Ancient Cities, Pagodas, and Sunset Tour from Mandalay

Start your Mandalay tour by traveling 12 miles (20 km) southwest of the city to arrive at 'Pagoda Nirvana,' or Sagaing, as it’s known on the map. An important religious center, Sagaing is home to dozens of monasteries and hundreds of monks. Pagoda towers dot the pretty landscape to make for picture-perfect, bucket list–inspired photography. Visit the school of Sitagu to learn more about Buddhism and the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment before making a stop at Myasetkyar Monastery, famous for its giant standing Buddha statue where you can observe the monks' lunchtime parade and rituals. Then you'll be taken on the public ferry and onto a horse-drawn cart for the ride to Inwa, the ancient capital of Myanmar on the other side of the Irrawaddy River. By now you will have worked up an appetite, so your next stop is a riverside restaurant to sample local dishes such as mohinga (rice noodle and fish soup) and laphet thohk (pickled tea leaf salad). Inwa used to be the capital of Myanmar, so it is rich in history. There are some stunning monasteries and pagoda complexes to explore, including the Yadana Hsimi Pagodas, a little tumbledown roofless collection of several stupas and three Buddhas. Much of the former royal city has been reclaimed by Mother Nature and agriculture, so in addition to weaving your way around crumbling architectural gems, you'll also walk through fields of banana trees and see rice paddies. Your last stop of the day is Amarapura, another former capital known for its silk and cotton-weaving industry. Here, navigate one of the most photographed sites in Myanmar, the U Bein Bridge — an impressive wooden structure that claims to be the longest teak bridge in the world at 0.75 miles (1.2 km). The monks who use the bridge to cross Lake Taungthaman every day often take time to talk to visitors in order to practice their language skills. Finally, sunset awaits you. This is the time to reflect on your day, gazing at the antiquated bridge with the sun setting behind it. One of the fundamental teachings of Buddhism is to develop the mind. Take this Mandalay tour with an amazing local guide, and give your mind the workout it deserves.