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Paukan Princess, the fourth new vessel of our fleet, was launched in September 2015. She was long-term chartered to a renowned US american cruise company under the trade name "Avalon Myanmar" and jointly operated by us till the end of the 2018 on the Bagan - Upper Irrawaddy Route. Since then Paukan Cruises took over the marketing and the operations of the vessel.
She is the first luxury ship able to sail the entire length of the Irrawaddy River up to Bhamo (Kachin State), the uppermost navigable point for a vessel of this size, even during the low water season (December to May) due to her extremely shallow draft.
The 36-guest Paukan Princess embraces the ambience of modern Asian Design, whilst providing comforts and conveniences found only in the finest hotels of Myanmar.
The sleek Irrawaddy Explorer is the newest and most luxurious of the three cruise ships of Ayravata Cruise Company to ply the great Irrawaddy River of Burma and even before it leaves the dock it takes you into another world: the elegant, stylish era of the colonial period.
As soon as you are in the reception area, you have stepped into the past, created with its décor of a beautiful art nouveau stairway, old-style furniture, the gleaming hardwood floors, potted plants and classic light fixtures. The theme is carried into the whole interior of the ship including the 28 luxurious suites, the Writers” Lounge, the ‘Custom House’ dining room and even the Spa room and Fitness Center.
The twenty-eight luxury suites are named Mandalay, Kipling, Orwell and Maugham, all with floor-to-ceiling glass doors to enjoy the magnificent views of the Irrawaddy River. Each suite comes with its own unique artwork where for the duration of the cruise you are living in another time and place but with modern conveniences.
The sun deck is where you are cooled by the breeze sweeping over the river, where you can sunbathe, read or just enjoy the light on the water and the sun on its journey turning the sky into a painter’s palette of gold and crimson.
The Writers’ Lounge, spacious as it is, has the ambience of the private study of a writer of the past. Strategically-placed comfortable sofas give enough privacy to enable you to imagine Somerset Maugham thoughtfully smoking his pipe in one corner or Rudyard Kipling amiably telling his tales to a few enraptured guests or George Orwell trying to hide behind a newspaper.
Meals in the old-world charm of the dining room with its lazily-turning ceiling fans are not in the old colonial traditions of broiled beef and rice pudding, but of modern western haute cuisine, the best of Asian food with the freshest ingredients it demands, as well as the most delicious of popular standards. The menu is created by a talented foreign who has years of experience on the best cruise liners of the world and prepared by local Chefs. Best of all, the Kitchen often takes passengers for a stroll through local bazaars selling fresh and luscious fruits and vegetables.
Other stops take you to see the marvels of the country ranging from the famous temples and images to less-known 17th century wall paintings of Hpowindaung Caves, to a potters’ village, a town with the first ever golf course in the country, old wooden monasteries, craftsmen’s workshops etc.
On board, there is a Fitness Center with State-of-the-art equipment and also a spa for messages with creams made from healing and fragrant barks. There are also otherl events presented for your amusement, such as a lesson on how to cook some local dishes, how to securely tie the longyi waist garment, how to grind the traditional Thanakha bark paste, and how to ‘play’ the cane ball game of grace and balance. On longer cruises there are lectures on culture and traditions and performances of classical dance and marionette shows.
Any cruise on Irrawaddy Explorer is not only about discovering the essence of the country but to do it in luxurious comfort while living the dream in the elegance of a past era.
The latest member of the Paukan Cruises family under the management of the Ayravata Cruise Company is the RV Paukan 2012 which was launched in September of 2012. She was 'born' in the well-known Ahlone Ship Yards on the banks of the Yangon River, where men with decades-long experience started work on her in 2011. Captain Michael Symes of His Britannic Majesty's 7th Regiment who saw the shipyards in 1795 noted the Yangon River as "the most favourable river in the world for naval architecture". The 200 years-old tradition of excellent craftsmanship still exists in this workplace and a sister vessel, the RV Paukan, was also 'born' here in 2007. RV Paukan 2012 is slightly smaller than this older sister and is in the same genre of a floating boutique hotel of timeless elegance.
Paukan 2012 is a gem of a vessel, a compact but elegant vessel made of teak with a hull of marine steel. The walls and floors are of timber with each plank carefully chosen to showoff the beautiful grain. The décor is modern chic, with a touch of Myanmar culture through a few traditional motifs, wooden figures, fabrics and paintings.
There are 18 cabins, twin and double, with attached bathrooms for a total of 34 passengers. . .
The price is inclusive of transfer between the ship and airport, all meals, sightseeing tours and entrance fees at monuments. All the cabins are nicely decorated and comfortable with ensuite bathrooms. The most beautiful cabins are the two 'Premier' on the upper deck, each with French windows on two sides, leading out to a spacious balcony. The six Double Deluxe cabins on the upper deck have a balcony and French window, as do the eight Twin Deluxe cabins on the main deck. With the drapes pulled aside, there lay in front of your eyes the amazing the view of the river as it changes moods during different times of the day. There are also two single cabins on the upper deck.
The dining room with a capacity for 34 is a spacious hall on the main deck where evety morning a lavish and scrumptious breakfast buffet is served. The other meals are prepared with loving care for freshness and incredible tastes by experienced chefs. If you are a vegetarian, inform the steward in advance. The lounge on the upper deck seats 16 and the open deck with a wellstocked bar leading out from it seats 15. It is the perfect place to make new friends or to hold a party, if you are already with friends. In fact, a cruise on the Paukan 2012 is a perfect way to celebrate a special moment in your life, surrounded by friends. The lounge is arranged and decorated tastefully with comfortable chairs, for groups of several people or in a more intimate setting.
The solarium on the roof deck is the best place to enjoy an evening drink as the sun sets with a backdrop of the sky's spectacular display of colours.
