The Road to Mandalay luxury riverboat in Myanmar has announced that its cruise Gorges of the Far North will run four times in August and September. The ship is a long-established player on the Irrawaddy River.
The 12-day cruise travels north from Mandalay to the city of Bhamo (and the scenic gorges nearby), then turns around and finishes south of Mandalay at Bagan’s plain of temples. Along the way passengers see ancient pagodas, local markets, and snapshots of local life. Among the many stops are a visit to the world’s largest brick-built pagoda in Mingun; a marketplace in Katha made famous by George Orwell’s Burmese Days; and the Thein Pa Taung Meditation Centre, home to numerous Buddhist nuns and monks.
It’s an adventurous trip, but passengers won’t be roughing it. The 1964 German-built vessel, which was transported and refurbished by Orient-Express in 1995, features a bar, restaurant, wellness center, swimming pool, and about 50 well-appointed cabins decorated with teak, silk, and wall carvings by Burmese artisans.
The cruise departs on August 1, 15, and 29, plus September 12, and is priced from US$3,660 per person, which includes accommodation, all table d’hote meals, domestic flights, transfers, and sightseeing. Learn about other Road to Mandalay cruises departing later in the year here.
See also: Myanmar: Taking the Slow Boat from Bagan to Mandalay
