My sister and me chose the two days river trip and it was absolutely amazing. April is one of the hottest month in Myanmar and taking a boat up... read more the river was a really nice way to learn about the local culture. The temperature was...More

  My wife and I booked a private 1 day tour (we wanted to do 2 days, but only had 1 extra day in Mandalay). We booked in advance, Paul... read more was very responsive via email. On the day of the tour, Ko Nyein our tour guide picked us up at the hotel and also took us back in the evening. We first took a larger 2-level boat to the location where the dolphins "hang out", and then transferred to a smaller boat. We spotted many dolphins and witnessed how "cooperative fishing" worked. U Maung Lay the "dolphin whisperer" and another fisherman demonstrated from another small boat, which was very interesting to watch. You need to concentrate and be very fast to take photos, as you cannot predict where exactly dolphins might appear. We just wanted to be quiet, in the moment, and soak in the experience of seeing the dolphins do what they do. We had lunch on the boat, brought from the village, which was as expected. We went to Singyun Village, met with villagers and learned about bamboo hat making, etc. A special and unexpected treat was, we saw part of a local family's child's Buddhist "novitiation" ceremony. The villagers also treated us to snacks and teaf leaf salad, etc. Before returning to Mandalay, we chose to visit Mingun's "Mya Thein Dan" pagoda, as we had already seen other pagodas and the big bell during a previous trip. Ko Nyein and the family who operated the boat offered to take us further up river or to another village, but we declined as we didn't feel like packing too many things into one day. We would have been perfectly happy just to be on the boat, as the entire experience was so tranquil, enchantingly peaceful, and the scenery so beautiful. Ko Nyein and U Maung Lay were very knowledgeable, and the boat family were accommodating. This is a great tour if you want to learn about the dolphins, the conservation efforts, and rural Burmese life and the agriculture industry around the area, mainly peanut farming and some rice. Strongly recommended, and do two days is you can.

  My husband and I booked the 1 day dolphin tour. We were picked up on time by our Guide Chid and taken to the jetty where we boarded a slow... read more boat owned by a Myanmar family. We were the only ones on todays tour and...More

  This was an extremely well thought and organized experience. I can’t even cite one thing that needs improvement.
The time was filled adequately for my personal level of energy; the... read more foods along the way was perfect and yummy; the staff was attentive and convivial, along with the numerous locals we met along the way; the sites were very interesting, and of course it was great to see the dolphins and witness the interaction with the fishermen, although, we saw them only once out of the two main opportunities.
Given that i took the tour ONLY to see dolphins, i am so surprised everything was truly enjoyable.

  We had a beautiful day cruising up the Ayeyarwaddy River on a very comfortable boat which resulted in seeing dolphins. The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly and we felt... read more very informed. After a delicious lunch in a village, we saw dolphins. So amazing. We...More

  This is a top notch experience from any angle. As a tour it's excellent, with temples, traditional farming and fishing, and rural landscapes. As a cultural experience, it's... read more superb. You interact with a family living on the boat as well as a tour guide with...More

  What an amazing experience - such fun and such comfort. Thank you Chit - you are an excellent guide.

  Had a great time experiencing culture in the village (who knew there were so many ways to use the longyi) , travelling to Mingun, eating great food (the food provided... read more by the villagers were better than the top rated restaurants in Mandalay. We found out from our guide that they were asked to use less salt and oil which brought out the taste of the ingredients better) and sleeping overnight in tents! Chit was a great guide and shared with us tons of fun facts about dolphins and Myanmar.

The most magical thing was seeing the dolphins~ We were lucky enough to experience 4-5 dolphins joining in cooperative fishing on the first day. We even got to see a baby and mummy dolphin swimming close to us (the fishermen observed the mummy dolphin wanted to join in fishing but the baby dolphin was sticking too close to mummy. I hope it was a great learning experience for the baby dolphin who was watching the community fishing as much as it was for me. Unfortunately, although the first day was full of dolphin sightings (even from the ship) , we didnt get to see any on the 2nd day. As this is wildlife, i would suggest that one choose at least the 2 days tour to maximize the chance of seeing dolphins!

Through the tour, I could feel the efforts made to preserve the dolphins population, promote community fishing and help educate the villagers! The project is around 2 years old and is still struggling to raise funds to protext the dolphins, so do join the project! You get to save the environment and be part of something magical!

  We had such a fun trip with Chit and his team floating up the Irrawaddy earlier this month. It was incredible getting to see the dolphins up close and we... read more saw a number over the course of the 2 day trip - whilst this isn't guaranteed - the team make every effort to work together with the local communities and fishermen to share sightings. It's a good mix of being able to experience a little flavour of village life, boating time and fishing with the expert fishermen who have been honing their craft for decades, their commitment and skill is amazing. Camping on the sandy island was one of our highlights and it was so comfortable to be in the tents as other reviewers have said, definitely more comfortable than our night in Mandalay, everything was set up for us already when we arrived at the island and we could relax, have a beer and watch the sunset. Absolute bliss! Thank you to them all for their kindness.
2 things to keep in mind:
- If you don't do a private tour, you spend 24/7 pretty much with your fellow tour-mates, so get ready to make friends! If this does not appeal, consider the private tour option. Our friends opted for the private tour and also highly recommended, that gives a little bit more flexibility around how long you spend in each location also.
- Check the itinerary closely, the dolphin tour includes a visit to Mingun, if you're travelling in Mandalay beforehand, it may be worth saving that trip so you don't end up visiting twice and use the time to see other fun things in Mandalay instead.