February is the month of romance, and what’s more exciting than the romance of adventure? Traveling to faraway, exotic lands has the power to thrill and inspire. Sometimes, it leads to timeless treasures, such as Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem, “Mandalay.”
He wrote of the romance of travel along the Irrawaddy River in what was then called the country of Burma. His words and sentiment still pull visitors to this region, more than a century later.
It is known as Myanmar now, a land still emerging into the modern world. But its ancient draws remain, in its temples, plains and golden cities. Our newest ship and itinerary debuted there a few short months ago. Come explore it with us.
We built the beautiful AmaPura specifically for travel along the Ayeyarwady (as the Irrawaddy is now called). Her name comes from the former royal capital of Amarapura, which means “City of Immortality” in Sanskrit. She’s an intimate and elegant all-suite balcony vessel. Carrying only 56 passengers, the AmaPura offers the comfort, service and special touches you’ve come to expect from AmaWaterways.
Our maiden voyage last November departed from Yangon on a journey immersed in local culture. It began that way as well, as an engaging dance troupe performed to the delight of the sold-out ship. It was an auspicious start of this new chapter in the history of AmaWaterways.
Our 13-night and 15-night itineraries follow the Ayeryarwady back through time. We journey past sacred pagodas, golden temples, monasteries and monuments that tell the story of this unique Southeast Asian country. We gaze down from spectacular Mt. Popa, visit colonial landmarks and admire some of the world’s most revered Buddhas.
We visit Bagan, where more than 2,000 temples and pagodas remain as a testament to its reign as a kingdom capital. We tour Mandalay, the last royal capital, now the economic hub of this country coming into its own.
We fell in love with Myanmar when we first saw it. Now, our dreams of sharing it with you have come true. That’s a romantic notion for any time of year.