Scenic Aura

Scenic ‘Luxury Irrawaddy’, 11 days, Yangon to Mandalay (28th December 2016 to 7th January, 2017)

We had a great time cruising the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar. The Scenic Aura is a lovely ship – it has only been operational since September. There were 44 passengers on board (full capacity). Most were Australian. The cabins were very spacious, including a bedroom, separate lounge room, bathroom and toilet. They also had balconies. There were great facilities on board, including a pool. We chose a perfect time to travel: 30 – 31 degrees each day, very little humidity and no rain. The itinerary was very interesting. We stayed overnight in Yangon at the Sule Shangri-La, then travelled by bus to Pyay where we boarded the ship. The cruise went for 11 days, ending in Mandalay. It was lovely gliding past the small villages and seeing the many different types of watercraft travelling along the river.

We visited many different pagodas, local markets, traditional villages and schools, and a monastery and nunnery. We really enjoyed interacting with the Burmese people – they were all so friendly and kind, with lots of smiles and very happy dispositions. There were two tour guides (Pa Pa and Pu Pu); both were Burmese and they really made the trip a lot of fun. It was interesting learning about Buddhism from our guides. The sight of all the temples in Bagan was amazing. The staff members on board the ship were lovely, and the food and facilities were excellent.

This is the third time I have used Global Journeys to manage holiday arrangements. Michelle did a fantastic job and everything went very smoothly. Looking forward to our next holiday, which has also been booked through Global Journeys.