REWARDING IN MYANMAR

Franchisee network Award

Head to this authentic and unspoilt destination for a discovery focused on Mandalay, Bagan, Lake Inle and Yangon, followed by extensions to the beach at Ngapali, as well as to the Karen lands around the Golden Rock.

The trip started with a visit to local handicraft workshops in Mandalay, followed by a sunset on the teak bridge of U Bein, before continuing with a morning ceremony in a monastery where each participant was able to give the 300 monks in attendance an offering of food and school supplies for the young monks. Afterwards, our participants sailed on the Irrawaddy River to Mingun and its pagodas, before heading to Bagan, via the famous Mount Popa standing on its rocky outcrop. The evening started by learning how to tie its "loungyi" (local outfit) before reaching the site of the dinner lit with torches, in the middle of the illuminated temples, and animated by an orchestra and traditional dances by 40 artists with sparkling costumes; mystical, the dance of the spirits... Early departure for the sunrise on board of hot-air balloons flying over the majestic plain of Bagan and its 2 000 Pagodas and Stupas, magical!

The discovery of the site took the form of a treasure hunt by teams, transported in horse-drawn carriages or electric scooters. The aperitif was then hosted by Thierry Falise, a journalist who has specialised in this destination for the past thirty years, before a convivial evening around the swimming pool of the Bagan Lodge, which was privatised for the group. The guests then flew to Inle Lake, the Intha people and their lakeside villages on stilts, which they discovered by motorised canoes, and by strolling through a local market.

The evening ahead was a "surprise"; participants were dropped off in the middle of nowhere, to take a lit path to the bottom of a stone quarry where we had reconstructed a traditional mini village for a barbecue dinner. A big bar and a dancefloor completed the installation that our DJ set alight until late in the night... The next day started with the organisation of a race in traditional boats; but when it comes to rowing with your feet... Capsizing and laughter guaranteed! In the evening, the emotion was there with a poetic release of balloons/lanterns (biodegradable) above the lake. The trip ended in Yangon, where a candle lighting ceremony was organised by the participants at the foot of the most sacred pagoda in Myanmar, the Shwedagon and its 150 tons of gold, before the gala evening in the gardens of a colonial villa. Myanmar finally opening up, what a great reward...

February

9 days / 6 nights

150 participants