Myanmar attracts both domestic and international tourists with its spectacular architecture, picturesque natural scenery, the hospitality of Burmese and rich traditional culture. If you are planning to visit this Golden Land one day and wonder where to go and what to do in Myanmar for the most meaningful memorize, please see the following recommendations. We are sure that this article will be a useful guide where you can find important information to decide on the ideal destination for a Myanmar travel itinerary.
The ideal time to start your Myanmar travel itinerary
If your favorite is the mysterious beauty of the Southeast Asian country, Myanmar should be one of the most fascinating destinations which you can not miss. However, you should not set foot on this piece of land with a blank head on the knowledge of nature, climate and weather here. So, to make sure your Myanmar travel becomes highly satisfactory and wonderful, you should learn about the most appropriate time to visit this beautiful country. The climate of Myanmar varies widely from season to season, including rainy and dry seasons.
The dry season: from October to May
As a country in tropical climates, the natural landscape in Myanmar has a noticeable seasonal change. In general, the first months of the dry season (from March to April) and the first months of the rainy season (from May to June) are considered as the hottest time of the year. At this time, the Shan state region seems a little cooler. So, this would be the perfect time to visit and avoid the scorching heat. Meanwhile, the plains around Mandalay and Bagan are the driest areas of Myanmar since they usually remain fairly dry, despite the annual rains.
The rainy season: from June to early October
By the time the rainy season reaches its highest peak, international visitors should avoid accessing parts of Myanmar. For example, you should not visit Ngapali Beach or Bengan Bay Area at this time because most beaches have swirling winds and heavy rains. Or you could set foot in the center of the country during the rainy months but be aware of the isolated and deltas areas exposed, due to mud and storms that shocked.
Also, take note when exploring the Himalayan foothills, hill stations, and lakes of Myanmar which are often affected by the cold at night.
So which time is most appropriate to visit Burma and have a perfect Myanmar travel itinerary? Our advice to you is from November to February. The weather at that time in Myanmar will not be too hot or too cold. That will be an ideal condition for you to fully enjoy your journey.
Tips on where to go and what to do during a memorable Myanmar travel itinerary
Check-in Yangon on the first day
Although Myanmar is a small Southeast Asian developing country, its capital is not ancient, poor at all. Being the largest city in Myanmar, Yangon is considered as the most important commercial hub of this country. More than economic sense, Yangon also attracts tourists by the vibrant atmosphere, the diversity of culture and the unique in leisure activities. Yangon is a city of immigrants from China, India, Bangladesh and other countries. They integrate with the lives of the local people, create a harmonious diversity from culture to lifestyle. Coming to Yangon, you will have an excellent opportunity to experience exciting recreational activities such as colorful nightlife, spectacular architecture, diverse culture and unique cuisine. Here are some tips to help you have a perfect Myanmar travel itinerary.
Transport
Yangon is the hub of transshipment between different localities in Myanmar. Therefore, you will be very convenient to visit a new location nearby. There are many types of transportation vehicles that you can choose for your travel such as bicycles, cyclo, taxi, bus,…but the most convenient transportation vehicle with reasonable prices is the taxi. If you come to Yangon alone or go with a small group, choose Bandoola to travel to Bagan for 9600 Kyats (including blankets, mineral water, soap, face wipes and even toothbrushes). If you want a better one, let’s choose JJ Express which provides free wifi with clean, spacious, comfortable seat.
One thing to note is that Yangon has quite a few bus stations. So, you need to ask in advance about the clear route before starting your Myanmar travel itinerary.
Accommodation
Choose Yangon as the first destination in your Myanmar travel itinerary, you need to carefully choose your accommodation. The downtown area is an ideal choice because of the convenience of eating and traveling. Although hotel prices in this area are a bit more expensive than other places, you should book early as the number of rooms may run out very fast during the high tourist season. If you want a luxury clean hotel, then you can choose Mr.lee Hotel in the downtown area of Lanmadaw street (nice view, free wifi, convenient location, reasonable price: 60 $ for a double room, near China town with lots of delicious food)
Cuisine
Yangon cuisine is one of the factors that help this beautiful city steal the hearts of any traveler on the first day. It will not be too hard for you to find delicious food at reasonable price. For example, near the Mr. Lee Hotel, there is a shop specializing in selling chicken stew with noodles, dumplings, rice noodles, or on Maha Bandoola street, which is bustling with many restaurants provide barbecue, tea leaves salad,…
Entertainment venue
Located in the center of Myanmar, Yangon was once a British and Japanese colony, owning unique buildings such as the church, the Sule Pagoda, the free square, the crocodile farm, Bogyoke Aung San market, Mingalar Market, 19th Street, Botataung Temple, Saint Mary’s Cathedral, Holy Trinity Cathedral,…
Your trip to Yangon will never be complete without visiting Shwedagon Temple. This unique golden temple of Myanmar is home to four Buddhist treasures and is splendidly gilded with glittering diamonds studded on the top of the main tower.
Another place that tourists, especially young people cannot ignore during their trip is the 19th street of Bandoola. It is the place where the sparkling light shines from night to morning and always crowded with all types of tourists from all over the world. Coming to Yangon, you should not miss the experience of strolling around 19th street in the evening, enjoying the deliciously grilled dishes, drinking a glass of cool beer and chatting with friends. In the exciting atmosphere with a lot of international friends around, you will feel totally relaxing for a wonderful holiday.
BAGAN
The second destination in your Myanmar travel itinerary is the old capital of Myanmar with a combination of more than 4000 temples which are enormous like Cambodia’s Angkor Wat. The city is boldly ancient, sacred and extremely peaceful with thousands of temples hidden in the early morning mist which create a mysterious scenery. Especially in Bagan, from high places, you can admire the panorama of Bagan with spectacular natural scenery and ancient temples.
Transport
The journey from Yangon to Bagan takes about 10 hours because the road is quite bumpy and difficult to go. Traveling to Bagan, you will find plenty of transportation options such as horse carts, carts, bicycles, electric bicycles, taxis. The price depends on your deal or you also can ask the hotel reception for the most reasonable price. If you want to enjoy a luxury experience, you can contact the hotel in advance to book a flight on a hot air balloon at dawn for around $ 350. This is a great experience because you can admire the panoramic view of Bagan in a unique perspective, enjoy the picturesque landscape and peaceful atmosphere.
Cuisine
Bagan cuisine is not as rich and varied as many countries in the world and many of them resemble Vietnamese. However, under the skillful hands of the people here, it brings a unique and fascinating flavor. Some interesting places to eat when you go to Bagan include BBQ Harmony (where provides BBQ, Pork, Beef, Seafood, and Vegetables), Queen Restaurant (serving Asian, European, Italian, Chinese, Thai food and traditional dishes in Myanmar ….), Golden Myanmar (Myanmar Food House), …
Accommodation
To save money, you can choose to stay at the Golden Myanmar Hotel in Old Bagan (most New Bagan hotels are luxury hotels). The hotel is five blocks away from the bus station, free wifi, hot water, air conditioning, quiet, good English speaking staff and room rates are around $ 30 /double room, next to the 3-storey hotel is a large grocery store with much food, drinks, breakfast …
Entertainment venue
The following is some famous places in Bagan which you should not miss:
– The lively Nyaung U Market
– Shwezigon Pagoda and its splendid golden main tower
– Htilominlo Temple
– Dhammayangyi Temple
– Gubyaukgyi Temple
– Myinkaba Village
– Ananda Temple
Moreover, you can also visit the New Bagan area with craft villages such as parachute drawing. Do not forget to hike to a large temple and enjoy the spectacular scenery of both sunrise and sunset on the horizon, because each one has something unique.
INLE LAKE – last destination for memorable Myanmar travel itinerary
Farewell to the ancient temples, mysterious temples, tourists continue to explore the beautiful scenery of one of the largest freshwater lakes in the Myanmar travel itinerary: Inle Lake. This is a land of peace and prosperity with people living on stilt houses above the water. The main occupation of local people is handicraft and fishing with many traditional handicraft villages such as silver, silk weaving, long neck village, boat building village, paper making village… The most famous image here is scenery of fishermen fishing on the river which is printed in the world famous travel magazines.
Transport
Since the road from Bagan to Inle is quite bad and bumpy, the bus fare here is quite reasonable with 11000 Kyat for a one-way ticket. Besides, you can also travel around Inle Lake by bus, horse wagon,…
Accommodation
Hotels in Inle Lake are pretty much and quite close, with $ 30/double room/ 2 people, and $ 45/ 3 people but no wifi. Located far from downtown, the internet of Inle Lake is quite poor and the wifi network is extremely slow. In return, the hotel service is quite comfortable and attentive. You can check in your hotel before the time without paying extra, hotel staff is very attentive. You also get free breakfast with traditional noodles extremely tasty.
Entertainment venue
Located about 889 meters above sea level, Inle Lake is surrounded by majestic mountains and covers an area of 220 square kilometers. The deepest area here is about 6 m. Water levels vary seasonally between the dry season and the rainy season is about 1.2 m.
Coming to Inle Lake, you will feel so peaceful when admiring and immersing in the magnificent village painting. The best time to explore Inle Lake is in the morning when the sun is not too bright. The only way you can fully explore the beauty and culture of the people living in the lake is to use a motorboat service at a price range of 8,000-9,000 Kyat (140,000 – 155,000 VND) for 5-6 people.
Inle Lake is not only a picturesque land but also a home to the Inthar (a minority ethnic group in Myanmar). Inthar in Myanmar means “lake-dweller”. Thousands of years, Inle Lake is the place where all the social activities of the Inthar people take place.
Inle Lake has many places to explore such as Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, flower growing villages, Pa-O village, weaving village, silver jewelry village, handicrafts village, In Dein village … Especially, the Ywama Floating Market meets every five-day session is also a nice chance to consider buying and exploring the indigenous culture.
After exploring the landscapes and exploring the cultural life of the people in the lake, visitors should spend some time watching the sunset in Inle Lake. In the sunset, the sun slowly dives and dyes the landscape in golden, create a mesmerizing scene. As you listen to the music while enjoying the wind in the sky, you will know what a beautiful and peaceful lifestyle.
With all these wonderful tourist destinations, you will surely feel overwhelmed by the spectacular beauty of Myanmar. As newly reclaimed recently, this beautiful country still retains the original beauty from culture to nature. With no doubt, this Myanmar travel itinerary will be one of the most wonderful journeys which are full of joy, comfort, and knowledge. Because tourism is a great way to discover new things about the world around you, the knowledge of the mysterious land of Myanmar will wake up your travel passion. Let’s start your magnificent journey right away!
