Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BOAT TRIPS FROM MANDALAY
Considering the wealth of destinations both up and down the
Ayeyarwady River
, it's no
surprise that a fair proportion of visitors to Mandalay rock up on a boat. Bar the govern-
ment services, for which you can usually buy your ticket on the ferry itself just before it
departs, you're advised to book ahead; again, travel agencies will help if your accommod-
ation can't (and occasionally include transfers to the jetty), though some companies now
allow you to book online. Unless otherwise stated, the following services arrive at and de-
part from the
Gawein jetty
area, 3km west of the centre at the end of 35th St; the exact
point will depend upon the river level. Boat trips to
Mingun
are covered in the
Mingun
section.
TO BAGAN
There are a number of services to Bagan; think about whether you'd like to go fast and
expensive, or slow and cheap. Faster and more expensive first, with three private compan-
ies running services (10-12hr), departing at 7am but not running every day:
Shwe Kein-
nery
(upper floor of railway station, 30th St, between 78th and 79th sts; 096 813472,
nmaihka.com
;
$40),
Malikha River Cruises
(between 77th and 78th, and 32nd and 33rd
sts; 02 72279,
malikha-rivercruises.com
; $40); and
Myanmar Golden River Group
(MGRG; 38th St, between 79th and 80th sts; 011 202734,
mgrgexpress.com
;
$45).
All include breakfast, and MGRG includes lunch too. The slower
government ferry
(two
days; $10) leaves at 5.30am on Wednesday and Sunday; they are run by IWT (35th St;
daily 9.30am-4.30pm; 02 36035; look for the faded yellow building by the main road).
TO THE NORTH
Katha Irra
( 09 650 1155) runs the main service to Katha (12-14hr; $25), stopping at
Kyaukmyaung, Tagaung and Tigyiang. Fancier, more expensive
Shwe Keinnery
services
run to Katha ($80) and Bhamo (18-22hr; $100), but during high season they use the boat
ontheBaganrouteinstead.Fromaboothmarked“PanLonCoLtd”,
ShweEyama
(Strand
Rd; 094 309 9102) sell tickets for daily services to Katha ($35), leaving at 5am; you can
change here for one to Bhamo, though you can buy a single through-ticket in Mandalay
($55). Lastly, an
IWT government
boat runs to Bhamo (at least 30hr; $12 on deck, $60
in a cabin) via Kyaukmyaung and Katha at 6am, theoretically on Monday, Thursday and
Saturday.
LUXURY RIVER CRUISES
Several local and overseas operators run cruises on the Ayeyarwady between Bhamo and
Mandalay, including these listed below. In addition, a few luxury cruises starting from
Mandalay run on the
Chindwin River
.
