Have you ever come to Mandalay which is one of the biggest cities in Myanmar? Its elegant and sacred beauty always attracts visitors. Go Travel will “take” you to discover this gorgeous city through “3 Days – Mandalay tour in Myanmar”.
3 days – Mandalay tour in Myanmar
Mandalay is the second-largest city in Myanmar, located about 716 km north of Yangon, once the capital of Myanmar during the Mindon Dynasty (1857). With a lifespan of more than 142 years along with long-standing historical sites, Mandalay is always a special attraction for all visitors to Myanmar. Mandalay is also a famous city with thousands of years old temples, preserved intact to this day. At the same time, this is also one of the cradles of Buddhism.
According to Go Travel’s Mandalay tour experience, you should go in the cool season. That is in the period from November to February every year. At this time the weather is extremely pleasant, there is not much rain and the temperature is always cool. However, this is also peak time and very crowded with tourists. Therefore, if you travel to Mandalay in this season, you will have to work hard to squeeze in. More specifically, it is to book services such as hotels or trains in advance if you do not want to run out of seats.
So what will we do during our 3 days trip to Mandalay? Let’s figure it out!
First day of Mandalay tour
To start a first day on the Mandalay tour, there are many destinations for you to choose from. However, you can consider Go Travel’s plan for the first day in this city.
Even though Mandalay is one of the big cities in Myanmar, it has many pagodas and sacred places. On the first day, you can suggest going to Mahamuni Pagoda in Mandalay, Myanmar.
Mahamuni Pagoda in Mandalay Myanmar
Mahamuni Buddha Temple is located in the southwest of Mandalay city, considered Myanmar’s cultural center. Mahamuni Pagoda is a famous Buddhist relic and the most important pilgrimage site for Buddhists in Myanmar, as well as a favorite destination for many Myanmar tourists.
Built-in 1785 by King Bodawpaya (Konbaung dynasty), Mahamuni Pagoda is a famous pilgrimage site in Mandalay. This is also the place where Buddha appeared about 2000 years ago. The temple is known for its sitting Buddha, 13 feet tall, which is the most revered Buddha statue in the country. If you come in February and July, it is impossible to miss two traditional festivals here: Mahamuni Temple Festival (February) and Chinlone Festival (street football). Besides, the Mahamuni museum also displays everything about the life of Buddha, from his birth to his final nirvana.
Note: You should wear polite clothes and easy-to-remove shoes for sightseeing.
Next place will help you to discover the incredible culture of Mandalay.
Stone Carving and Gold Carving
Mandalay is a city that owns a lot of traditional craft workshops, but the most prominent one is stone carving. You can go to Sagaing area to visit these sculpture studios. The entire area here seems to be covered with a layer of fine dust from marble pieces. On the streets, you will see skilled craftsmen polishing their sculptures. The amazing thing is that you will see the craftsmen working very well, no one seems to use any kind of sketches.
Next to Stone Carving is the amazing Gold Carving in this city. Gold is not only used to decorate Buddha statues and pagodas but also becomes an indispensable part of every wealthy family’s house. Myanmar people rarely deposit money in banks, instead they often go to buy gold to make offerings to the temple. Therefore, it is easy to understand why the gold leaf factories here are so developed. King Galon is one of the most famous and oldest gold mills in Mandalay. You can visit this place and observe the process of making gold leaf pieces. Everyone at King Galon is very happy and enthusiastic, so chances are you also have people try hammering the gold packages below.
To know more about Mandalay’s history, Shwenandaw Monastery will be the next destination.
Shwenandaw Monastery
Shwenandaw Monastery is the most important historical building in Mandalay. Because this is considered the only surviving golden monastery of the royal palace. In addition to the name Shwenandaw Monastery, it is also known as the Golden Palace Monastery. Built as part of the Amarapura royal palace by artisans under King Mindon, this royal house was encased in leaves and gold inlaid glass but was dismantled in 1857 and transported to the palaces at Mandalay. When his father died at the house, the king was afraid of being haunted by evil spirits, so he disassembled it again in 1879 and recreated the structure with teak.
Those are 3 suggestions for you to choose from when coming to this lovely city on the first day of your Mandalay tour – Myanmar.
The second day of Mandalay tour
When coming to Mandalay city, you might hear about the Mingun Ancient Village and Mingun Temple Ruins. This place includes Myanmar’s most important historical sites.
Mingun Ancient Village and Mingun Temple Ruins
The ancient village of Mingun with its peaceful and poetic natural scenery, the gentle look of the monks, and the friendly, gentle and hospitable people have attracted many visitors here. Located near the ancient capital of Mandalay, the village is not affected by the noise and bustle, but still retains the rustic and simple features of a village with a proud history. The highlight destination in Mingun village is the unfinished red brick Mingun temple ruins, a beautiful and monumental work built by King Bodao Paye with great ambition for a giant temple that is unique in the world.
The temple was started in 1790 and was supposed to be over a hundred meters high but was later halted for a variety of reasons, including a foretold prophecy: if the stupa was completed, King Bodao Paye would die. In fact, the temple was forever unfinished after the king passed away. In 1838, a large earthquake damaged the temple in many parts and caused large cracks. But it is also thanks to the natural disintegration that the temple has so far been a great attraction for this Mandalay tour and for tourists who are eager to explore and learn about historical relics.
Hsinbyume White Temple in Minigun village
The next destination on the journey to discover the ancient village of Mingun is the Hsinbyume temple with its white color and beautiful unique architecture. Hsinbyume is located on the west bank of the Irrawaddy River, about 10 km from the center of Mandalay. Hsinbyume is overwhelmed with its bright white color and sophisticated architecture. The delicate pattern details and each line are meticulously and sharply created, adding to the rare beauty of special architecture.
This temple was built based on the Sulamani temple at Mount Meru in Buddhist mythology with undulating white waves representing the shape of the mountains, creating a special architecture different from the previous ones. with many ancient temples in Mandalay. This is also the highlight that makes the temple especially attractive.
Go Travel ensures that with two giant destinations, you might spend a whole day discovering their historic beauty.
The third day in this lovely city
To renovate the journey, instead of visiting too many sacred places, you can consider visiting the destinations below on the third day in Mandalay.
U bein bridge
About 12km from the center of Mandalay is the U Bein bridge connecting the two banks of the Taungthama River. U Bein is the oldest and longest teak wooden bridge in the world with solid wooden spans and steady handrails and thousands of wooden floor planks with a total length of about 1.2km. View from the bridge Beautiful sunrise and sunset. This is also one of the 12 best sunset spots in the world.
U Bein Bridge forms a soft curve on the lake, the shape of the bridge and the sky printed on the water like a picture. At dusk, monks dressed in red-brown robes walk slowly across the bridge or sit on either side of the bridge to admire the scenery, creating a familiar and intimate scene. The sun setting on Taungthama lake makes the sunset view on U Bein bridge so beautiful. Watch the sunset here and you will understand why U Bein Bridge has become a tourist symbol of the ancient capital of Mandalay and the pride of the people here.
Join in Shin Pyu festival of Mandalay
In Mandalay, we happened to witness with our own eyes a procession during the Shin Pyu festival, also known as the ordination ceremony for filial piety or the coming-of-age ceremony for children. For the majority of people in Myanmar, especially men, the Shin Pyu ceremony is always considered the most important ritual in life with the meaning of becoming a monk or novice in a short time. Myanmar people believe that children from 5 to 16 years old can go to the temple to become a monk for a period of time to create great good karma for the family and as a way to pay filial piety to their parents.
During the period of ordination, young people lived in pagodas, studied Burmese characters, Buddhist scriptures and other Buddhist knowledge. Children who perform ordination are allowed to sit on colorfully decorated horses and cover them with umbrellas, then the procession goes around the village for everyone to admire and show their appreciation. Finally, the procession will stop at the temple where the child was ordained. According to local people, this ritual originates from the Buddha Shakyamuni’s ordination in the past. Therefore, young children when ordained are also decorated and dressed beautifully like real princes.
The Shin Pyu ritual used to be held in March – April when the season ended. Today, because this ceremony receives a lot of attention, it is held all year round and has become a highlight attracting tourists from all over the world. This is an interesting and new experience for the first Mandalay tour in Myanmar.
If you want to know more about the Mandalay tour or Myanmar tour, contact Go Travel right now!
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