Shwedagon Pagoda is situated on Singuttara Hill in Yangon and at 325ft tall, towers over the city’s skyline. The best time to visit Shwedagon is at sunset when the light changes against the golden structure. Many locals come here after work or school to pay their respects. It is believed to contain holy Buddhist relics, including eight strands of the Buddha’s hair. It was built at some point between the 6th and 10th centuries. Due to Yangon’s immense trading wealth, the people of the city donated gold to coat the stupa and was started by Queen Shin Sawba in the 15th century, who gave her weight in gold. At the top there are 5,448 diamonds and 2,317 rubies. When Kipling saw Shwedagon he noted ‘Under what new god, thought I, are we irrepressible English sitting now?’. It certainly leaves you with a lasting impression!
This shorter private tour of Burma combines all the main highlights of this amazing destination, exploring Yangon, visiting Mandalay, cruising the Irrawaddy, the temples and pagodas of Bagan and Inle Lake.
We arrange totally bespoke trips and design an itinerary that is designed around you. You may have seen a suggested itinerary that we can base your plans around, or we can start with a blank sheet and paper and design something from scratch. You can leave a phone number and suggest a time to call you back, and we can also arrange to do this during the evenings or at weekends if you are busy during the daytime. We can also meet up with you in you fancy a coffee and are based in and around London.