This is Burma, and it will be quite unlike any land you know about. Rudyard Kipling wrote in 1889 in his Letters from the East.

This remains true even to this day. Burma, or Myanmar as it is known today, is a land of mystery and adventure where the vicissitudes of time have left behind a wealth of majestic ruins and the traditions of the Buddhist faith are kept alive in thousands of ancient monasteries.

Our trip will begin in Rangoon, home to the famous Shwedagon Pagoda and Kan Oo Monastery, where hundreds of young monks are being taught the old scriptures. A short flight takes us to Mandalay, the cultural hub of the country where we will join the monks of Sagaing during their prayers. Many consider Sagaing to be the living center of the Buddhist faith in Myanmar today. In Monywa we will have chance to see one of the largest standing Buddha statues in the world. Our next stop will be the city of Pagan, where the sun sets over thousands of pagodas that dot the landscape dating back to the 10th century. From here our travels will take us to Inle Lake, described as mystical, magical and wonderfully picturesque. During our final excursion we will visit the famous “Golden Rock”, delicately balanced at the edge of a cliff thanks to a precisely placed hair of the Buddha.

The trip will be led by Nicholas Egan, who holds a master’s degree in Comparative Religion and is currently a PhD candidate in Buddhist Studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies. He has traveled extensively throughout Asia and has a special interest in Buddhist art and iconography. Nicholas regularly lectures on the unique symbolism of Buddhist art and on how to integrate this symbolism in the study of other world religions. Over the past 6 years, Nicholas has lived and studied in Nepal and has led many of our trips.  He is one of our most popular tour scholars. His previous destinations have included Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, China, Mongolia, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Trip price of $ 4,180 includes domestic flights in Burma, accommodations in double occupancy, meals as listed in the final itinerary, all sightseeing and entrance fees, all transportation. Trip price does not include international airfare in and out of Rangoon.

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	Burma to Tibet: The Way of Buddhist Alchemy June 3 – 22, 2012
	Wild Mongolia: A Journey along the Cashmere Trail July 7 – 19, 2012
	Tibet and Yunnan, China: A Journey from Lhasa to Shangri-La August 27 – September 20, 2012

Detailed Itinerary Download