The Undiscovered South

Day 1 Depart The UK

Depart the UK on your overnight flight to Yangon

Day 2-3 Yangon  Signature City Tour

On arrival you’ll be transferred to your hotel and the first evening will be free to relax. You’ll then have a full day in Yangon to explore with your guide on our signature tour, designed to get you under the skin of the city. You’ll visit landmarks, explore markets and see the contrasts of local life. Enjoy a street food dinner with refreshing local beer before heading back to your hotel in the evening.

Day 4 & 5  Bago and The Wetlands  Temples and Birdlife

Your guide and driver will transfer you to nearby Bago where you’ll explore variety of golden temples and giant Buddha statues. There will be plenty of time to discover the area by bicycle with your private guide taking in the ancient palace and the local markets. Bago is also well located for a visit to the Moeyungyi Wetlands known for their terrific birdwatching opportunities. Take a morning cruise around the Wetlands and your guide will help you to spot a myriad of species.

Day 6  Mount Kyaiktiyo    Climb to the Golden Rock 

Leaving Bago, your journey will continue to the famous “Golden Rock”. The climb to the top takes about an hour, and en route, you’ll no doubt encounter local people making the pilgrimage to the summit. Weather permitting, the view from the top is incredible. You’ll stay overnight near the rock itself.

Day 7 Hpa An  Caves and Views

Today you travel onwards to Hpa An where there will be time to take in an elevated view of the surrounding lake, and if feeling energetic, you could choose to either make the two-hour trek up Zwekabin Mountain or explore some of Hpa-An’s famous caves.

Day 8- 10 Hpa and to Mawlamyine via the Salween River

Board the RV Yandabo in Hpa-An for a journey along the lower, navigable reaches of the Salween (Thandlwin) River towards Mawlamyine. The RV Yandabo is a fantastic way to get a sense of the remoteness and beauty of this area of Myanmar. Your accommodation will be one of 15 cabins on two decks.

Over 3 days, you will cruise south watching the jungle scenery unfold from the comfort of the boat promenade. You’ll stop to explore villages en route such as small, historic Mottama for an afternoon walk and travelling downstream towards the mouth of the river including a visit to Bilugyun (Ogre) Island where you’ll moor up for sunset.

There will be time to disembark and tour Ogre Island, where the local Mon people craft coconut fibre doormats, rubber bands and walking sticks before leaving the cruise in Mawlamyine.

Day 11  Mawlamyine  The first capital of British Burma

Spend a day exploring Mawlamyine, the fourth largest city in Myanmar and the capital of Mon state at the mouth of the Salween (Thanlwin) River.

Day 12 Dawei   the Sleepy, tropical south

After breakfast, you’ll begin the drive south to the tropical town of Dawei (Tavoy). The area was closed to tourists until early 2013, so it is mostly undeveloped and unexplored and makes for a very authentic and rewarding experience. Today is a fairly long journey so there will be stops en route and on arrival, you may wish to explore the town itself or nearby Shinmokhti Paya, dating back to 1438 and one of four shrines in the country housing a Sinhalese Buddha image supposedly made with a composite piece of the sacred Bodhi Tree.

Day 13 -16 The Mergui Archipelago  Relax in paradise

From Dawei its a short hop by plane to Kawthaung the gateway for the Mergui Archipelago. On arrival, you’ll be transferred to the jetty for the boat transfer to Macleod Island. Here you’ll check-in at the Andaman Resort for your secluded island getaway. Spend an additional three days relaxing in this unspoilt paradise setting, the diving and snorkelling are superb, and the beaches are untouched.

Day 17  Yangon  The Shwedagon Pagoda

Today you return to Yangon for the final night of your holiday. On arrival you’ll transfer to your hotel before enjoying a late afternoon visit to the Shwedagon Pagoda, one of Myanmar’s most famous landmarks - this is a fantastic place to watch your final sunset in Myanmar.

Day 18 Fly Home

Today you depart Yangon for the flight back to the UK.