Upper Irrawaddy River by Upper Irrawaddy River by RV Pandaw Cruise, 8 days
RV Pandaw Cruise: Highlights of this upper Irrawaddy river cruise will be passage through the 3rd and 2nd defiles, not to mention visits to enchanting local towns and delightful villages.
PLEASE NOTE: The itinerary for this expedition is indicative only. As we travel to remote areas, changes to the itinerary will inevitably occur. A flexible approach is required if you book this cruise.
DAY 1: MANDALAY
Set sail and visit the spectacular potteries near Kyauk-myoung where the famous 50-gallon water pots are handmade. We see all stages of manufacture from the throwing of the pots to the weeklong firing in huge kilns. We return to the ship and enter the third defile of Irrawaddy.
Meals: Lunch/Dinner
Accommodation: Pandaw Cruise
DAY 2: KHANYAT
Stop at Khan-nyat village with its many Buddhist monasteries and visit the former head teacher's house, which also includes his small museum collections. We go ashore and climb the Pagoda Hill at Tigyang with its stunning views of the Upper Irrawaddy River.
Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Accommodation: Pandaw Cruise
DAY 3: KATHA
We reach the enchanting colonial town of Katha, setting for George Orwell’s Burmese Days. Little has changed since then. Of interested are the fire station’s collections of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company’s ship’s bells taken from sunken ships in the Second War. Katha was the final resting place of the old flotilla and here over a hundred ships were scuppered in 1942 in an Act of Denial before the advancing Japanese. We also visit an elephant logging camp at Katha in the hardwood forests of the hills that surround the town and further upstream.
Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Accommodation: Pandaw Cruise
DAY 4: SAIL UPSTREAM KYUNT DAW ISLAND
Transfer by Local boat and visit Kyun Daw village where we will visit countless small Pagodas.
Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Accommodation: Pandaw Cruise
Day 5: 2ND DEFILE OF IRRAWADDY
Cruise through the 2nd Defile, the most dramatic of the three gorges with cliffs towering over the narrow channel. Sail downstream.
Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Accommodation: Pandaw Cruise
Day 6: TAGAUNG
Walking tour of the ancient city of Tagaung viewing the fortifications, a famous nat or spirit shrine and the archaeological area.
Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Accommodation: Pandaw Cruise
Day 7: MINGUN
Slip our moorings early in the morning and stop at Mingun to see the largest working bell in the world and the unfinished pagoda that is the largest single mass of brick building in the world. We also visit the Mingun Old People’s Home originally established with the assistance of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company in the 1930s. Drive through the beautiful Sagaing hills to the hilltop to enjoy an amazing view over the region and Irrawaddy River.
Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Accommodation: Pandaw Cruise
Day 8: MANDALAY
Disembark after breakfast.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: N/A
Departures
Pandaw Cruise Departures
Note*: rates and departures would change without prior notice. Please contact us @ info@e-travelmyanmar.com for our updated rates and departures for your proposed trip on Pandaw Cruise.
Pandaw Cruise departures details. Tripadvisor Forum
Cruise Price Includes: Entrance fees, guide services (English language), gratuities to crew, main meals, locally made soft drinks, local beer and local spirits, jugged coffee and selection of teas and tisanes, mineral water.
Cruise Price Excludes: International flights, port dues (if levied), laundry, all visa costs, fuel surcharges (see terms and conditions), imported beverages such as wines, premium spirits and liqueurs, fancy soft drinks like Perrier, espressos and cappuccinos at bar and tips to tour guides, local guides, bus drivers, boat operators and cyclo drivers.
