We will be in Burma for 10 days in October-Bagan, Yangon, and Inle Lake. The company we have booked through has offered a variety of add on (private) tours. At this point all we have booked is ballooning in Bagan. I usually enjoy being independent, but also appreciate the knowledge and inside information a good guide can give. Which of these would you recommend (or avoid?)
Bagan:
Temples and sightseeing
Mount Popa
Kyauk Gu U
Boat on Irrawaddy

Inle:
Boat Tour on Lake to the market, floating gardens and monastery
tour to Kakku

Yangon:
city tour

Thanks!

I didn't find Mt. Popa especially compelling, especially given that the drive to get there takes a while. I did not climb the mountain as I had an injured ankle and didn't want to walk through the monkey poop to get to the top.

I think having a guide at Bagan can be very helpful for explaining the stories behind the temples. Especially the major ones. And if your guide is good they can take you to some of the quieter spots away from all of the bus tours, especially at sunset. My guide in Bagan was fantastic. Probably the best tour guide I have ever met.

The balloon trip is amazing. I posted a trip report a few years ago in that forum which you might want to take a look at. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ple-weeks.html

I am not a fan of markets in general so I wasn't thrilled with the market I went to at Inle. All of the tourist boats park in the same place and it's quite a traffic jam. But the monasteries are interesting. The Floating gardens, meh. Unless you like farms and vegetable gardens. But we did get off the boat and take a walk at one of the little villages on the shore after I had mentioned to my guide that I like butterflies. There were many in the place we stopped.

The only boat I did on the Irrawaddy was in Mandalay to go back and forth across to the big ruined temple, giant bell, etc. So I can't comment too much. I did take a boat from Sittwe up to Mrauk U and back. It was a long ride. The boat was noisy. But it was the only way to get there. So I think it probably depends on how comfortable the boat actually is.