Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is famous for its rich cultural and historical heritage. Explore the Buddhist treasures, golden pagodas and historical monuments .

This wonderful journey captures the alluring atmosphere of Burma as it slowly emerges from isolation and its treasures are again revealed to the traveller.

In Rangoon (Yangon), wide streets, orderly town planning and neglected public buildings revive visions of a century of British rule, while busy street scenes and shimmering pagodas, bursting through a leafy canopy, hint at the rich local culture. Skyscrapers and glaring neon billboards have yet to overtake the capital, still dominated by the towering Shwedagon Pagoda.

Mandalay Hill offers brilliant sunset views across the city and the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) River. The Irrawaddy contains industrious scenes of farmers and their buffalo, as well as the crumbling remains of what was designed to become the world’s largest pagoda at Mingun.

Thousands of decaying pagodas rises majestically from the plains at Pagan (Bagan), creating a timeless scene and saluting a glorious past. Rising in the distance, the solitary volcanic crag of Mount Popa is home to Burma’s most powerful ‘nats’ or spirits.

On beautiful Inle Lake, where the clear, calm waters are rimmed by high hills, the unique ‘leg-rowing’ Inthas in their fishing canoes dot the lake, as you cruise past stilted villages and floating farms.