Pandaw · All Pandaw ships · Pandaw K class, ten-cabin Myanmar river ship, 20 guests

Kha Byoo Pandaw: ship guide

Ten-cabin Myanmar ship, Pandaw Academy trainer with winter Irrawaddy Delta sailings.

Best for: Repeat Pandaw guests and Myanmar enthusiasts who want the Irrawaddy Delta on the smallest ship in the fleet, and who are comfortable with the current limited Myanmar program. Sails from Yangon in 2026 and 2027.

See every Kha Byoo Pandaw sailing Deck plans Pandaw policies

20guests at double occupancy

2decks

2016entered service

133 ftlong

10staterooms

About Kha Byoo Pandaw

Kha Byoo Pandaw is a ten-stateroom K class river ship completed in Myanmar in 2016 and named for an 1882 Irrawaddy Flotilla Company steamer that once spent three days trapped in a whirlpool in the Irrawaddy’s Middle Defile. At 133 feet with a beam of 23 feet, she is one of the smallest ships in the fleet, built to reach the shallow upper reaches of the Irrawaddy and the Chindwin that Pandaw pioneered before 2021.

Pandaw now describes Kha Byoo Pandaw as its Pandaw Academy training ship at Pagan (Bagan), where interns from local villages learn hotel and hospitality skills on board. She is not retired from service: for the 2026-2027 season Pandaw has her joining Kanee Pandaw on The Great Irrawaddy Delta, a ten-night round trip from Yangon with four published departures between December 2026 and February 2027. Pandaw says it sails only in the Delta in line with UK Foreign Office advice and does not buy from military-owned businesses.

On board she carries the standard Pandaw layout: five staterooms on the upper deck and five on the main deck, each about 170 square feet in teak and brass with a panoramic French window, an air-conditioned dining room with outside tables, an open-air lounge and bar, a library and wrap-around promenades. With only 20 guests she suits travelers who want Myanmar’s river delta at the most intimate scale Pandaw offers.

One of Pandaw’s smallest ships: ten staterooms, 20 guests, 133 feet long
Named for an 1882 Irrawaddy Flotilla Company steamer with a famous whirlpool story
Pandaw Academy training ship at Pagan, where village interns learn hospitality skills on board
Ten-night Great Irrawaddy Delta round trip from Yangon’s Botahtaung Jetty, four departures December 2026 to February 2027
Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon’s colonial quarter, Twante potteries, Pathein parasol workshops and delta village visits
Five upper-deck and five main-deck staterooms of about 170 square feet in teak and brass
Burma complimentary drinks package, all excursions, English-speaking guides and crew gratuities included
Mountain bikes on board and a first-aid-trained assistant guide on every tour

Staterooms and suites

Main Deck Stateroom

Five staterooms of about 170 square feet (16 square meters) on the main deck, finished in teak and brass with a panoramic French window onto the promenade, beds that convert from twin to double, premium mattresses, individually controlled air conditioning, an electric safe, make-up mirror, hair dryer, generous closet and under-bed storage, a complimentary minibar, unlimited mineral water, Nespresso machine, kimonos, slippers, spa-branded amenities and yoga mats.

Upper Deck Stateroom

Five staterooms with the same 170-square-foot layout and fittings on the upper deck, closest to the open-air lounge and bar and with the higher view over the delta waterways; nightly turndown, evening canapes and 24-hour laundry service (laundry is charged) apply to every cabin.

Kha Byoo Pandaw deck plans

Deck by deck, straight from our booking engine: the plan, the stateroom categories on that deck and the public rooms. Pick a deck.

Upper Deck

Saloon, Staterooms.

Plans are the cruise line’s current drawings as supplied to our booking engine. Layouts change with refurbishments; your SmartCruiser advisor confirms the exact stateroom when you book.

On board Kha Byoo Pandaw

Dining on Kha Byoo Pandaw

Dining RoomIncluded

Air-conditioned dining room with al fresco bistro seating, where a local master chef leads an international team through semi-buffet breakfasts and lunches, seated theme and gala dinners and daily lean-and-light options.

Upper Deck Lounge and BarIncluded

Open-air lounge and bar for the welcome cocktail, talks, the traditional dance evening and the farewell dinner.

Hospitality BarIncluded

Local mineral water, jugged coffee, teas and tisanes available at any hour at no charge.

Burma Drinks PackageIncluded

Pandaw lists its Free Flow Drinks and Wine Package (Burma) as included free for all guests on The Great Irrawaddy Delta, together with the complimentary cabin minibar; confirm the current contents when booking, as inclusions vary by region.

Private DiningSpecialty

A pre-bookable private dinner on deck, priced as an add-on.

Entertainment and activities

Open upper deck and wrap-around promenades for the delta’s tidal creeks, rice paddies and fishing villages
Traditional dance performance on board at Pathein and a monastery alms offering at Maubin
All excursions included: Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon heritage walk, Twante potteries, Pyapon market, Pathein parasol workshops, rice mills and delta villages
Talks from the English-speaking cruise guides on delta life, Buddhism and colonial Rangoon
Library of classic and contemporary titles and mountain bikes for independent exploring
Farewell dinner after an afternoon at Bogyoke Aung San Market on the last full day
No spa on board; Pandaw offers massage only on its Lower Mekong ships

Families and who it suits

Pandaw does not accept children under 8 because the open decks have no safety netting and the rail gaps are wide; children 8 to 17 are welcome with their own berth. There is no kids program.

Best for: Repeat Pandaw guests and Myanmar enthusiasts who want the Irrawaddy Delta on the smallest ship in the fleet, and who are comfortable with the current limited Myanmar program.

Sails from: Yangon · Regions: Irrawaddy Delta

Kha Byoo Pandaw questions we answer every day

How big is Kha Byoo Pandaw?

Kha Byoo Pandaw is a two-deck river ship of about 133 feet (40.62 meters) with a beam of 23 feet and a maximum draft of about six feet, carrying 20 guests in ten staterooms. Pandaw completed her in Myanmar in 2016 as one of its ten-cabin K class ships, sized for the shallow upper Irrawaddy and Chindwin rivers.

Is Kha Byoo Pandaw still sailing?

Yes, on a limited basis. Pandaw describes her as its Pandaw Academy training ship at Pagan, but its 2026-2027 schedule also has her sailing The Great Irrawaddy Delta from Yangon on four departures between late December 2026 and late February 2027, alongside Kanee Pandaw. Pandaw says its Myanmar program is confined to the Irrawaddy Delta in line with UK Foreign Office advice; her former Chindwin and upper Irrawaddy routes are not on sale.

Where does Kha Byoo Pandaw sail in 2026 and 2027?

The Great Irrawaddy Delta, a ten-night round trip from Botahtaung Jetty in Yangon. After Shwedagon Pagoda and the colonial quarter the ship heads through the Twante Canal to Pyapon, Bogale, Myaungmya, Pathein, Wakema and Maubin, with village visits chosen by the tides, and returns to Yangon for a farewell dinner. A Myanmar tourist visa is required.

What are the cabins like on Kha Byoo Pandaw?

All ten staterooms are about 170 square feet in teak and brass, five on the upper deck and five on the main deck, each with a panoramic French window, beds that convert from twin to double, individually controlled air conditioning, a Nespresso machine, a complimentary minibar, unlimited mineral water, a safe, hair dryer, kimonos, slippers and yoga mats. Pandaw notes the cabins are a little smaller than on its bigger ships but have roomy bathrooms.

What is included in the fare on Kha Byoo Pandaw?

All meals, every listed excursion with entrance fees, English-speaking guides, crew gratuities, transfers, local mineral water, jugged coffee, teas and tisanes, the cabin minibar and Pandaw’s Burma complimentary drinks package, which Pandaw currently lists as its Free Flow Drinks and Wine Package included for all guests. International flights, visas, laundry and tips for local guides and drivers are extra.

What is the Pandaw Academy?

Pandaw’s training program at Pagan (Bagan) that takes interns from local villages and trains them in hotel and hospitality skills on board Kha Byoo Pandaw. Guests on her delta sailings benefit from a crew that includes academy graduates and trainees, and the program is part of Pandaw’s long-standing commitment to its Myanmar staff during the years when most of its river routes there have been paused.

Facts checked against Pandaw: RV Kha Byoo Pandaw, Pandaw: The Great Irrawaddy Delta expedition, Pandaw: Burma river cruises, Pandaw: Frequently asked questions on October 14, 2026. Ship details change with refurbishments; your SmartCruiser advisor confirms the current layout when you book.

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Prices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. Onboard credit shown on a sailing is per stateroom and applies to the lowest category offered unless stated otherwise.