Arrive in Yangon and head to the Buddhist heart of Myanmar – the magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda.

Wander downtown during the balmy evening and explore the many restaurants and bars now cropping up in increasingly cosmopolitan Yangon. 

Drive on eastwards to Hpa An, the charming and laid back capital of Karen State. The dramatic limestone karst mountain scenery of the surrounding area offers much to explore, including lush paddy fields; pagodas that sit atop strange rock formations; natural pools; and, best of all, a number of huge caves, which hold religious significance that date back many hundreds of years. The following day, you will hike up the monolithic Mount Zwegabin, which offers a good work out (particularly in the heat!) and immensely satisfying vistas when you reach the monastery at the mountain peak.

Take the road deeper into the south of Myanmar, and on into the Tenasserim Hills to the historical town of Dawei. On the way, visit the moving Allied War Memorial and the Burmese end of the Death Railway at Thanbyuzayat. 

Head down to Kawthaung, a seaside border town that will come as a bit of a shock after travelling around more remote parts of Myanmar, with its eclectic mix of business people, backpackers and old, grizzly travellers who come across the border for their visa runs. 

Start the day at Honour Rock and find beautiful coral and a huge sea fan forest; the area is similar to Thailand’s Richelieu Rock, but much bigger. The second dive is at Western Rocky, one of the best dive sites in Myanmar. Highlights include a cave-like tunnel at 20 metres depth that goes all the way through the island. There are good chances to see bowmouth guitarfish, nurse shark, grey reef shark, cuttlefish, harlequin shrimps, frogfish, sea horses and a plenty of lobsters. Another dive will be set Western Rocky Pinnacle; sea leopard, grey reef and nurse sharks, eagle ray, eels, ghost pipefish and sea horses all congregate in this one area. The final dive of the day is in South Rock, where there are more opportunities a wide variety of beautiful reef fishes. 

Start with two dives at North Twin Island and the North Pinnacle of North Twin, renowned for clear waters, good coral life and good chance to see a variety of big fish. The third dive is in Shark Cave, one of the most famous dive sites in the archipelago, offering good chances to see sharks inside the cave. The final dive for that day is a night dive in Great Swinton, where you will get the chance to see barracuda around its beautiful reef.