I think Josh answered it very well. When i was there i took night buses so you dont loose any day time, the local buses are an amazing experience. I would definately spend at least 4 days at bagan as it is so huge and truly one of the most amazing places in the world.

1. It's fairly slow. Yangon to Mandalay is an overnight bus (or train). You can take buses, or hire share-taxis to get from M to Inle Lake or to Bagan. (You also can go by river M-Bagan, but I think that also is at least a 2-day trip...not a journey I did, so I'm not positive about this.). You will have a not-very-satisfying trip as you describe it. Waaaayyyy too much to see in 10 days. (at least 3 of the days will be just getting from one place to the next, so you have only about 6-7 days of actual sight-seeing.). I spent a month there, and that was a good amount. I could have done it all in 3 weeks as well, but allowing for the extra time allowed me to do it in a relaxed way, which was wonderful. My estimate of time: Yangon: 2-3 days; Inle Lake 2-4 days; Bagan: 2-4 days. Kelaw: 2 days. What do you enjoy doing? I can't image seeing the Bagan area myself in fewer than 5 days...other people might be "templed out" in only 2 days. Like most people who visited Myanmar, I was struck by the friendliness of the people (the most dramatic contract between nice people and evil government of any place I've visited on earth--by a LONG shot), the landscape, the amazing food. Regardless of what you see; you will have a good time . . . as long as you do not spend too much of your trip just getting from Point A to Point B.

I would recommend to postpone your trip. You cannot do it all in 10 days. It s good to stay 3 weeks at least and possibly go off the beaten track. It is not just about Mandalay, Bagan, Inle and Yangon. Travelling in Myanmar is not really hard but slow because the roads are not that good (if there is any). It is the least developped country of South East Asia. But it was the most rewarding of my trips in the region. The boat trip from Mandalay to Bagan took 16hours last April. The sceneries are not special. (The less popular boat journey between Hpa-an and Malawmyine is a million times more beautiful!) I like to move around like the locals (by bus, train...) even if some journeys are tiring. It is a different experience of the country. A good reason to avoid flying is that the companies are ALL government-run in Myanmar! It is hard to advice about the time to stay in a place. I've had enough of Bagan after 2 days, some after 1... Depends what you're looking for in your travels. What I enjoyed the most is actually the interactions i had with sweet local people when visiting the temples. There are beautiful sights but the real charm of Myanmar is in its people.

If you want to spend your time appreciating the beauty of the places like Mandalay, Pagan, and get in touch with the friendly people, you may also consider taking inland flights from one place to another.

yes. josh answered good. that is good account if u just spent max 3 days in one place as i was, therefore u can see around many things and great there. and also it is not enough if u just coming there only for 10 days. but good luck and enjoy!

did not have a good experience on the night buses, though I talked to people that did. A lot of times flights are not that expensive if you wanted to cut travel time somewhere. Also, I did the boat from Bagan to Mandalay and I loved it. It was great to see the river life and it was a really pleasant 12 hour trip. There were only 8 of us on the whole boat (it is busier the other direction).