planningtravel

Will fly from Hong Kong to Rangoon and will need to fly from either Mandalay or Rangoon to Singapore.

Would like to see Bagan, Inle, Mandalay and Rangoon.

Here's how I've allocated the days:-

Rangoon, one full day
Bagan, two full days, debating if I should add an extra day
Inle, not sure if I should have one or two full days here.
Mandalay, (including U Bein bridge) two full days

Which order is best to see the sights? I plan on travelling by air between the places.

Any advice will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

sartoric

Can you arrive in Yangon early enough to fly on to Bagan ? Then fly to Mandalay, Inle Lake and put Yangon at the end. International flights from Mandalay are limited, there's easier connections from Yangon.

MmePerdu

If you have the number of "full" days you mention above, then the plan would seem to be 2 nights in Rangoon, 3 nights in Bagan, 2 or 3 nights at Inle Lake and 3 nights in Mandalay. If I've assumed wrongly, please correct me.

To my way of thinking you have far too little time for the itinerary you've planned, and despite U Bein Bridge being a favorite spot for many (I'm sorry I didn't see it), Mandalay was really far less worthwhile, I thought, than the rest. In these circumstances I'd leave it off altogether and divide that time between Bagan and Inle Lake for 4 nights, 3 full days in each.

I don't know of a reason why it matters whether you visit Bagan, then Inle Lake, or the other way around. I'd be inclined to let availability at my lodging choices dictate the order. I suggest you either return to Rangoon or go to Mandalay at the end just to overnight before you fly out.

Smeagol

At a push you could do..
Yangon 1 day
Bagan 3 days
Inle 3 days
Mandalay 1 day.

A lot of the domestic flights are super early, so you do get nearly full days in places.
For what is worth though I would want an extra day in Yangon. I had 1 day in Mandalay and missed out on a couple of things but if you tell them to skip all the work shops it could work....
Also the flights go in a loop ( like a bus schedule with stop offs) so that would determine your order possibly .
Both times I have been to Myanamar I used Santa Maria to sort most of my hotel/flight and sightseeing arrangements....

Kathie

If you have that many full days, you can have a lovely trip. Remember that it takes two nights in a place to give you one full day.

I agree with Smeagol, try to arrange it so you get into Yangon as early as possible and hop on a flight to Bagan. Then spend three nights in Bagan, which will give you two full days. IMO, Bagan can always use more time. Then fly to Inle Lake. You will want a minimum of two full days at Inle - you'll want one day to see places on the main part of the lake, and one day for the southern lake to visit Sankar. You can manage the main sights of Mandalay in one full day - visit Sagaing, Ava, and Amarapura (where the U Bien Bridge is located). Then fly back to Yangon for a day or two.

I agree with MmePerdu, if you don't have that much time, cut Mandalay. We did for our first trip back in 2009. The most compelling places among the "big 4" are Bagan and Inle Lake.

Happy planning!

planningtravel

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, when I wrote the number of days in the op, I was referring to full days.

Do not want to omit Mandalay, in reality the I won't return to Burma anytime soon.

My flight arrives in Rangoon at some unearthly hour, I was thinking of staying at an airport hotel and then flying out the next day. Jet lag won't be a concern as I'll be travelling from Hong Kong and the flying time isn't too long.

I guess it's just a matter of deciding in which order I should visit the places.

Smeagol

I really would not stay at an airport hotel, with so little time to see Yangon it seems pointless to me. And as your flight leaves early the next day traffic will be ok from Yangon centre to the airport ( I was last in Myanmar November last year) in fact most domestic flights are early, getting used to getting up early on this trip !

The order you decide is probably best made by the flight schedule as per my previous post, it should make for shorter plane journeys. As I mentioned some of the flight routes go in a loop, dropping off passengers and picking more up...
Fwiw, we did
Yangon
Bagan
Inle
Mandalay

Kathie

Since you counted full days, you have enough time to see all of the "Big Four." Ask Santa Maria for the current airline routes. The order of your stops makes a difference only in minimizing flight times. I would recommend that you not start with Mandalay, but either Inle first (which is what we did on our first trip) or Bagn first works well. I crammed in a visit to Kakku on the day of my flight from Yangon to Inle. I asked Santa Maria to set us up with a car and driver to meet us at the airport in HeHo, and he drove us to Kakku before driving us to our hotel at Inle.

If you are getting into Yangon in the middle of the night, I would stay near the airport and get the first flight in the morning to your next destination. Although I read recently that the new road from the airport into the city has been complete, making that drive much more reasonable, so you could go into the city.

Saving Yangon until last means you'll be in your departure city to fly on to Singapore.

planningtravel

Thank you everybody for the helpful replies. Have emailed Santa Marta for flight schedules/prices.

Silverswimmer

You could see all the schedules and airlines here
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTo...r-Myanmar.html
saves waiting for Agents replies.
I chose my flight then,if I using my agent (One Stop)for hotels and transfers, I book through them.On the occasions i am independent I book on line and get e-ticket by return.
SS