Our Tours

  I did my one-day tour with Kaye Kaye, who was still in her guide training. She was very easy to talk to straight from the beginning and you could tell... read more that she enjoys what she does. She gave me a briefing of what is going...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. …

  We took the two day tour with camping/ glamping for the overnight. Despite a romantic name, Mandalay was a little underwhelming so this experience was a highlight of the... read more area. First of all, we saw loads of dolphins and plenty of episodes of the dolphins...More

  A very good couple of days on the Irrawaddy river. Village excursions and visits to monasteries and to the attractions in Mingun were interesting and worthwhile. Lovely leisure... read more time spent on the boat cruising the river - lots to see. Trips in the small fishing...More

  We did the 2 nights tour with Living Irrawaddy Dolphins travel and we had a wonderful experience! Luckily there were not many boats around! Our group was small,... read more four people, which made our experience personal and tailored to our needs. We stayed in a private...More

  Our day began with a short ride to the boat dock where we took a boat crewed by a local family and our guide Chit along the Irrawaddy river past... read more the towns of Mingun and Sinjun. We then transferred to a small boat and followed the local fishermen as they communicated with the dolphins. The dolphins work with the fishermen and being the fish to them so that they can cast their nets for their catch. It is amazing to see the dolphins surfacing briefly and then circling the boat. We had about 90 minutes to watch this and learned that although still very much endangered, the number of dolphins is increasing slowly through the Living Irrawaddy Dolphin Project. We had lunch back on the larger boat which was provided by a local village. We then spent some time in Sinjun where we had refreshing snacks and drinks and learned how to tie a longhi in many different ways and got to see how the local women make the conical bamboo hats. We received 2 of those hats as gifts. We then sailed over to Mingun and visited Hsinbyume Pagoda which was delightful. We sailed back to Mandalay as the sun was setting after a most wonderful day. …

  Cruise was very relaxing although weather was slightly hot. Our guide "Chit" was knowledgeable & kind! We took the small sampan out to search for the dolphins. It was a... read more long time but finally managed to catch a few glimpses of the endangered irrawaddy dolphins...More

  A very interesting and wonderful experience with “Living Irrawaddy Dolphin Project”. My family and me took a two day cruise. We slept the night in a tent and it... read more was incredible.
Staff was excellent especially our guid “Chit”.
In my opinion the cause of this project is the best part. Helping the marine life with the money they earn and making the trip the most eco friendly they can.

  What an amazing experience. Chit was an informative guide and created a great experience. We saw dolphins on the first day in two different locations! The glamping was also great.... read more The tents were pitched along the river next to a local village. The village was...More