Amarapura, Mingun, Sagaing, Innwa Sightseeing-tour

While we were unable to visit all 4 areas because of civil unrest in Myanmar, it actually worked out for the better - our exploration of the three areas was unhurried and extensive. It was an amazing day spent visiting 800 year old religious sites with pagodas, temples, and monasteries! Honestly, pictures don't do these sites justice - they were all breathtaking. Our guide/driver, Mr. "Choy-yay" (phonetic spelling), despite somewhat limited English was extremely attentive to our needs and desires, and made the entire day a true joy! I recommend him without hesitation! The different extra costs (admissions, cart ride, etc.) have increased slightly from those listed on TripAdvisor (example: cart ride is now $25,000, up from $20,000), but despite the big numbers it is a very slight increase in dollar amount. Financially the entire day was truly a bargain. Lunch was at a lovely riverside local vendor, spent sitting comfortably beside the river, eating an excellent, full meal of fried prawns, rice, salad, and beverages for 3 people, for a total cost of around $15 usd! An observation about the optional horse-drawn cart ride: it is a quaint way to get from one point to another, but don't expect to sight-see while in the cart - visibility is extremely limited. However, our "driver" was very willing to stop at several places when we expressed a desire to explore a bit; very accommodating! The other thing about the cart ride is the roughness of the ride; if you've happened to have back surgery or have back problems, I'd recommend forgoing the cart ride and stick with Mr. Choy-yay and his very nice car. The final stop of the trip was the wooden bridge, expertly timed to correspond with sundown. It was a sight to see and a walk to experience, and provided the perfect closure to an incredible day! I cannot recommend this tour and Mr. Choy-yay enough!

Driver named Ye Lin oo picked me on time from the hotel. He was really professional and knew the route. Took me all the places listed in the tour. Had plenty of time at each attraction. My guide speaks very good English and assured my safety throughout the day. I would definitely recommend this tour if you are visiting Mandalay.

An incredible experience!! Htun Htun excellent service, friendly, accessible, explains everything very well, good conversation ... I give more than 5 stars to the places and to Htun Htun. Thanks for everything, I definitely recommend this tour to everyone visiting Mandalay !! Note: Htun Htun is an excellent photographer !!

Easily organised via email some weeks before arrival, all arrangements were adhered to exactly. One full day driver around Mandalay. One full day driver for Amarapura, mingun etc and finally a road transfer Mandalay to Bagan. We have had many drivers in different countries around the world and Naing was definitely one of the best. His timekeeping, attentiveness in stopping near entrance gates, ensuring our safety when exiting the car and explaining where to get the tickets and the price was excellent. We had a wonderful time with Naing thanks very much. He was truly professional, friendly and helpful. Excellent Choice services represented excellent value for money. The price obviously does not include entrance fees to sites, but these are low by Western standards and there was no issue or queuing obtaining the few necessary. You could not cover the range of places we visited by taxi in the times allowed. A professional company knowing the route and how to best use your time was essential and Excellent Choice fully played their part. Unless you want a fully detailed explanation of the history of each site, a guide is not necessary. It is easy to wander the monasteries and pagodas and perfectly safe everywhere.

Today I went with Htun Htun (guide and driver) arou d Mandalay, was a wonderful experience, he was kind and explained everything! Congratulation Htun Htun!