I was lucky enough to join a friend at short notice to undertake this trip down the Irrawaddy river and see the cooperative fishing. It was a chance to... read more see the unique cooperation between man and dolphin. They are very shy mammals and requires time and patience to see them, plus the fact their numbers are decreasing all the time.
We got some great shots of both the dolphins ‘waving’ to the fishermen and of the men throwing their nets. I think we had the ‘top fisherman’ who has been doing this since he was 15yrs old. Along the route we came ashore several times - to see local life along the river and an overnight stay in beautiful tents. They were very comfortable. The ladies from the local village set up the camp and them bring food to us. I really enjoyed my trip with Judith.

  Thank you so much to Chit and the crew. It was an amazing trip, I saw heaps of beautiful dolphins including a new born, I was able to come to... read more know local cuisine and ways of life by meeting villagers and collaborative fishermen, asking any...More

  We had a fantastic day sailing along the Irrawaddy River, stopping off to eat food, see how the villagers live and watch the bamboo hat weaving process with their hands... read more (and feet!) Then off to meet the Fishermen who collaborate with Dolphins! Learning all about how they do it whilst sailing along the river. We then changed boat and went searching for the Dolphins. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see them in action but the day was really nice and a fantastic way to see Mingun and a part of Mandalay you very rarely get to experience.

  From the first time I found this tour/experience online, I thought “this is something I must do!” and now, after having enjoyed it, I simply say to myself “this was... read more the best decision I’ve made in this trip to Myanmar!”.
Its nature oriented shape, its cultural uniqueness and responsible driven approach to local communities and nature made me definitely decided to change my initial Myanmar route to include it. And it was the WISEST DECISION I’ve made in this trip.
We’ve chosen the two days private tour mainly because we are very keen on our timings and we love privacy – things that you pay more, of course, because the private tour is not cheap – and we’ve made the right decision again.
Since the first moment to the last minute of the tour we always felt very well and happy.
The tour boat is great, with a few rooms and a toilet in the lower deck and a spacious and comfortable upper deck from where you can relax and enjoy the boat views on route along the calmness of the Irrawaddy river. The tour team, from our excellent tour guide to the main boat team, were very professional and friendly. Our amazing and polite tour guide had a lot of knowledge about everything and was keen to share it with us balancing the time in between the relaxing moments at the top deck when we wanted just to be on ourselves, and the moments where information was needed to be explained by him, which was really nice. All the necessary information has been provided to us, since the start useful and very detailed briefing to the explanations when we visited the villages and the spots during the tour.
The food was great; simple but tasty and great. Each meal was provided by a different village and made from local products.
The dolphin sub-tours were made in small boats like the ones used by the local fishermen and we could spot a lot of dolphins and we saw the cooperative fishing as well, which left us really happy to witness such amazing activity.
The night in a tent was fun. It’s an “almost glamping tent” with a very good bed inside and you need to use the toilet in the boat a dozen of meters walking from the tent. In the evening people from the nearby village from the other side of the river join us at the camp site and create a small bonfire we can join and have a nice moment with them after which we have the dinner at a table near the tent, under the dark night sky. It’s really nice and fun.
The bottom-line of this tour?
It’s something I just tell you: DO IT!
You’ll visit real people in real villages; you’ll eat real food made by that lovely people; you’ll witness such unique fishing way that cooperates with the local dolphins; you’ll be away from crowds and you really feel part of it. And you end up HAPPIER because this is a RESPONSIBLE tour that HELPS the local small communities paying them for the services they provide to us and it does everything on PROTECTING the dolphins environment.
CONGRATULATIONS Living Irrawaddy Dolphin Project for what you are doing!

  We enjoyed 3 wonderful days, visiting local villages and watching the dolphins communicate with fishermen. We were very good taken care off and our three children (4,7 and 9) had... read more a fantastic time, watching out for dolphins, joining the boats captain, and sleeping in tents. I was most impressed by the conservation and community development work this project does. Working for an environmental NGO myself I was very happy to see that our holiday activity was helping to protect this amazing dolphin species.

  I just came back home and I can definitely say that my 2-day experience with the Dolphin Project was a highlight of my travel in Myanmar. This lets you see... read more a totally different aspect of the country that you would not even think of. Getting...More

  We saw the dolphins but were a bit disappointed not to see the cooperative fishing as it was our main purpose to the trip (as we are living in Mandalay).... read more I would enjoy to go again but only for this. Nevertheless, even if we did...More

  I strongly recommend this experience ! We had the chance to see two groups of Irrawady dolphins and we saw fishermen collaborate with dolphins to fish : unbelievable unti ... read more you actually see this. Nice tour in the communities afterwards ! Do not leave Mandalay without...More

  We spent 2 really great days with the Dolphin Project and their guide, Chit. It was close to be perfect, with a very enjoyable mix of nature and culture. The... read more experience could be a bit more tailored to customer's preferences maybe, but it's still a...More