Vietnam builds luxury cruise for Myanmar

“Myanmar is a very hot destination with a lot of potential because it’s practically untouched by the commercial world,” said Maarten Perdok, managing director of Heritage Line Co., Ltd., of the country that has been named “Destination of the Year” by Travel + Leisure magazine. “The Ayeyarwady is a stunning river to cruise and explore. In fact, river cruising is one of the best ways to discover a country and its culture. You get to see the country from a different angle and go to places other tourists don't because there are simply no roads going to those places. This is especially true in Myanmar where infrastructure is lacking, making cruising one of the best, if not the best way to travel the country.”

Built entirely in Vietnam over 14 months, the 23-cabin luxury vessel has an aluminum superstructure on top of a steel hull. “Because of the low water levels in Myanmar, we used a lot of lightweight materials for this cruiser which are typically not used,” said technical director Stefan Malin. “We took advantage of the experience we had from building two other ships, bringing together the right contractors and the right materials to build a very high-quality vessel.”

The Anawrahta will sail on four different itineraries ranging from 4 to 11 nights, visiting ports including Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Homalin. The longest itinerary is the 901-mile, 12 day / 11 night journey from Mandalay to Homalin on the Chidwin river and ending in Bagan on the Ayeyarwady river, with excursions to textile and silversmithing workshops, temples and convents and teak forests with working elephants, amongst others.

Guests on the four-deck Anawrahta can expect a five-star experience, including the highest crew-to-passenger ratio (46 crew serving 46 passengers) and the largest cabins on the Ayeyarwady river all with private balcony, luxury amenities, world class cuisine and unique excursions as well as daily onboard lectures and entertainment.