Myanmar

Bagan at dawn is one of travel's great sights: two thousand temples scattered across a river plain, mist threading between them, gold stupas catching the first light while hot air balloons drift overhead in silence. Myanmar rewards travellers who come thoughtfully, and we plan it that way, working with local families, small lodges and guides whose insight turns sightseeing into understanding. Inle Lake is a world on water, where fishermen row standing with one leg wrapped around the oar and floating gardens drift past stilted monasteries. Yangon layers colonial avenues under the golden mass of Shwedagon Pagoda, best visited at dusk when the whole hill glows. The pace is gentle, the craftsmanship everywhere, the welcome shy and genuine. Myanmar stays printed on people.