The great Irrawaddy River is Myanmar’s lifeblood, traveling through the past and into the present. It connects villages of tradition, cities of grandeur, and remarkable Buddhist treasures.
Travel slowly and you are immersed in it all, aboard a legendary colonial steamer that will take two days to connect Mandalay with Bagan.
Children break from their ebullient splashing to wave from the banks. Oxen wade across, just horns and eyes above the water. Narrowboats are framed against scorched red banks. Old pagodas stand above it all.
The 1947 Pandaw is the river’s most timeless vessel, an opulent steamer that complements the atmosphere of a forbidden and forgotten time.
Spend two nights on board, with land excursions to walk around local villages and a lovely solitude throughout.
