Made In Mandalay Shopping Tour with a local guide by your side

As the saying goes, ‘the early bird gets the worm!’ Your tour will start bright and early at 8am; after meeting your super friendly guide, we’ll lead you to our first stop of the day, a gold leaf-making workshop. 

The Burmese love gold and later on we’ll visit the famous statue that’s become known as ‘lumpy Buddha’ because locals and tourists have added so much gold leaf to it over the years that it has become misshapen. Watch the master craftsmen at work as they hammer the gold down into paper-thin gold leaf, which can often take up to eight hours! (Don’t worry, we won’t stay as long as that, though.) 

After all that bling, we’ll visit a nearby showroom for a bamboo paper-making demonstration, which is still done all by hand by local experts. At each stop there will be time to make any purchases that you wish to make. 

A 15-minute drive through the city in our air-conditioned van will take us to our next port of call, a stone carving workshop where you’ll observe how Buddha images are expertly carved from stone and concrete. 

Then we’re off to check out a wood carving and tapestry studio where you can shop for a vast array of colourful and traditional handicrafts and intricate tapestries. They also sell some gorgeous jade products here, as well as traditional puppets, elaborate Buddha statues (what else?!) and animal statues that make for fabulously authentic souvenirs and unique gifts for loved ones back home. 

After that, we will have chance to visit the beautiful Mahamyatmuni pagoda to admire the lumpy Buddha and perhaps add a sliver of gold leaf yourself. 

After all that shopping, it’s time to grab a mid-morning snack at a delightful local tea shop where you’ll try local tea and our famous Mandalay tea leaf salad. 

Our last stop of the day will be Myint Myint Khin Htoe Mont, where you can taste many kinds of traditional snacks and treats from the region. On the way, we’ll visit an awesome slipper-making factory owned by a local family where you will have a chance to make your own slippers to take away.

Your guide will then take you back to where we started, shopping bags in-hand! Before you go, don’t forget to ask for tips on what else to see and do during your stay in magical Mandalay.