"Myanmar" Top 5 Page for this destination Burma by grets

Burma Travel Guide: 4,640 reviews and 9,868 photos

I am not prepared to go into the right or wrong about travel to Myanmar, or its political correctness.

I thoroughly enjoyed our time in Myanmar and found the people very friendly, a fascinating culture, lack of tourism and some amazing architecture.

I wrote a diary during our travels, and most of the tips are taken from that, interspersed with some facts from various sources.

Original itinerary

Family in Yandabo

Day 1 - Fly to Bangkok

Day 2 - Fly to Yangon

Day 3 - In Yangon

Day 4 - Fly to Mandalay.

Day 5 - Amarapura & Sagaing

Day 6 - Irrawaddy River Cruise

Day 7 - Irrawaddy River Cruise

Day 8 - Bagan. Mount Popa

Day 9 - Balloon flight over temples. Bagan

Day 10 - Flight to Heho. Inle Lake

Day 11 I- nle Lake. Drive to Pindaya

Day 12 - Trekking to hilltribe villages. Overnight in Monastery

Day 13 - Trek back to Pindaya

Day 14 - Flight to Yangon. Ferry to Twante

Day 15 - To Kyaktiyo

Day 16 - Return to Yangon, flight to Bangkok, flight to London

Amended Itinerary

Young novice monks in Pindaya

The above itineray was changed for a couple of reasons:

We decided to go to Twante on Day 3 as there was the Festival of Light on Day 14 - a great day for visiting Shwedagon Pagoda.

I ended up with very bad bronchitis as well as dysentery, so the trek was cancelled and time spent in Pindaya instead.

Pros and Cons

Pros:People, architecture and culture. Shwedagon, one of the most magical places on earth
Cons:Political situation
In a nutshell:Make your own mind up about going

Last visit to Burma: Nov 2001
Intro Updated Aug 4, 2004
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Reviews (80)

Newspaper cutting from Burma Local Customs (12)

No comment! more travel advice

War Memorial Things to Do (45)

We make a quick stop at the War Memorial where 33,241 Allied soldiers are buried. A very serene but moving place. The... more travel advice

Almost there....... Transportation (10)

We have only probably travelled about 10 miles on the long journey towards the airport to catch this evening's flight,... more travel advice

Kyaikhtiyo Temple Things to Do (45)

We walk barefoot to the rock area without seeing another Westerner. Again there are lots of people having their photos... more travel advice

Hotels (7)
See All What a setting
Nightlife (1)
Cultural Show
Restaurants (3)
See All Unusual architecture

Off The Beaten Path (1)
Irrawaddy Riverside villages
Favorites (1)
My Birthday
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Comments (47)

Jim_Eliason Mar 18, 2012 at 7:02 PM Report Abuse

Nice page grets, i am considering this as a possible next destination.
mad4travel Nov 15, 2010 at 11:01 AM Report Abuse

So here I come to VT for a few Burma tips and guess who has the No 1 slot! Some handy stuff here Grete, thanks!
halikowski Jan 6, 2009 at 1:48 PM Report Abuse

Wonderful, did you get to Shwe Sayan (nr. Mandalay)? Stefan
Maxus Jun 27, 2008 at 3:12 AM Report Abuse

Wonderful, I so want to go
volopolo Dec 31, 2007 at 12:47 PM Report Abuse

Happy new year 2008! Nikos from Greece and Emmy from Thailand.
BorderHopper Sep 30, 2007 at 1:40 PM Report Abuse

As individual travelers I believe we have the right to travel wherever we want. If political correctness dictated what destinations we choose we’d miss out. Most of us here aren’t politicians. Maybe SB is. Great page. Thanks for sharing your travels w/ us
salimbag Aug 24, 2007 at 6:55 AM Report Abuse

And why aren't you willing to discuss the "right or wrong or political correctness of going to Burma?" You obviously know there's a problem and went anyway or you wouldn't have made that statement.
Trekki Mar 6, 2007 at 12:01 AM Report Abuse

What a wonderful trip ! A country I would like to see by myself, but.. well, your last local customs tip is what prevented me so far. Lovely people and wonderful food I see :-) And the dung and lacquer deco made me laugh :-))
AlbuqRay Feb 5, 2007 at 9:09 PM Report Abuse

Grete, thanks for the well-written, informative tips on Myanmar. It is really helpful to have such detail and breadth of coverage.
kopwint Jan 13, 2007 at 6:59 AM Report Abuse

I have to say thank you with deeply Metta(lovely kindness) that you come and went around in our unique peoples land,Hope you will visit again