The Best Things to do in Mandalay, Myanmar

This tour takes you to see Mandalay, Burma’s last royal capital. This is where the Burmese surrendered to the British at the end of the 19th century, ushering in a difficult colonial era. Today, Mandalay’s artisans work hard to preserve Myanmar’s traditional crafts. You’ll also visit the nearby royal city of Amarapura and then continue to see Mandalay’s most iconic landmarks.

This full-day tour takes you to explore a few of Myanmar’s former capitals. Myanmar has seen many power shifts in its history, and this tour covers just a few of these previous kingdom’s highlights, including Sagaing, Ava, and Mingun.

This half-day tour takes you from Mandalay to see the famous sites of the nearby city of Amarapura. Amarapura was Myanmar’s royal capital from 1783 until 1857 when King Mingdon had many of its buildings dismantled and moved to Mandalay. This tour takes you to Amarapura’s most famous landmarks: U Bein Bridge and the Mahagandayone Monastery.

Take a half-day tour to see the town of Mingun’s temples. You’ll travel an hour upstream the Ayeyarwaddy River to see the Mingun Pagoda and the Myatheindan Pagoda. As you travel along the river, you’ll also see scenes from rural life in Myanmar, including women washing laundry among buffalo on the riverbank.

This two-day tour brings you to some of the area’s scenic riverside destinations. You’ll get to travel by boat part of the way, which is a lovely opportunity to take in the countryside. You’ll stop at some beautiful pagodas and monasteries and explore a richly decorated cave.