Top Things to Do in Myanmar
Formerly called Burma, Myanmar is a nation in Southeast Asia that is slowly obtaining popularity among travelers. Due to excellent ease of access from land borders, travelers from Thailand and the rest of its neighboring nations in Southeast Asia commonly frequent these lands in search of off-the-beaten-path experiences.
Although not large, there are still stacks of areas to visit in Myanmar Amazing archaeological sites, beautiful natural landscapes, as well as a vast range of cultural sites, Myanmar is a nation that I urge everybody to position on their bucket lists. Below's a checklist of locations in Myanmar (Burma) that are worth going to.
Places to Go To in Myanmar.
Yangon
The capital city of Myanmar, Yangon is growing to be a hectic cosmopolitan city where old colonial structures meet ancient pagodas. There are sights like the Shwedagon Pagoda which is just one of the most essential historic sights in all of Myanmar. The circular train is likewise a remarkable experience where you can observe the local culture.
Sule Pagoda and also Shwendagon Pagoda
Recognized for its mystical pagodas, no trip to Myanmar is complete without going to Sule Pagoda as well as Shwendagon Pagoda. These two pagodas are so stunning, especially throughout daybreak and also sunset.
Sule is smack in the centerof Yangon. It is 48 meters tall and was utilized by the British as the nucleus of their grid pattern plan for Burma in the 1880s. Sule, unlike other pagodas, is a octagonal-shaped pagoda.
The 2,500 years of age Shwedagon Pagoda preserves strands of Buddha's hair as well as various other divine relics. It is a need to visit. Shwedagon Pagoda is covered with thousands of gold plates as well as its stupa is encrusted with 4531 diamonds.
Ride Yangon's Circular Train
The Yangon Circular Railway is something you most definitely need to experience. You will not just experience a day in the life of locals, yet also reach take outstanding pictures of the outskirts of the city.
You'll see individuals moving up and also down the train selling things, and additionally meet people of all kinds hopping on as well as off the trains. Entrepreneurs, market vendors ... it's one of those things that permits you to experience Myanmar of what it actually is.
Outside Yangon
Mt Kyaiktiyo Pagoda (Golden Rock)
Image Credits: World Atlas.
Mt Kyaiktiyo is a prominent pilgrimage trip for devout Burmese Buddhists and is typically loaded with devotees who travel from around the country to admire this spiritual site. From Yangon, this golden rock is accessible by bus or train.
The pagoda itself is composed of a big gold stone which is stabilizing at the edge of the high cliff. We advise visiting during sunset as the golden rock shines, a lot more, when the skies turns into different shades of orange as well as purple. Although it is a spiritual site, it has also come to be extremely commercialized yet nonetheless, a sight to see.
Where to stay in Yangon
Budget: Little Yangon Hostel
Budget: Pickled Tea Hostel
Mid-Range: Jasmine Palace Hotel
Mid-Range: Hotel Grand United (21st Century Downtown)
Luxury: Sule Shangri-La
Luxury: The Savoy
Getting to Yangon.
By Air: Yangon has an international flight terminal as well as serves the biggest variety of locations both within as well as outside the nation.
By bus: Yangon is also extremely well connected by both bus and also train routes. It's from Yangon that you will have the greatest selection of areas to travel to.
By train: Yangon is a significant stop on the nation's train system. Do know that trains are not what you would certainly discover in developed countries. There are hard seats as well as no or insufficient air conditioning. Train travel is additionally a lot slower than bus. Nevertheless, if you desire a local experience, train is the method to go.
Bago
If you seek even more pagodas, an outstanding reclining Buddha and a wine abbey, you will certainly wish to take a trip to Bago.
Bago is only a couple of hrs away from Yangon, making it a simple day trip.
According to tale, the Buddha that once took a trip in the area saw a couple of Hintha birds flying across the waters searching for a resting place. The male bird landed on the only available place which was just big enough for one bird, upon which the female perched in addition to the male bird. Upon seeing this, the Buddha foretold that one day a city would thrive at this location.
Shwemawdaw Pagoda.
Called the "Gold Temple" this stupa is the highest in Burma.
Credits: Wikipedia.
Kyaik Pun Paya
This is home to the popular Four Seated Buddha temple.
Credits: 123RF. com.
Shwethalyaung Buddha
One of the biggest lying Buddha images in Myanmar.
Credits: Renown-travel.com.
Bagan
Popularized by the many sweeping pagodas and also stupas, Bagan is a cultural pleasure and also is considered a should see by everybody that comes to this country. With over 2000 ancient ruins, you can spend a couple of days traveling around the location hopping from one archaeological site to the next. If you're looking for a wonderful experience, you can ride a hot air balloon over the temples during daybreak. The sun glimmering as it rises on top of these ancient ruins is a sight to see and is something that is worth doing during your time there.
In addition to seeing the ancient ruins, you can also check out Mount Popa and also the monk monasteries.
Mount Popa
Where to stay in Bagan
Budget: Ostello Bello, Bagan
Mid-Range: The Hotel at Tharabar Gate
Luxury: Bagan Lodge
Getting to Bagan
By Air: The nearest flight terminal is Nyaung U, which is simply a number of miles from old Bagan. It is a domestic terminal only.
By bus: Bagan is well linked by bus:
Inle Lake (10 hours).
Yangon (9 hours).
Mandalay (7 hours).
By train: Bagan is on Myanmar's rail network as well as you can connect with Yangon (16 hrs) or Mandalay (8 hrs).
Inle Lake
Take a day excursion on the gorgeous Inle Lake checking out the waterways with its stilt homes, markets, floating gardens, pagodas, local traders as well as dining establishments. This is a wonderful area to see the sun set and the sun rise over the water. Seeing exactly how the residents in Inle fish utilizing cone-shaped sphere like nets as they guide their boat with one foot is likewise rather amusing to enjoy.
Where to stay in Inle Lake
The majority of the accommodation is located in close-by Nyuangshwe with a series of budget to deluxe options. You can also consider at the very least one evening on the lake for the dawn as well as sunset sights.
Budget: Ostello Bello Hostel Nyangshwe
Budget: Song of Travel Hostel Nyangshwe
Mid-Range: Thanakha Inle Hotel Nyangshwe
Mid-Range: Aureum Palace Resort & Spa Inle Nyangshwe
High-end on the Lake: Golden Island Cottages on Inle Lake
High-end in Nyuangshwe: La Maison Birmane Boutique
Getting to Inle Lake
By Air: The nearest airport terminal is Heho, which is about 45-60 mins' ride from Nyangshwe through winding mountain roadways. Anticipate to pay around $20 for your taxi (one of the best deals you'll enter Myanmar for a taxi ride). Heho is a domestic terminal only. A stay on the lake is about another 20 mins away from Nyuangshwe by boat (or another 40 or so minutes by road).
By bus: Inle Lake is well connected with buses travelling from:
Yangon (13 hrs)
Mandalay (10 hours)
Bagan (10 hrs)
By train: Inle Lake is not on Myanmar's rail network.
Hiking from Kalaw to Inle Lake
From being outside, delighting in the amazing landscape, to staying in a local family's residence and also tucking into some home-cooked food, there's a whole lot to like about it. The most common expeditions are either 2 or 4 days long.
Getting to Kalaw: The majority of people start in Kalaw and also trip to Inle Lake as opposed to the other way around.
By air: If you're flying in to Heho, you're halfway there-- simply take a taxi from the flight terminal. There is a train from the airport (2 hrs) but just once daily in the early morning so you 'd need to co-ordinate your trip time.
By bus: there are buses from Mandalay (8 hours), Bagan (8 hrs) as well as Yangon (12 hours).
When should you go? High season (which is both the most popular yet likewise the driest period) is November to February. Myanmar has a wet period unlike most of the rest of SouthEast Asia-- it pours, often relentlessly (compared to the daily heavy showers of many monsoons). This can create some miserable trekking conditions.
Mandalay
In contrast to the quiet as well as subdued roads of Bagan, Mandalay is a large city teeming with life. Busy streets filled with a selection of tea shops, wonderful Pagodas, as well as lots of visitor destinations make this one of the most preferred locations to check out in Myanmar. Out of all the tourist attractions, climbing up Mandalay Hill is most likely a huge crowd favorite as it allows you to sweeping views of the city and the Irrawaddy River beaming from afar.
The U-bein Bridge and also Kuthodaw Pagoda is also a quite popular tourist attraction and is a terrific location to observe the culture of the citizens.
Kuthodaw Pagoda
The Kuthodaw pagoda in Mandalay comprises of a gilded pagoda, thousands of temples housing engraved marble pieces and also several pavilions. The pagoda is also called "the world's biggest book", named after the 729 marble slabs engraved with Buddhist teachings.
Credits: luxurymyanmarrivercruises.com
U-Bein Bridge
U Bein Bridge is thought to be the longest as well as oldest teak wood bridge on the planet and also extends for 1.2 kilometers. The bridge itself plays a huge part in the day-to-day website life of locals with hundreds crossing over by either foot or bike to get to or the local markets. Since coming to be a prominent traveler destination, many currently make their livelihood from the bridge by supplying boat rides, selling food and water or by displaying their remarkable expertise of its history.
Credits: Rainforestcruises.com.
Reaching U-Bein Bridge: You can book a local driver to take you to the U-Bein bridge at sundown. Prices can be steep provided it's just thirty minutes outside Mandalay. You can take a scenic tour as well as if you spend a little more, you can find a scenic tour that will certainly give you a broader tour of Mandalay including lunch.
Where to stay in Mandalay
Budget: Ostello Bello, Mandalay
Mid-Range: The Link 83 Mandalay Boutique Hotel
Luxury: Mercure Mandalay Hill Resort
Getting to Mandalay
By Air: Mandalay has an international airport terminal that is also well connected locally. However, know that the airport is about 20 miles outside the city, which can be time consuming (over an hour) and also costly because of the {raffic. Internationally, you will certainly connect with even more destinations by flying from Yangon.
By bus as well as train: Mandalay, like Yangon, connects with a lot of the visitor stops in Myanmar.
Hsipaw
Found by the Shan state, Hsipaw is a sleepy village that is quite well known for its trekking. From Hsipaw, you can head to either Namhsan as well as Kyaukme. Namhsan is referred to as the tea capital of Myanmar so anticipate to see great deals of local| life. Although the {reks are easy, some parts are still restricted to tourists so it is ideally discovered with the assistance of a tour operator. Hsipaw is a trekking destination that attracts people in and also keeps them there probably because it's cooler as well as the air cleaner than many various other locations in Myanmar.
Credits: diytravelhq.com
Trekking in Hspiaw
Reaching Hspiaw: Also on the train line, it takes 13 hours from Mandalay or 7 hrs from Pyin Oo Lwin. There are buses from Mandalay (7 hours), Pyin Oo Lwin (7 hrs), Inle Lake (12 hrs) as well as Yangon (15 hours).
Ngapali Beach
If you're looking to kick back by a seaside location, head to Ngapali Beach which is among the most widely known beaches in Myanmar. Located on the Bay of Bengal coast, this palm-fringed island has a couple of resorts established in the middle of fishing villages providing you an excellent contrast of both. Remarkably, there is a huge amount of tasks to do in this field with scuba diving, snorkeling, boat tours, and also kayaking. You can likewise just unwind on the beach and also eat seafood captured by the local fishermen, as well as take a field trip to Pearl Island.
Creidts: svietnamtravel.com
Do realize that Ngapali practically closes down during monsoon season (May to October).
Reaching Ngapali Beach
By Air: Flying to Ngapali beach will be your best choice since all various other transport modes are seriously minimal. The local airport is Thandwe and also is just a couple of kilometres from the beach resorts. You can find flights from and also to Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay, Heho (Inle Lake). However, these courses thin in monsoon season with cancellations on the day being common. Your most trusted route is in and out of Yangon.
By bus: The only bus route running to Ngapali comes from Yangon and takes around 11 hours.