The Ultimate Itinerary For Travelling Myanmar (Burma)

Myanmar is an off-the-beaten-track backpacking destination and unconventional choice for tourists so it’s essential you get your itinerary right. This calls for some planning, which to the most discerning of backpackers is a bit of a no-go for fears that organising your route detracts from spontaneity. But Myanmar is new to the tourist trail and isn’t teeming with tourists smeared with UV paint, stumbling from destination to destination with consummate ease. Myanmar is an adventure and things are a bit trickier there. This is the beauty of the country as an off-the-beaten-track destination, so get planning!

Although backpacking across Asia is synonymous with hairy journeys in cramped night-buses over borders, the only way into Myanmar is to fly. This gives you an absolute start-date to work with and plan your trip from there. Flights from Bangkok to Yangon – the sprawling, haphazard city that dominates the south – are relatively cheap if you book in advance.

Yangon

Route wise, flying into Yangon from Bangkok and out from Mandalay in the north is a common choice. Yangon is a chaotic urban city and can be quite intimidating as your first stop in such an underdeveloped country, but it won’t phase the more seasoned backpackers. One of the first things to do is to walk up the main boulevard in the city centre – a buzzing thoroughfare alive with markets selling bizarre, alien foods and an experience for all the senses. Yangon’s main market once had the British name ‘Scott Market’, but this has been renamed in the aftermath of Myanmar’s independence and named after the ‘father of the nation’ of modern day Myanmar. Aung San is a great place to get some obligatory elephant pants and practice some hard-core bargaining skills that will fare you well as you travel around this side of the world. Be sure to visit the Shwedagon temple which is one for the bucket list in Yangon. A visit to this ancient complex is the perfect thing to do at the beginning of the trip, giving visitors a real insight into Myanmar’s culture and the country’s devotion to Buddhism.

Yangon is a big melting pot of races from bordering countries, which is reflected in the food so make sure you stop off at Yangon’s very own China Town. Whilst Myanmar is not known for its alcohol consumption you’ll find bars catering for tourists serving mojitos for extremely cheap prices.

Kalaw

Head further north to Kalaw where you can trek to Inle Lake. In Kalaw, all the guest houses can hook you up with tour operators and guides who take you through the mountains, past villages home to indigenous tribes, through ancient markets and stopping off at view points and ancient golden pagodas before finishing in Inle Lake.

Inle Lake

This spot is truly special. Lush green hills roll down to a vast serene lake that is the focal point of this destination. Visitors spend days cycling idly around the lake and exploring the surrounding shimmering pagodas that are illuminated against a backdrop of verdant green. Discover the fascinating community who reside on the lake and take a boat to the floating markets. When I visited we took a trip to a Burmese cigar factory – one of Myanmar’s more lucrative commodities – and spontaneously got invited to a wedding. The people in Inle Lake are incredibly hospitable and excited to be welcoming you to their country. It’s not uncommon to be guest of honour at a birthday party or invited to join for dinner in a pagoda by practising monks.

Inle Lake is also home to Myanmar’s only winery – you can find alcohol if you’re looking, although like its cuisine, Myanmar isn’t known for its alcohol-producing talents. There are a number of charmingly quaint cafes in Inle Lake that cater for tourists in family houses. Eden Café is a great little spot which does a tasty aubergine curry and tomato salads – two dishes that are everywhere in Myanmar as their main ingredients are grown in abundance.

Bagan

Heading north from Inle Lake you reach Bagan – the ancient city with thousands of glittering pagodas peppering the horizon. This is the landscape you see when you type ‘Myanmar’ into Google. Note that you have to pay to enter the old town because it’s a major tourist spot in Myanmar but it’s not something to compromise on, even if the travelling lifestyle has left you penniless.

We arrived by night bus at 4am, got to our hotel and were advised not to immediately head to our beds but to hire bikes and cycle to a pagoda to watch the sunrise. This was, of course, against our natural desires and the night bus had left us exhausted, but the cycle against the increasingly brightening sky was exhilarating and energised us despite our lack of sleep.

The done things in Bagan is to hire bikes and spend the day cycling Bagan’s dust tracks and exploring the pagodas yourself. It’s still relatively un-spoilt and not policed so you can climb the pagodas and really get hands on with them. You can also hire guides but exploring the site yourself is far more rewarding and a personal experience. Throughout the day, you are bound to come across locals who are keen to recall the history of the site. We went back to our sunrise pagoda for sunset and saw a different landscape come to life with shadows framed by the intricate carvings of the pagodas.

General Tips

• Safety-wise, Myanmar’s lack of tourists means that the relationship between locals and tourists is fresh and positive. Obviously keep your wits about you but this is a standard rule across the continent.
• Alcohol does exist but it’s just small bars that are purely serving it for the sake of tourists.
• Bear in mind that the country has only recently opened up to tourism so backpackers get a lot of attention. Make sure you cover your shoulders and legs.
• It’s common to go vegetarian in Myanmar as hygiene is not considered of paramount importance at the local markets where meat is traded.
• With regards to money, we were told they used crisp, clean dollars but actually the country is making a concerted effort to introduce and circulate the local currency – Kyats – in hope that it will improve their economy.
• The transport system in Myanmar is very good and well-organised as authorities clearly see the financial potential of tourism. They have night buses which are easily organised at hotels and hostels. One company called JJ Express was particularly good. The journey was made comfortable with food, water bottles, individual televisions showing films in English, blankets. They even had an air hostess equivalent who was walking up and down the aisle making sure you were ok.

Overall, Myanmar is just a totally different backpacking experience and one that will leave you enamoured by this fascinating country and reluctant to return to the tourist scene of Asia’s other countries.

By Oonagh Turner