PANDAW Cruises has put two new sleek Pandaw ships with ultra shallow drafts into service for river cruises in Myanmar.
The Kalay Pandaw has entered service in Mandalay, and the Kindat Pandaw in Yangon. Both draw less than 75 cm or 2.5 feet, making them the shallowest draft passenger vessels in Myanmar and enabling them to travel where other vessels can’t.
THE CHINDWIN
In the past, The Chindwin river tour was only offered during the monsoon when water levels were higher. Now, the tiny Kalay will ply the Upper Chindwin weekly between Monywa and Homalin. Monywa is under three hours from Mandalay and the car transfer is included with the cruise. Homalin is now connected by scheduled flight with Yangon, Inle and Mandalay. Kalay, with only five cabins sails, every Saturday.
BEYOND BHAMO
The 20-cabin Kindat will sail every Saturday between Mandalay and Bhamo, the most northerly navigable point on the Irrawaddy, 1,000 miles from Yangon. Highlights will be passage through the third and second defiles, and visits to local towns, most favourite being Katha, once home to George Orwell and the setting for his novel ‘Burmese Days’.
Pandaw has scheduled these sailings around the airline timetables so it is also possible to book these two expeditions back to back, with one night in Mandalay in between.