Southeast Asia Photo Safari

Cambodia and Burma (Myanmar) 14 days, 13 nights

Main trip: November 30 - December 13, 2010 (only 2 openings left!)
[+optional extension to Inle Lake and the Shan State in Burma.]

Southeast Asia is one of the world's most exotic destinations, and one of the most photogenic. The great monument sites of Southeast Asia are unique in their variety and scale. Taken together, sites in Siem Reap (the Angkor Wat temple complex and surrounding sites), along with Yangon, Bagan, and Mandalay in Burma (Myanmar) offer the opportunity of a lifetime to discover the legacy of several of the important cultures which form the Southeast Asian mosaic, as well as the chance to capture stunning images of lasting interest. [Our last trip Sold-Out so sign up soon!]

Our first stop is Siem Reap, Cambodia, where we'll spend nearly five days photographing Angkor Wat and some of the dozens of nearby sites and villages. These temples, constructed between the ninth and twelfth centuries represent the apogee of one of the most powerful and influential cultures in Southeast Asian history. The number of worthwhile sites and the opportunity for getting great images is almost limitless. Even if you've been to Angkor before we guarantee to show you new places and new photo opportunities.

The latter part of our tour takes us to Myanmar (Burma), a location seldom visited by American photographers. You'll visit the capitol, Yangon, home to the gold-covered Shwedagon Paya (Pagoda), which is possibly the most impressive single pagoda in existence. From Yangon you'll proceed to Bagan, where you will visit the fabulous temple plain dotted with literally thousands of individual temples. After that, it's on to famous Mandalay. Although Mandalay is a fairly modern city, the outskirts offer some of Burma's most ancient sites, such as Mingun. There are many opportunities here to get excellent images, both of ancient and modern Myanmar.

Sign-up Online

Planned Trip Itinerary:

Day 1 Arrive in Siem Reap, Cambodia (Angkor Wat & Temple Complex), 5 nights in Siem Reap:

Arrive in Siem Reap and proceed to hotel for check-in. Visit the famous South & North Gates of Angkor Thom--the famous mile square city temple which forms the backbone of the overall Angkor temple complex -- all travel is done in our own private vehicle with dedicated English-speaking local guide and a driver. Sunset at Angkor Wat, the crown jewel of Khmer temples. Dinner in the town of Siem Reap along with a walk around the picturesque riverfront area with dozens of quaint shops, restaurants and bars and the local craft market.

Days 2-3, Siem Reap (Angkor Temple Complex)

Sunrise at Angkor Wat at the reflecting pools, followed by a tour of the temple complex including the unique carvings of the Ramayana and the Churning of the Milk Sea. Specific sites such as Angkor Thom, including the South Gate, the high-rising Bayon, Phimeannakas & the Royal Palace, Elephant Terrace, Terrace of the Leper King , Thommanon, and Chao Say Tevoda. as well as Ta Phrom. Dinner in Siem Reap.

Day 4, Siem Reap (Angkor Temple Complex):

Sunrise at the beautiful pink sandstone Banteay Srei temple. Return via the hidden gem of Banteay Samre. Lunch near the engineering marvel Preah Khan, and then a visit to the water temple Neak Pean and to the tree covered Ta Som.  Sunset photographing the slanting light on the many faces of the Bayon. Dinner in Siem Reap.

Day 5, Siem Reap (Angkor Temple Complex):

Sunrise at the ancient Roulos Group whose temples pre-date the Angkor complex and include the first "mountain temple" of the Khmer, Ba Kong--the inspiration for the later Angkor Wat. We'll see and photograph the seldom visited Roulos Market and the still overgrown and only recently opened Beng Melea. Drinks at the famous Grand Hotel and dinner along the river in Siem Reap.

Mid-days in Siem Reap we'll have time to nap or relax around the pool at our air-conditioned hotel, the Prince d'Angkor, and we'll take some time either in the afternoon or evening to review images and provide some classroom instruction. But of course most of the 1-1 and small group photo instruction will be done in the field at the various sites.

Days 6-7, Siem Reap to Yangon, Burma (Myanmar), 2 nights in Yangon:

We'll have time to see and photograph one last sunrise at Angkor Wat, this time from the under-visited East side, followed by a walk through and around the temple catching the early morning light. After checkout from hotel we'll depart for the nearby Siem Reap airport. We'll arrive in Yangon with plenty of time for a walking tour of the city and the opportunity to photograph the Shwedagon before and during sunset. The Shwedagon not only features a massive dome with over 50 tons of gold finish and a top of diamonds and precious stones but is alive with hundreds of local Buddhists and monks celebrating, praying and just visiting with friends. We've allowed an extra day in Yangon to make sure we have time to review photos from the first half of the trip, discuss important techniques and relax a little before launching into our exploration of Myanmar.

Downtown Yangon is lively all day and into the evening, and we'll be in the midst of it at the Trader's Hotel--run by the famous Shangri-La hotel group. From there we'll be able to see the historic steamships plying the Irrawaddy River and the docks where rice and produce are loaded, unloaded, graded and counted all by hand -- as in Cambodia we will always have our own private air-conditioned vehicle, an English speaking local guide and a driver.

Days 8, 9, and 10: Bagan & the Plain of Temples, 3 nights in Bagan:

We will have almost two full days to explore and photograph in Bagan's Archaeological Zone, which contains nearly 3,000 recorded monuments in an area roughly 13 by 7 square kilometers. Bagan's temples date back as far as 1500 years and it was the capitol of Burma starting in 1044 when King Anawrahta founded the Bagan Empire. for Along with our experienced local guide we've picked out the best spots to maximize our chances of getting memorable images, especially of sunrise and sunset. We'll also have the treat of a sunset boat ride on the Ayeyarwaddy River, enabling us to experience and photograph not just the sunset in its full glory but also life along the river including the seasonal fishing villages, local residents coming to the river to get their water and bathe and evening river traffic. We'll also get to tour and photograph the world famous lacquerware makers in Bagan and of course get an opportunity to shop for lacquerware and other local crafts.

Unique for this visit we'll have a special treat--the opportunity to visit and photograph a "village on the hillside" which has almost never been seen or visited by Westerners. It's on our way to the famous holy mountain and extinct volcano, Mt. Popa and views of the nearby "table mountain" monastery of Popa Taungkalat and shrines to the local animist spirits, called nats. We'll be staying at the luxury Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort along the Ayeyarwaddy river in deluxe river view rooms near their gorgeous pool by the water.

Day 11-12: Colorful Mandalay, 2 nights in Mandalay:

We'll visit and photograph Amarapura, the U Bein bridge, the Sagaing Hills, and the picturesque Mingun--reached by private chartered riverboat. There are literally hundreds of pagodas and monasteries, and about 6000 monks, enabling you to get great shots of Myanmar's people as well as its monuments. Sunsets at the bridge and on Mandalay Hill are to be remembered. We'll also have enough time to visit and photograph the colorful local silk weaving shops and gold leaf making facilities. Our visit to the Zayar Thein Gyi nunnery and school is also very special as it is through contributions from our groups and others that the nunnery has been able to build a new building for housing and meetings. We'll get to see and photograph the girls studying, cooking and visiting.

We'll be staying within walking distance of the ancient palace and many local restaurants and evening activities at the modern Mandalay Hill Resort, which features an excellent pool for those wanting to cool off mid-day.

Day 13: Return to Yangon for final shopping and sightseeing, overnight in Yangon:

We'll depart Mandalay for Yangon and a chance to do some final shopping at the famous Scott Market and visit the colorful waterfront as boats are being loaded by hand before making our flight connections after an overnight at the well-run state of the art Trader's hotel--which features one of the largest breakfast buffets I've ever seen. Those continuing on the extension to Inle Lake and the Shan State will depart for those destinations from Yangon or directly from Mandalay.

	For photos & an account of my recent trip to Burma, please read my article on our December 2007 safari, as well as our January 2007 safari: Burma from Buddha to Orwell and my 2005 trip: Burma: The Land that Time Forgot.
	For photos and an account of our recent trip to the Angkor temples in Cambodia you can read DigitalPro Shooter 3-1: Photographing the Magic of Angkor Wat.

The safari fee is $6795 per-person, double occupancy. That includes all airfare from the start of the trip in Siem Reap until we return to Yangon, all airfare and ground transportation during the trip, your hotel room and food, local wine or beer with meals, bottled water when we're out in the field, guide fees, park, temple and other entrance fees, and photo instruction. It does not include your International Airfare to Asia, personal phone usage, additional drinks or laundry, tips for guides or other incidentals. If you need your own room, the single supplement is US$800. Please feel free to email us with questions at: safaris [at] cardinalphoto.com.

There is a $200 per person early bird discount if you book by March 31st, as well as a $200 companion discount for those booking two or more individuals.

Non-photographers are always welcome, especially as companions of photographers on the trip--this trip has proven quite popular for couples in particular. There are always alternative activities provided for times when we are working on images, and non-shooting companions are of course invited to be part of any of the talks or slide shows that are of interest to them.

You can reserve your place with a non-refundable US$1000 deposit. The balance of the fee is due 90 days before the trip. If you are worried about having issues which prevent you from going at the last minute please consider getting travel insurance. You can sign-up online.

The trip is limited to a maximum of 8 participants, both to ensure plenty of personal instruction and to make sure we have lots of flexibility in our itinerary and schedule--we have a plan for each day of the trip but some of the most fun is to take advantage of unique local opportunities such as weddings or other festivals and having a small group lets us do that.

For more information or questions:

sign-up online or
E-mail: safaris [at] cardinalphoto.com
or Call +1.650.851.8350

Hotels:

We'll be staying at wonderful hotels throughout the trip, rated from 3 to 4 stars on an international scale. We work with privately owned and where possibly locally owned properties that offer friendly service and full amenities. In most cities the hotels we use are the premium properties available--with the best locations and high ratings.

Optional Extensions (typically extensions require 4 interested people to operate, or we can help you arrange your own extended stay if only a couple people are interested):

Phnom Penh (pre-trip, self-guided):

For those able to arrive early and desiring more time to explore Cambodia you can start with a pre-trip extension in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (or optionally Bangkok, Thailand), the perfect staging area for any trip to Southeast Asia. Participants will be met at the airport in Phnom Penh and escorted to the hotel. Flights tend to arrive late in the day, so getting a good night's sleep will be everyone's top priority the first night. Then two full days of sightseeing, photography and even a 1/2 day Khmer cooking class for those who are interested.

Inle Lake and the Shan State (4 night post-trip extension--a unique opportunity, running for sure in 2010):

Inle Lake in the Shan State area of Burma, one of the most beautiful lakes in the world and home to the unique "one-legged rower" fishermen, picturesque floating gardens, and villages on stilts. We'll also visit the vast Pindaya Cave, home to over 8,000 Buddha images in what must be one of the most unique religious sites I've ever experienced. We'll stay in Lakefront Royal rooms at the Inle Resort, a luxury resort right on the Lake itself and have a private chartered boat with a photo-friendly driver and guide to escort us to our sightseeing destinations. We'll also visit the famous local markets and the "mini-Bagan" in the newly opened village of Indein where there are over 1000 Shan-style stupas and pagodas tightly packed in a small area with lots of interesting foliage creating a large variety of great image possibilities.

We'll fly to Heho straight from Mandalay on December 12th, spending the night of December 12th in Kalaw at the boutique Amara Resort and the nights of the 13th, 14th and 15th on the shore of Inle Lake from where we'll sightsee around the lake area by boat. The fee for the 4-night extension (all inclusive) is $1200 per person. That includes the additional flights, hotel, meals, drinks, driver & private vehicle, guide, entrance fees, photo instruction, etc.

Laos (custom option for a post-trip extension):

Four colorful nights, two in the capitol, Vientiane, with its historic temples, central market, and fine French restaurants; and two in the utterly charming and picturesque town of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its almost unique mix of Lao religious and French Colonial architecture (including the sole existing examples of certain temple styles), its night market featuring crafts of Laos' ethnic minorities, its hundreds of picturesque monks, and its gorgeous location at the confluence of the Mekong and Kham rivers. This extension would be set up for independent travelers and the cost would vary with your specific itinerary.

Interested? You can Sign-up Online or give us a call at (650)851-8350.

Monk seeking Alms pre-dawn

Map

Below is a map of the major locations covered, from a possible pre-trip visit to Phnom Penh all the way to post-trip extensions to Inle Lake and Laos.

Southeast Asia Photo Safari Map