Luxury Myanmar Family Tour

Land in Bagan and immediately feel how different Myanmar is to the rest of the world. Sublime sandstone monuments rise amidst the trees; their extravagance stretches for miles across the dusty plains. Golden stupas reflect in the Irrawaddy River; 900-year-old murals hide beside giant Buddha images, and the landscape is quick to overwhelm your senses. There are over 2,000 temples and pagodas, relics from one of the world's biggest building booms. Myanmar's iconic destination, Bagan presents a mythical world where every angle baffles the eye. Be greeted at the airport and transferred to your hotel in Old Bagan in easy walking distance of the area’s largest temples.

Explore all afternoon and wind your way along the sandy trails to a series of the most inspiring temples. Some offer adventure as you climb narrow staircases to phenomenal views over the plains. Others imbue serenity, where meditative chants and incense spill from the archways. Young monks gather in one as sand artists paint in another while shining gold Buddhas shimmer in many. No two are the same, and your guide will unravel the narratives on their history to take you on an architectural journey through the monarchs of Myanmar's past.

Bagan's landscape is lost in a time warp, nothing modern interrupts the mystique, yet it's not merely the architecture that comes from a distant period. Village life remains much as it always has been and offers an easy cultural immersion into a unique lifestyle. Today, take an inspiring journey into Myanmar's traditions as seen through the eyes of its children. A specialist guide takes you along the river to a novice monastery. Almost all of Myanmar's male population spends time at a Buddhist monastery as a child. There is a delightful juxtaposition as young monks wander barefoot in their red robes as a mask of spirituality fills their faces yet the exuberance of youth fills the atmosphere, so you are quickly reminded that these are children like any others in the world; playful and inquisitive.

From here, you will visit a junior nunnery and a similar story is presented for young women. Both experiences provide an evocative look at how life differs depending on where you grow up, and interaction is an essential focus of the tour. Next, you will visit a local school hidden along the banks of the Irrawaddy. You will be invited into a wooden longhouse, to share a cup of tea as an indelible show of friendship. While visiting this rural community, get involved with traditional life; ride buffalos to the river, bash rice rusks with a wooden hammer and run beneath the fresh fruit orchards. Return to Bagan and complete your day with a tranquil dinner river cruise as a mythical sunset creates an incredible panorama as dusk descends.

The exploration of temples can keep many entertained for days, but this is not always the case for the children. Today you will use unique modes of transport to tour Bagan from different angles. Rise in a hot air balloon at sunrise as the sky glows orange and the sandstone burns with dawn's reflections. Cruise across the carpet of enchantment as the great expanse of temples are radiant in the morning light. It's a unique journey for the children as the vistas always change as you roam above Myanmar. Touch down and a leisurely brunch is served at the hotel for a chance to relax along the Irrawaddy River before the afternoon's adventure.

A regal horse and carriage will pick you up from Old Bagan, and you will clip-clop through the Central Plains, light plumes of dust will spiral skyward from the red sandy trails. This part of Bagan comes from the cinematic screen, a lost world of fictional narratives with hardly another person in sight. The plains are Bagan at its most enigmatic, hundreds of facades creep up between the trees. Out here, the majestic temples are named only by number, an indication of just how many landmarks there are to discover. Stop wherever you like and explore, clamber up narrow staircases, past faded murals, and across a playground of delight from forgotten centuries.

At Inle Lake, your hotel is in the water as the stilt houses rise above the placid surface to offer inspiring vistas from every angle. Fishermen paddle out in their canoes to cast nets beneath the lush backdrop of the Shan hills. Rice paddies stretch into the distance and fish jump like phantoms from the surrounding water. Fly from Bagan to Heho, where it's a short transfer to the lake and a hotel that's built upon tradition. In the afternoon, cruise along the canals to explore the villages that inhabit the lake and the customs that continue to thrive; visit weavers and silversmiths, taste delicious fruits, admire ceremonial headdresses, and immerse yourself in all the colors of the region. While the water provides serenity, a cruise around the lake reveals the untouched customs of Myanmar.

Mystical chants radiate from a temple hidden in the hills as a monk beckons you forward into a room of wafting incense and absorbent smells. Kneel as a family to take part in a special ceremonial blessing for good health. This isn't a ceremony for tourists; many local families come here to receive the same blessing. Later, wind down through the hills and the rice paddies back to the lakeshore and another afternoon on a cruise through the villages. Travel past floating gardens to vibrant markets, where unusual hats and alluring trinkets are the norm.

From here, the itinerary is flexible, and there is a range of activities that can be incorporated. Visit a local fortune teller or stop in a village and try the local game of football as you attempt to keep a small, hard ball in the air. Try the local fishing methods and throw circular nets as you balance on the edge of a longboat. Cast your own silver in a small stilt house or weave baskets with women in their vibrant dress before you return to the hotel for sunset, a glorious postcard image that stretches out from your private house.

Various hill tribes inhabit the hills; their bamboo-dominated houses stand amongst the iconic rice steppes. This morning, visit the Palaung and immerse yourself in their traditions. Youngsters ride on the back of buffalo, ox carts wait patiently, families congregate to share tea, and children do what they do best – enjoy being children. Visiting the hill tribe villages offers a chance to interact with local life. While English isn't widely spoken, your guide interprets and gestures often speak more effectively than words. A day meant to spend at leisure, visit a wide range of villages dependent on your interests. Take your time, absorb rural Myanmar, and share stories. You may be among the first foreigners some villagers have ever met; they're as keen to understand more about you as you are about them.

Ngapali is undeniably Myanmar's finest beach, a roving stretch of white sand that sweeps into the Bay of Bengal. Thick palm tree plantations lean across the beach and cast daily shadows that eventually elongate into the sapphire waters. Waves are small, the current calm, the ocean behaves as if it’s lounging in a bay. Along Ngapali, there's always space. There are no villages, just a sequence of luxury resorts that hide amongst the canopy of palms. Wander out, and it's rare that there are other footsteps in the sand, although you might occasionally spot an ox or buffalo lost on the beach.

Your resort provides the iconic escape, a quiet retreat that gazes out over the warm hues of the ocean. Slumber by the pool, splash about on the beach and revel in the remoteness of it all. From Heho, fly to Thandwa Airport via Yangon to land in the early afternoon for the short transfer to Ngapali Beach and your resort. While the scene is tropical, the atmosphere is boutique. Unlike many beaches in Southeast Asia, Ngapali is only just blossoming towards its tourist potential, and you'll have almost all of it to yourselves.

For the next three days, enjoy time with your family to wallow in the tropical tranquility. Enjoy barbecues of fresh fish cooked on the sand before you take a boat out to snorkel along the reef at Pearl Island. Visit a hilltop temple with stunning views over the coastal landscape or stretch out to a massage beneath a bamboo shack on the sand. Cookery workshops are possible, as are sea kayaking and fishing excursions. But the main attraction here is to lie back on the white sand and soak up a serenity that's reflective of Southeast Asian preconceptions. A local guide is on hand to customize the daily itinerary based on your interests, whether that's on land or on water.

Leave the white sand behind as you are transferred to nearby Thandwe Airport and a domestic flight to Yangon. Upon arrival, be greeted by a representative for a smooth transfer to the international terminal and your return flight.