Wake up early in the morning and transfer to Mahamuni Temple around 3:30am. Arrive Mahamuni Temple where your guide will arrange for you where to sit at the ceremony to get a better view. The ceremony starts around 4:30 am.

The ceremony ground will be crowded with monks, nuns, Board of Trustees from the temple and many local people, who come to pay homage to the Buddha Image at Mahamuni Temple.

The ceremony is carried out by the chief monk and his lay helpers. Climbing onto a platform, they begin by washing the Buddha image by spraying water from a golden can and cleaning with a cloth in series of rhythmic arm movements.

The drying is done with a golden fan by the chief monk. The towels used in the face washing ceremony are delivered back to the devotees who keep these towels with reverence in their home shrines.

After the ceremony, visit and discover the morning activities around the Temple such as monks chanting and locals offering and praying at the temple.

The entrance hall houses an interesting covered market well worth a browse. Outside of the temple, there is an outdoor market that really comes alive at night.

Then transfer to one of the most famous tea-shops in Mandalay, try some Myanmar Tea and Nan Gyi Thoke, famous Mandalay Noodle Salad or Shan Noodles which are the specialties of tea shops in Mandalay.

Sometimes, you will see the monks queuing up for Morning Alms collection, you can buy some Myanmar tempura from the local vendors near the tea shop and offer them to the monks.

Finally transfer back to hotel after your early morning spiritual encounter.

Discover the real Mandalay on this morning excursion. Join Buddhist worshipers in an early morning ritual at a local temple, witness the timeless procession of monks collecting alms and venture through the colourful morning market.

It’s an early morning start today with your guide and driver picking you up at your hotel at 4 am. Transfer first to Mahamuni Pagoda, one of Mandalay’s most important religious sites. The main Buddha image here is more than 3.5 metres high and is coated with golf leaf applied by the local pilgrims. In fact, so much gold leaf has been applied over the years that the image is now distorted and appears lumpy in texture.

Every morning at 4.30 the monks and locals gather at Mahamuni to wash the statue’s face with scented water and clean his teeth with a soft brush. This bizarre yet beautiful ceremony is worth getting out of bed for!

Next continue to a local neighborhood to witness the daily alms collection of the monks. Clothed in red robes and carrying their alms bowls, a solemn line of barefoot monks walks along the streets to collect offerings from the locals. The morning alms collection is an important part of daily life for the monks and for the Burmese people as it symbolizes ‘making merit’ and also reminds to Buddhist of their mutual inter-dependence.

After these beautiful ceremonies it’s time to head to the morning market in central Mandalay. Covering several city blocks the market is a hive of activity in the early morning hours with vendors selling mounds of fresh produce, meat, flowers and other items and shoppers arriving by trishaw or motorbike. You may even see monks and nuns walking through the market to collect alms or purchase items for the monastery. The setting is incredibly colourful.

Finally it’s time for breakfast! Visit a local tea-shop, a busy meeting place throughout the day and an integral part of Burmese life. Sip a hot cup of coffee or try the local tea, a strong brew mixed with sweetened condensed milk. Sample a bowl of local noodles. Mandalay is famous for its ‘Mee Shay’ (noodles with pork or chicken, bean sprouts, toasted chickpea flour, rice flour gel, soy sauce and various herbs)and ‘Mont Di’(rice noodle with a chicken curry). You can also have Mohingaor Shan noodles if you wish.

Then transfer back to your hotel after a morning.

Combine the sights and smells of local markets with an evening of slapstick comedy performed by the comedic but controversial Moustache Brothers! The tour starts with a visit to several Mandalay markets to soak up the atmosphere and interact with the locals.

Make your way to the Ayerawaddy River just in time to see the local fish market coming to life. Watch the trishaws, motorcycles and small trucks laden with rattan baskets full of silver fish push their way through the crowds to the market.

Customers haggle for the best prices and best catch from the slippery piles of fresh catfish, grouper, snakehead fish and many other varieties found in the river.

A visit to the colourful and fragrant flower market reveals a myriad of exquisite exotic flowers used as offerings for the pagodas and shrines.

The next stop is at the vegetable market to see the locally grown produce, along with a visit to a nearby monastery to hear the entrancing sounds of monks chanting evening prayers.

After sunset, head to a local restaurant and beer garden to relax over a glass of chilled Mandalay beer and a delicious BBQ dinner.

The evening’s entertainment is provided by the Moustache Brothers, three Burmese men who perform old-style vaudeville consisting of humour and satire mixed with Burmese dance.

The slapstick trio became famous in the 1990’s when their jokes and rants against the Myanmar government brought them a string of prison sentences involving hard labour.

Visit the ancient royal capitals around Mandalay on this full-day trip. See the temples of Ava, explore the markets and monasteries of Sagaing and walk across the world’s longest teak bridge in Amarapura.

After breakfast at the hotel, depart for a full day trip around Mandalay to explore the former capitals of Ava, Sagaing and Amarapura.

This morning, cross a bridge over the Irrawaddy River to Sagaing. Covered with 600 white-painted pagodas and monasteries, Sagaing Hill is widely regarded as the religious center of Myanmar. It is home to 3,000 monks and 100 meditation centres. Visit pagodas such as Swan Oo Pon Nya Shin and U Min Thone Sae.

Also visit Sagaing’s local market, a typical Burmese market that few tourists visit. Here you will find a range of items for sale including locally made pottery, silver and other handicrafts. Also stop at a small pottery village to see the process of making the ubiquitous water pots found throughout Myanmar.

Continue south of the city to Ava, Burma’s capital from the 14th to 18th centuries, where a short ferry ride across the river finds a horse and carriage waiting on the opposite bank.

Visit the old wooden Bagaya Monastery and the remains of the Royal Palace and Fort. There are many small villages located amidst Ava’s ruins. Travelling by horse and cart you’ll get a glimpse of local life in the Burmese countryside. Stop for lunch in Ava before returning to the car.

Return towards Mandalay, stopping at Amarapura, a former capital whose name means ‘City of Immortality’. First visit a silk weaving workshop, which produces exquisite handmade products before visiting Mahagandayon Monastery, home to more than a thousand monks.

After touring this tranquil site, continue to U Bein Bridge for a walk along this 200 year-old teak bridge. The bridge was constructed of 984 teak posts that were once part of the deserted Inwa Palace. Its’ 1.2 km length makes it the world’s longest teak bridge. Enjoy a stroll along the bridge and the fabulous views of the surrounding farms and streams.

Return to Mandalay late this afternoon. Lunch is included.

Scenic beauty, historical sites and awe-inspiring buildings: this guided excursion showcases the best of Mandalay and Mingun. Visit Mandalay’s temples and soak in the views from Mandalay Hill.

Take a boat ride up the Irrawaddy River to Mingun where architectural wonders are scattered throughout the sleepy village.

Begin with a walk up Mandalay Hill. Rising 240 metres above the city, the hill provides a great viewing platform of the surrounding countryside, Irrawaddy River and city centre.

At the base of the hill stop to visit Shwe Nandaw Kyuang, the Golden Palace Monastery, notable for its intricate wood carvings.

Move on to Kayuktawgyi Pagoda to view the huge marble Buddha. The marble is from Sagyin quarry and took 10,000 men almost two weeks to transfer the rock from the riverside to its current location.

Finally visit Kuthodaw Pagoda, home to ‘the world’s largest book’, a collection of more than 700 marble slabs inscribed with Buddhist teachings.

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant by the riverside.

This afternoon embark on a boat trip up the Irrawaddy River from Mandalay to the riverside village of Mingun, enjoying the picturesque river scenery and the lifestyles of the local people who live and work on these waters. Unlike Ava and Amarapura, Mingun was not a royal capital yet has many interesting sites.

Visit the Mingun Bell, which weighs more than 87 tons and is more than 3.7 metres tall. This is the world’s largest uncracked bell. Just south of the bell is Mingun Pagoda, a giant brick structure built in the late 1700’s and although it was unfinished due to economic troubles it is still an impressive sight.

Mingun’s other highlight is the Hisnbyume Pagoda, a whitewashed temple built to resemble Mount Meru. Throughout Mingun there are small neighborhoods crafting traditional basketry and other artistic items and there is plenty of time to stop and interact with the craftsmen and locals.

Return by boat late this afternoon, as the sun begins to set. Lunch is included.

Pedal your way through the outskirts of Mandalay on this half-day guided excursion for a chance to see a different side of the city. Sharing the road with oxcarts, local cyclists and school kids pass through small villages, monasteries and temples and visit a local market.

With plenty of opportunities to stop for photos or chat with the locals, this Myanmar day trip is an experience unlike any other.

Set off this morning for a fabulous ride through the eastern outskirts of Mandalay. Your guide will meet you at the hotel with your bikes and, after adjusting your bikes and helmets, it’s time to start pedaling. The journey covers 20-30 kilometres (depending on start point and optional uphill climb) and is mostly on flat, sealed roads.

The first 4-6 kilometres take you out of the city, leaving behind the concrete buildings and moving on to a quiet road surrounded by fields and dotted with small villages. The first stop will be at a morning market where a range of fruits, vegetables, local snacks and other items are for sale. Walk around, take photos and meet the friendly vendors.

Continue eastwards, arriving at the base of Yankin Hill, a popular pilgrimage spot for locals, and turn south. Large trees shade this next stretch of road and there are many monasteries, temples and schools on either side. There is little traffic aside from the school kids and monks walking or biking alongside you.

Then reach Yeh Dagon Hill, where many Burmese come for meditation retreats. If you’re feeling fit, a short 6km loop will take you up the hilly switchbacks for fabulous views.  From here, turn back towards town on a different road and ride through more fields (growing sugarcane, sunflowers, beans and sometimes rice). Stop at a small village making traditional paper fans before heading back to the city.

Reach your hotel at midday after a great morning or cycling excursion. The trip is also available in the afternoon, although the morning is recommended as it is generally cooler and the market is more active.

The total distance covered is around 20-30 kilometers; 90% sealed roads, 10% hard pack; 100% flat roads (except an optional 6km loop).