly how to pace the tour, when to pause, when to break, and how to prepare us for the maximum benefit. He is extremely kind and caring, and it showed at every turn. He also is a dab hand with the camera, and we have a lot of great pictures to show for it. Kudos to my Asia Highlights coordinator - Cathy Chen, for picking Borin. Borin works with a driver (007) who was also very kind and caring. Whenever we returned to the car, he would have cold towel rolls and chilled water to refresh us. So amazingly considerate. It was an unforgettable experience More
David Muliyil,
Jun 2023
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Great visit!
Our guide, Anna, was fantastic! She was highly informative and a delight to spend our days with. Would request her again if we were to return! More
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Jun 2023
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We've had such a great experience…
We've had such a great experience planning our honeymoon with Alisa at Asia Highlights! We gave her our dream itinerary, thinking that it might be impossible to do all the things we wanted, but Alisa made our dreams a reality! She's gone so far above and beyond to answer ALL of our questions and make little adjustments that will make a huge impact on our experience. More
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Jun 2023
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Alisa knows how to work fast and please a customer.
Alisa is very helpful and works very fast. I am a very difficult client because Inknow what I want in therm of hotels and comfort. She had a lot of patience with me, and moved a lot the plan of the trip, always following my requests. It was a pleasure organizing my trip with her. I recommend her a lot! Thanks Alisa. Malala from Argentina. More
maria laura artola,
Jun 2023
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Trip-of-a-lifetime
In addition, I want to specifically mention the guides provided in certain locations. Rum, in Siem Reap, made the most memorable experience possible. His positivity was contagious - even when it felt like 1000 degrees and we were tired. He brought it all to life, and created a couple days of Ankor Wat, etc. that we will never forget! He heard my daughter's request for specific Cambodian food, and changed our itinerary to go to a village and eat at a locally known shop. He brought the dessert she asked about to us in the car! Overall, he and his driver "Lucky" were a reason to go to Siem Reap. In addition, the other guides (minus one which was switched out immediately) were stupendous. Mon in Bangkok was friendly and provided a great day there; Eak in Chiang Mai gave us a world-class food-tour and day touring the city and its surrounding temples with lots of laughs; Tommy in Hanoi kept us from getting killed in the traffic and gave a stupendous food and architecture/history tour - so very friendly and funny; the fishing village tour in Hoi An, as well as the side-car tour in Saigon, were both unforgettable! Thank you Sharon, and Asia Highlights. Would definitely use again for future trips! More
Teri Simpson,
Apr 2023
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Cambodia and Vietnam adventure!
Our guide in Cambodia, Meas Darapolaith (Pol), was absolutely amazing. He was knowledgeable, friendly and so helpful. His English was excellent and he shared important insights about history and the magnificent sites we visited. We highly recommend him! More
Jennifer Roth Krieger,
Apr 2023
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My daughter and I wanted to discover SE…
My daughter and I wanted to discover SE Asia. Being the first in that region, we wanted to use a tour service company. We ended up using Asia Highlights. From the beginning we were impressed with their services. We left home with of mind because all the pre-travel arrangements were taking care and communicate to us efficiently. All our questions were answered promptly. Once in the countries, we were welcome by our excellent tour guides. Everything was taking care for us. We did not have one issue. They selected the right tours guides for us, they were highly knowledgeable and so much attentive to our needs. We had Dhat in Vietnam and Borin in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I highly recommend Asia Highlights. I came back home so much rested, and with plenty of wonderful pictures and memories. I will definitely use Asia Highlights again for my next trip to Asia. More
Isabelle Dessaux,
Apr 2023
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Fabulous tour and guide in Cambodia
We have been touring Cambodia, guided by Borin ( and driver 007) for the last 2 days. What a fabulous experience! Borin has been a wonderful guide, the best so far in Southeast Asia, explaining the history and culture of Cambodia through his tours of the temples in and around Angkor, as well as the Landmine museum. He has answered all our questions, made sure we were comfortable, and that we have had great food. 007 made sure we always had enough water and cool towels for our face/neck.We highly recommend Borin as a tour guide for Cambodia!! More
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Mar 2023
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Best Travel Service for Asia Travel
Alisa Liu was in charge of making the arrangements and she helped us from the start to make all of the arrangements and also helped us when we had questions and requested some adjustments. Her service is of the highest professional level. We are 100% confident that our trip will be perfect. We’re also 100% confident that, if anything comes up during our trip, that Alisa will be there to guide us through and take care of us. We won’t even consider using another agency for travel around Asia and we would like to have Alisa work for us again. More
Leo Pospichal,
Mar 2023
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Tour of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand
The tour guides and drivers were another high point. All were very good, friendly, knowledgeable and spoke English well. There were two that I want to call out for their excellence. Chan Sovannarith in Siem Reap was our guide in Cambodia. He really made the experience special. His knowledge, willingness to answer all my questions, helpfulness and general attitude made him fun to be around. In order to praise the second exceptional guide I have to explain about an unfortunate occurrence that I had. I'm normally a very active senior, but after leaving Cambodia for Laos I was suddenly struck by the most intense back pain I've ever experienced, couldn't even roll over in bed (turned out to be sciatica). The guide, Mr. Sonophet, really went the extra mile. He went with my traveling companion and bought a back brace and medications for me. When that didn't help much he took me to a clinic where I was seen by a doctor, given a shot and pain meds. He hand-made a walking stick for me that I'm still using! He made it possible for me to somewhat participate in the activities, i.e. a bed on the boat down the river. When it was time to move on to Bangkok he got me a wheelchair at the airport. I can't thank him enough for these kindnesses! This problem lasted for the remainder of the trip, through Bangkok and Phuket and these guides were also very helpful getting wheelchairs, etc. It was a terrible disappointment to have this wonderful trip disrupted, but it would have been SO much worse without the great help that I received from the guides and my poor travel companion! More
Deb M,
Mar 2023
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In good hands with Sam
Sam Ol took very good care of us - lots of information, listened to and answered all our questions, was passionate about the places we visited and about his people and country. He was kind, had a great sense of humor, and made sure we felt safe and comfortable at all times. He helped us to fall in love with Cambodia in 3 short days. More
Carol Jones,
Feb 2023
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Best tour guide in Cambodia
When we first arrived at the airport in Siem Riep it was so nice to be greeted by Mr Sam Ol. We instantly fell at home when we saw his friendly smile. We were impressed by his great English and knowledge of the temples. On the tour to the temples Sam took care of us every step of the way. He took awesome pictures of us. It felt like we were on a tour given by our brother who is also a professional photographer. Also, we appreciate his humor as well as the fact he had an answer for every question we had. I give Sam 5 stars, best tour guide ever :) More
Len S,
Feb 2023
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Mr. Sam
Mr. Sam our guide in Cambodia, he and the driver out standing service they went above and beyond touring, my wife so amazed beautiful country, we're planning back here near the futures. Thank Mr. Sam,We'll feedback the whole trip next week when we be home in US More
Pho Lover,
Feb 2023
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Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand
We are still in the middle of our trip, but we are just finishing up our time in Cambodia and our guide, Borin, has been AMAZING!!! He has truly made our time here unforgettable and I plan on referring all of my friends and family to come visit this beautiful country! Thank you, Borin, for everything you did to make our trip so fantastic! More
Danielle Blount,
Feb 2023
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Excellent service and Wonderful Guides
All of our guides have been terrific. Mr. Sam in Siem Reip was especially wonderful. Both he and our driver were polite, safe knowledgable and informative. Sam made our trip memorable and enioyable. We will definitely recommend Sam and Asia Highlights to our friends. More
Kaaren,
Feb 2023
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Day 2 Plan an ancient city tour
A tour of the ancient city is a good way for visitors to experience the culture, tradition, and way of life in rural areas. Visitors are recommended to take a ferry or carriage to visit the ancient city and a boat tour to watch the sunset from the U-Bein Bridge. Such experiences will leave you with impressive memories.
09:00-10:30 Maha Ganayon Kyaung
Maha Ganayon Kyaung is about 20 kilometers north of downtown. It is the largest monastery (Buddhist College) in Myanmar, having roughly 2,000 students. Around 10 am, more than 1,000 young monks line up silently for lunch, their last meal of the day.
14:00-16:00 Enjoy a ferry or carriage ride
Amarapura, Ava and Sagaing are three famous ancient cities in Mandalay. Both Ava and Sagaing lie near the Ayarwaddy River. Visitors can either take a ferry or a carriage to see the ancient teak houses and the beautiful countryside. Your experience of the culture and traditions will make your visit more interesting.
17:00-18:00 U-Bein Bridge sunset (with boat trip)
The U-Bein Bridge was built by a king in the mid-1800's to enable people to cross the lake more easily. It is more than one kilometer long.
Sunset from the bridge provides an iconic romantic view, extremely charming and attractive. You can try to capture it on camera.
Day 3 Boat Excursion to Mingun
Mingun is a town in Sagaing Division. It is 11 km up the Ayeyarwaddy River from Mandalay. With a boat excursion to Mingun you can enjoy the fascinating landscapes of the river as well as witness the daily lives of the people living along the Ayeyarwaddy.
The Pahtodawgyi (unfinished pagoda) and the Myatheindan Pagoda are two well-known sites in Mingun.
The Pahtodawgyi is an amazing, gigantic steep-sided red-brick pyramid, highly fractured as part of it collapsed during earthquakes. Visitors can no longer climb all the way to the top, as it is fragile and dangerous, but it is still impressive and worth a visit.
The Myatheindan Pagoda was built in 1816 in distinctive style. It's also called Hsinbyume Pagoda, because Bagyidaw ascended the throne in commemoration of the death of his main queen Hsinbyume. It is a huge white temple, which looks like a giant meringue pavlova base.
By the way, you'd better wear sunglasses to enter, for it is so white. Try to climb to the top and you will see fantastic views all around.
The Mingun Bell is another relic well worth a visit. Located in the village of Mingun, on the west side of the Ayeyarwaddy River, the bell is said to be the largest working bell in the world. It weighs 90 metric tons and is 3.7 meters high.
Standing under the bell and ringing it is a fun thing to do.
Other suggestions for Day 3
1. Enjoy a pleasant meal in the Sky Bar, on top of the Ayarwaddy River View Hotel. Or take a lift to the 10th floor of the Shwe Ingyinn Hotel to see the stunning view across the river to Mingun; also over the city towards Mandalay Hill.
2. Take a bicycle ride to the Ayarwaddy River View Hotel from western Mandalay, and see the church, pagodas, folk houses and U-Bein Bridge during the ride.
3. Visit Mahamuni Buddha Temple around 4 am to attend the face-washing ceremony. During the ceremony, locals respectfully pray out loud. If you visit Mandalay, this is a must-do activity. Male visitors are required to wear trousers and no bags can be taken inside.
4. Take a ferry trip from Mandalay to Bagan. This takes between 10 to 14 hours.
Price: fast ferry $30-40; slow ferry $10
Visit Myanmar with Asia Highlights
We provide tailor-made tours to Myanmar. Tours typically start or end in Yangon or Mandalay and last approximately 9 days; visiting Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Inle Lake.
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