Sailing on Ayeyarwaddy

Take a boat trip on the Ayeyarwady River upriver from Mandalay to Mingun (11 Km, about one hour). The river is always busy – small longtail boats, bamboo rafts and ferries carry goods up and down the river. Visit the Mingun Bell, which at 87 tons is the world’s largest intact bronze bell. Continue to the beautiful Hsinbyume (Ma Thein Tan) Paya and the unfinished, mighty Mingun Pagoda (built to be the world’s biggest) before continuing downriver to Sagaing for lunch.

Visit picturesque Sagaing, perhaps the living centre of Buddhist faith in Myanmar today. The hills here are dotted with numerous pagodas and monasteries. Return across the Ayeyarwady River to the former royal capital of Amarapura, via the Ava Bridge, built by British engineers. Take a sunset stroll on U Bein Bridge, which at over a kilometre is believed to be the longest teak bridge in the world. Return to Mandalay.