We would like to invite you to the “Week in Burma” PHOTO TOUR, February, 2013.

Photo tour program

Day 1: Arrival at the Yangon, transfer to the hotel. During the day we will walk around the city and go to the Sule Pagoda, built over 2,000 years ago. Legend has it that Sule Pagoda preserves a strand of Buddha’s hair. In the evening we will visit the Shwedagon Pagoda and the temple complex. It is an enchanting town situated on a hill and dominated by the golden, 96-meter-tall stupa, tipped with diamonds. We will see a great number of sculptures of mythical and real animals: golden griffins and elephants, dragons and lions. There will be night accommodation at an excellent hotel in the capital.

Day 2: Morning flight to Bagan. We will take a photo walk around the ancient pagodas and local villages and monasteries. This ancient city is one of the richest archeological sites in Southeast Asia. To this day, 2,230 out of its original 4,500 monuments remain standing. Night accommodation will be at a hotel in Bagan.

Day 3: In the morning we will have the chance to float in a balloon over the ancient city and see the fantastic views of Bagan from midair at sunrise. We will take a tour to Mount Popa, from one side of which we will see ancient Bagan, from the other side of which we will see a 914-meter-deep canyon, and to the south-west of which we will see the 737-meter-tall Taung Kalat volcano. Atop the mountain sits a Buddhist monastery. Mount Popa is considered to be Burma’s most famous and powerful shrine dedicated to spirits (Nats). Then we will visit Slae and return to Bagan. At sunset we will hold a photo shoot to capture the thousands of pagodas in the rays of the setting sun. Night accommodation will be at a hotel in Bagan.

Day 4: We will take a morning flight to Mandalay, the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. We will visit the city of Amarapura and take a tour around Mandalay.

One of the points of interest in Mandalay is the Maha Muni Pagoda, which is famous for its four-meter gilded image of Buddha - one of the most revered Buddha likenesses in Mandalay. At the entrance visitors can buy a small gold leaf to apply to the statue. Everyday a great number of devotees go there to touch the Buddha and apply a gold leaf. This love for Buddha erodes the statue, but the monks take care of it and clean it from time to time.

We will visit the Kuthodaw Pagoda, which houses the world's largest book, weighing over 1,200 tons. The book includes 729 stone-inscription cave-like buildings, each containing a marble slab with a page of text from the Tipitaka. Its construction began in 1860 and was only finished in 1869.

It will also be interesting to visit the amazingly beautiful Shwenandaw Monastery - the single remaining structure of the original huge Royal Palace of King Mindon Min. It is an example of 19th-century architecture and is made of black teak wood.

Aside from the city’s many pagodas, stupas and temples, we will also visit the townships of Mandalay - the ancient capitals of the country. One of the symbols of Burma is the wooden U Bein Bridge. Constructed in 1850, it is the longest teak bridge in the world, measuring 1.2 kilometers in length. In the 18th century, Amarapura was the capital of the country. Today it is home to the tombs of two of Burma’s kings – King Bodawpaya and King Bagyidaw. There will be night accommodation in Mandalay.

Day 5: Boat tour to Mingun. Eleven kilometers from Mandalay up the Irrawaddy River lies Mingun, an interesting city where we will find the world-famous Mingun Pahtodawgyi stupa. During the reign of King Bodawpaya, a gigantic bronze bell was cast in Mingun, weighing 90 tons. It is the largest ringing bell in the world. Another local attraction is the beautiful Hsinphyumae Pagoda (1816), which is surrounded by seven concentric terraces representing the seven mountain ranges going up to Mount Meru. There will be night accommodation in a hotel.

Day 6: In the morning the flight from the plain of Ayeyarawddy to the Shan Plateau takes only 30 minutes. Arrival Heho Airport drive into the valley to Nyaungshwe (approximately: 65 km) on the edge of Inle Lake and board your own local boat to take you to your hotel.

Inle Lake, the land of the Intha people. These people are known as leg-rowers and as architects of floating villages and gardens. The life of the Intha, who originally came from the south of Burma, revolves completely around the lake.

Visit Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the holiest religious site in southern Shan State. See traditional handicrafts - silk weaving on wooden handlooms and a blacksmith shop. Pass endless floating gardens, where fruit and vegetables are grown. Stop at Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery, which is famous for its "jumping cats”. Overnight.

Day 7: Flight to Yangon. Departure to Moscow.

Photography program

We will study:

~ architectural photography,

~ landscape and panoramic photography,

~ genre photography,

~ street portrait,

~ peculiarities of evening and night photography,

~ theory and practice in composition for traveling,

~ shooting in difficult lighting conditions

There will be daily practical exercises during joint photo shoots.

Cost and additional information

Cost of the photo tour: to be determined.

The cost includes:

- Entrance fee to the Burma airport - $20

- Accommodation in a 3-4 star hotel, room for two, breakfast.

- Transfer from/to the airport and transportation between all the cities.

- Medical insurance.

- Professional English-speaking guide.

- All flights within Burma on Air-Mandalay, Asian Wings, Air Bagan or Air Kanbawza.

- Boat rent for the specified route.

- Entrance fee for the specified sites.

- Practical and theoretical classes in photography during the photo tour and the final class after the photo tour with the instructor, Ksenia Isakova.

Cost does not include:

- airline tickets,

- lunch, dinner,

- Burma visa fee ($30).

- Balloon ascension 295$.

Single room is available upon request.

Regular customers will get a discount!

Would you like to join? Contact us at kellynow@narod.ru.

Upcoming tours:

- Weekend in Istanbul – September 13-16, 2012;

- Photo tour to Japan for the red maple leaves season – November 10-17, 2012;

- Venice – November 28 to December 2, 2012.