Special Tour Highlights
Road to Mandalay River Cruise
With
its inaugural voyage in January 1996 the Road To
Mandalay marked a new venture for the famed
Orient-Express. With the Union of Myanmar
(formerly Burma) gradually reopening its doors
to the outside world, the Road To Mandalay
became the ideal way to explore the undiscovered
beauty of this long-hidden land.
The ship itself originally
began life as a Rhine cruiser in Germany and
made her maiden voyage on 6th July 1964.
Originally built to very high standards for its
day, the ship was purchased by Orient-Express
Hotels, Trains & Cruises in 1994 following a
period as a floating hotel in Dresden.
 The
ship underwent a major refurbishment programme
at Lauenberg/Hamburg at a cost of US$6 million.
This mostly consisted of reducing the number of
cabins from 98 to 72, and installing decorations
that blend contemporary designs with traditional
Burmese, plus a state-of-the-art sewage system
to preserve the purity of the Ayeyarwady River.
Once the refurbishment was completed the ship
was transported, courtesy of a specialist
transporting ship, via the English Channel and
the Suez Canal to Myanmar, arriving towards the
end of 1995. The Road To Mandalay was unloaded
in Yangon and, after attracting a great deal of
local interest, sailed up the Ayeyarwady River
to Mandalay.
Once in Mandalay local
craftsmen added final decoration and fittings
including locally woven furniture for the
Observation Lounge, and carvings for the
Restaurant. Local antiques were also sought and
carefully chosen to provide a true Burmese
atmosphere on board.
 The
inaugural cruise departed Mandalay on 31st
January 1996 and arrived in Bagan on 5th
February 1996, guests included HRH Prince
Michael of Greece, Helena Bonham Carter, HRH
Princess Michael of Kent and HRH Princess Marina
of Greece.
Today the Road To Mandalay
continues to ply the waters of the Ayeyarwady
River giving passengers the opportunity to see
this fascinating and ancient land while
traveling in traditional comfort.
ROAD TO MANDALAY RIVER
CRUISE FLEET
| |
Total cabins |
Total Passengers |
State Cabin A deck
Superior Cabin A Deck
Superior Cabib B Deck
Single Cabin B Deck |
14
12
22
4 |
28
24
44
4 |
| Total |
52 |
100 |
RV PANDAW 1947 RIVER
CRUISE
 WHY
" AYRAVATA " RIVER CRUISES ?
The name of IRRAWADDY (AYEYARWADDY)
River is believed to derive from the
Sanskrit term " airavati " ,meaning
"Elephant River".
In Hinduism, Airavata is a white elephant
whom the god Indra rides. It has four tusks
that are like mountains. He also stands at
the entrance to Svarga, Indra's palace.
In a cave at Bhaja not
far from Mumbai [Bombay] that was the site
of a Buddhist monastery around 200 BCE,
there is a stone relief showing Indra, king
of the gods. He is seated upon Airavata [or
Ayravata] his elephant. This Divine Elephant
is thought of as the progenitor of all
earthly elephants and is inderstood as the
embodiment of the huge clouds pregnant with
the monsoon rains.
THE STORY OF THE RIVER
VESSEL " PANDAW "
 The
RV Pandaw and other 5 similar so called
"class P " design vessels was commissioned
after the end of the Second World War by the
Inland Water Transport Board of the Union of
Burma government with the technical
expertise of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company
at that time acting as Agents to the I.W.T.
Board.
RV Pandaw was built in
Scotland on the Clyde by the famous ships
builder Yarrrow & Co on 1947 with the same
design of the pre-war Quarter Wheeler
steamers of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company.
After being boarded up in order to protect
her from the sea waves, she left Scotland
for the delivery voyage to Burma on 1950. On
the 12th January 1951 she started to serve
the Inland Water Transport(Irrawaddy
Flotilla was nationalized on the 1st of June
1948) on the route Mandalay-Bhamo for both
cargo and passengers transportation. In the
1998 she was converted into a 16 cabins
luxurious river cruise vessel by the revived
Irrawaddy Flotilla Company founded by the
Historian Mr.Paul Strachan. IFC has operated
the vessel in the rivers of Myanmar for 5
years until 2003 In the second half of the
2003 Interconnection Co. Ltd signed the
charter agreement with IWT and the RV PANDAW
underwent a major renovation at the Yangon
Dalla Dockyards. As far as the Hotel side is
concerned new furniture has been specially
designed and new Food and Beverage equipment
have been bought.
HISTORIC TECHNICAL DETAILS
The principal original
dimensions of these 6 class "P" vessels were 130
feet by 34 feet and the design draft was 4 feet.
The carrying capacity was 476 passengers and the
cargo capacity was 210 Tons. The propulsion
system was originally fitted with Quarter wheels
propelled by slow speed diesel-engine.The
engine, reverse reduction gear box seated in
forward of amid ship and worm gears box, paddle
wheels fitted in extreme aft of the vessel for
even keel condition. The light draft of the
vessel is 2 feet only and fully loaded condition
is nearly 4 feet. The hull form is box shape
with round bilge, spoon bow and cut up stern for
paddle wheels access. According to the spare
parts scarcity, the main engine and propulsion
system was reinstalled with outboard propulsion
system after thirty years of service. That was
over 1980, our Rv Pandaw 1947 was major repaired
in Dalla Dockyard and re-engines with
Hydromaster Outboard propulsion system. The main
engine is a Dorman 250Hp and transmission is
Hydromaster produced in UK. At that time the
hull structure was renovated and the engine room
converted into cargo hold and a new propulsion
system was installed in the extreme aft of the
vessel. The new length is now 148 Feet, breadth
and width same as before. Due to the
re-powering, the vessel could be able to carry
more passengers and cargos due to weight saving.
Seventeen years after re-powering the vessel was
converted into a tourist pleasure cruise vessel
in the Myanma Shipyard (Sinmalike) by the
revived Irrawaddy Flotilla Company Ltd. And
during their management docking was performed
annually at the Dalla Dockyard. In the 2003
under the management of Interconnection Co Ltd
the ship underwent to major refitting.
RV PANDAW 1947 VESSEL SPECIFICATIONS
|
ELEVATION
SUN DECK
UPPER DECK
MAIN DECK |
| Hull |
Steel
|
| Length |
150ft (45.72 Mt) |
| Beam |
34ft (11.5 Mt) |
| Draft |
2.6ft (0.8 Mt) |
| Decks |
Main Deck (6 Cabins)
Upper Deck (10 Cabins-Saloon-Dining Room)
Sundeck / Solarium (Length 20 Mt. - Furnished
with Steamer Chairs/Sun Lounges/
Rattan Armchairs for 32 pax) |
| Diesel Engines |
2 x 300hp MWM * Model: TBD-234V6 |
| Propulsion |
Schotel Outboard * Model:
SRP-100/110 |
| Max. Upriver Speed |
6 Miles per Hour |
| Max Downriver Speed |
11 Miles per Hour |
| Navigation |
Navigation lights, ships horn,
searchlight |
| Communication |
Gsm phone, Internal phone
system, Tannoy for navigation |
| Generators |
2 x 95 kva Denyo Gensets |
| Fire Protection |
21 Smoke Detectors, 4 Heat
Detectors, 8 Manual alarms stations,
Electronic Control Panel Silent Knight (Made in
USA) – 20 Fire Extinguishers –
8 Fire Hose Cabinets, fire pump |
| Safety |
Emergency lights, Emergency
Generator, life jackets for all on board and
life rafts |
| Cabins |
16 deluxe cabins with own
shower/wc (Berths 32) |
| Size |
3,35 Mt X 4.00 Mt (132" X 158") |
| B |
1 |
| Dining |
1 (32 seats) |
| Kitchen |
1 fully equipped Kitchen |
| Water |
Desedimentation and full water
treatment – Reverse Osmosis System for the
Kitchen. |
| Sewage |
Treatment plant |
| Owner |
Inland Water Transport under the
Ministry of Transport of the Union of Myanmar |
| Management Company |
AYRAVATA CRUISES |
| DMA Registry |
Permission to drive in the
Myanmar rivers NoNA/KHA/32/Yangon) issued on the
11 Sep 03 by the department of Marine
Administration of the Union of Myanmar |
| Transport License |
No. PA/195A on 27 January 2004
issued by MHT |
RV PAUKAN 2007 RIVER CRUISE
 Paukan
is the ancient name of Bagan, the old city of two
thousand temples on the bank of the Ayeyarwaddy
River. This ancient capital, seat of the First
Myanmar Empire, is a treasure to the people of
Myanmar. Throughout the century of their existence,
the temples remain a place of living worship,
maintained by donations from royalty and the public.
RV Paukan was built in 2007 at
the Myanmar Shipyards in Yangon for Ayravata
Cruises. The Yangon River and its dockyards were
commented upon over two hundred years ago as "the
most favourable river in the world for naval
architecture" by the first British envoy to Myanmar
Captain Michael Symes of His Britannic Majesty's 7th
Regiment who arrived in Yangon in February of 1795.
Paukan might be the younger sister ship to the
Pandaw which was built in 1947, but she is a bigger
vessel at 183ft 955.78m) in length. Her beam is 38ft
(11.58m) and draft is 3.09ft (1.14m). She runs on
diesel engines, with a speed of 10 knots. Safety and
emergency equipment are in place, as well as
reliable communication systems.
 The
lovely Paukan is a boutique hotel on the river,
beautifully furnished with a unique combination of
modern and traditional motifs. The timber-walled
cabins are furnished with colonial style cupboards,
dresser and doors while the ceiling is traditional
Myanmar. The single or double beds are proper and
comfortable ones and not mere bunks, enough room for
55 passengers who will be looked after by a
30-member crew.
For luxury-living, Paukan has suites, deluxe or
superior cabins as well as singles for guest or
guides. There are two massage rooms on the lower
deck offering traditional Myanmar massage designed
to give soothing relaxation.
The sun deck has a stage for
cultural performances, and a bar and lounge for
relaxation and fun. The upper deck has a lecture /
movie room with lcd projector and lcd TV screen.
Meals in the dining room on the
main deck will include both East and West cuisine,
and dinner menus of delicious dishes. Vegetarian
meals can be prepared when informed in advance. The
price is inclusive of transfer between the ship and
airport, all meals, sightseeing tours and entrance
fees at monuments.
The Ayravata Cruises is proud to
have Paukan as another member to their family and is
confident that she will please her guests in the
same manner as her sister ship, the Pandaw.
|
SUN DECK |
|
UPPER DECK |
|
MAIN DECK |
|
LOWER DECK |
 |
