Cambodia
Travel Guide

Myanmar (Burma) is a fascinating country filled with friendly people. Discover colonial Yangon, capture the temples of Bagan, relax and explore lake Inle by private boat.

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Why you'll love Cambodia

We've been exploring and building a team throughout Myanmar for years, from Myanmar's remote mountain villages to the colonial quarter of Yangon. Our team's knowledge and relationship with the government archeological department mean we can literally open doors for photographers to beautiful temples, temples tourists don't reach.

  • Burmese are genuinely friendly, honest,  with smiles that can melt even the most jet-lagged traveler.
  • Myanmar is refreshingly unspoiled, it's culture and archeological sights are relatively untouched by the outside world.
  • Breathtaking historical sights, such as 3000 ancient temples and stupas jetting out of Bagan's trees and scrub at sunset.
  • Watching life on Lake Inle, from leg-propelled fishermen, a floating farm, and local life in the villages on stilts.
  • Fascinating roads-less-traveled to the tattoo hill tribes, it's like stepping back in time.
  • Buddhism is an integral part of everyday life, not just for the Monks, Nuns, and Novices, you'll see everywhere.

How to Plan a Trip to Cambodia

Myanmar offers travelers some amazing experiences, such as ballooning. No matter if you're in the basket or on the ground, watching the hot air balloons drifting over miles of ancient Bagan temples at dawn has become the top things to do in Myanmar, not to mention it's now an iconic image of Burma. It's a fantastic experience, and just breathtaking to watch.

There are interesting hikes through tribal areas around the colonial hill station of Kalaw or in the tattoo tribal areas around Mount Victoria. Watching the sun go down at U-Bein Bridge, silhouetted against the evening sky by boat is a highlight of Mandalay. While cruise lovers might enjoy the unique journey along the Irrawaddy River between Bagan and Mandalay.

Top Things to Do in Cambodia

Touch Ancient Temples

Traveler in Myanmar Temples of Bagan

Explore the temple-strewn landscapes of Bagan, exploring over 3000 unspoiled temples and stupas.

Capture Amazing Shots

Monks In Light Rays in an Ancient Temple, Bagan Myanmar

Join our mini-group photography tours of Myanmar, or design a private photo tour with our team.

Fly Over Bagan

Balloon Flight Experience Over Bagan in Myanmar

Take a sunrise balloon flight over the temples of Bagan for an amazing perspective of this ancient wonder.

Relax at Sunset

Mandalay U-Bein Bridge Sunrise Boats

Relax in a boat at sunset, watching the locals crossing U Bein Bridge, while other locals fish in the lake.

Cruise the Irrawaddy

Cruise Boat on the Irrawaddy from Mandalay to Bagan in Myanmar

Slow down with a relaxing cruise down the  Irrawaddy River, from Mandalay to Bagan, or vice versa.

Meet Remote Tribes

Hiking Myanmar's Remote Hill Tribes

Hike roads-less-traveled through tribal mountain villages, meet tribes with a friendly infectious spirit.

Finally, do not skip Inle, at 1000m Inle's cooler climate is a welcome break from the heat, so sit back and relax as our guide and boat team take you between villages, leg-propelled fishing areas, temples and restaurants on stilts, all by the comfort of our deluxe teak powerboats.

Where's Cambodia

Myanmar borders China to its north, India and Bangladesh to its west and Thailand and Laos to its east.

  • Time Zone: UTC +7
  • Population: 60 million
  • Capital: Naypyidaw, but the old capital Yangon (formerly called Rangoon) is the largest city in Myanmar.
Myanmar Travel Map

How to Get Here

Fly to Yangon
The popular arrival airport is Yangon (Rangoon). 80% of guests fly into Yangon, airport code RGN.  There are few direct flights and you will need to connect through a hub like Bangkok, Thailand or Singapore, or Hong Kong.

USAUKCHINAHKTHAILANDAUS.
22 hrs15 hrs8 hrs3 hrs2 hrs12 hrs

Fly to Mandalay
If you're linking a trip to Yunnan, China, flying into Mandalay could work well, but there are some downsides to flying in here >  Should I fly into Yangon or Mandalay?

Best Time to Visit Cambodia

You may be wondering when is the best time to visit Myanmar, the short answer is anytime from Nov to April, but the months of Dec to Feb are the absolute sweet spot. However, anytime can be amazing. Our team training was in September and we had a great time. So don't feel too restricted!

Read the 'Your burning questions' next for advice on seasons, such as the wet, dry, as well as high and low tourism times. our in-depth month by month guide on the Best Time to Visit Myanmar.

Your Burning Questions

We recommend you spend at least 10-12 days in Myanmar, so you can visit the former royal capital Mandalay, enjoy the cooler area of Inle Lake by boat at 1000 meters, fly in a balloon over ancient ruins of Bagan at sunrise, and finish in the cultural hub and formal colonial streets of and largest city Yangon. You can read more on the recommend time required to visit Myanmar here: How Long do you need to Visit Myanmar?

Myanmar Weather

Myanmar (Burma) is a tropical monsoon climate in South East Asia. You could divide its weather into these four key seasons:

Dry Season: October to May
Wet Season: June and October
Hot Season:  March to June (40°C +)
Cool Season: Nov to Feb

Tourism Seasons

High Season: Nov to Feb

The high season starts in November and ends in late February, and accommodation is often in short supply.

This is high-season because of the relatively cool weather and little rain. So 
the land is dry and dusty, and the fields are therefore not as green as Summer.

Low Season: March to October

Visiting Myanmar outside the high season is also well worth considering. There are fewer tourists, more availability of accommodation, not to mention better rates. Rain is typically not for the whole day.

Read our detailed guide to each month's festivals and the weather here >

US, UK, Canada, Australia, and most other western countries need a Myanmar visa. The good news, it's easy, and most countries citizens can apply for an eVisa on the official government website for $50 USD. Here's a useful guide on how to get a Myanmar Visa.

Flying to Yangon or Mandalay is the best way to get to Myanmar.

You'll first need to fly into an Asian hub and transit. Popular transit airports are Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, even Cambodia (Phnom Penh, Siem Reap) or Vietnam (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City).  All of these cities have flight connections to Yangon.

Bangkok is the most popular hub; it has over 20 flights per day. The flight time is under 2 hours. This is ideal if your flight was delayed or you missed a connection, as you're never too far away from the next departure.

So you could also plan a night or two in Bangkok or Hong Kong on your arrival or departure.

Read more advice on where to start your Myanmar trip and how to get to Myanmar

Take a flight.

Domestic Flights

Myanmar domestic flight schedules can change with little to no notice. If traveling with our team, our office and your guide will be monitoring and confirming your flight the day before your departure. You can just relax and enjoy the trip.

Intercity Buses

Buses are old and overcrowded. It can easily take 8-10 hours to get between key cities like Bagan and Yangon. We don't recommend the bus, especially if time is short.

 

Visiting Myanmar is safe?

Yes. The UK Foreign Office site is an excellent resource for travel advice. It last updated in September 2018, and advises us the majority of the country is safe, except risks in Rakhine state where it reports instances of burning and looting of property.  “political tension and unrest could happen at short notice” in that region, so it advises against all but essential travel in much of that region. Again we are talking about the Rakhine state and Shan and Kachin states to the northeast, which is very far from where we visit and all reports are the situation is now much calmer.

There's a great choice of hotels, resorts and boutiques in Myanmar. Read our guide on...

Read about our recommended hotels in Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay, and Inle.

Tipping is not required but it's a nice gesture, especially with service staff such as taxi drivers, hotel staff, restaurants if the staff were particularly attentive, tour guides and drivers. Read our guide to tipping in Myanmar.

Top Destinations in Cambodia

Start Planning Your Trip to Cambodia

Contact an expert in Cambodia that will support you 1-1 from the initial chat, itinerary design, and even on the trip.

Yangon

Bagan

Inle

Mandalay

Top 4 Places to Visit

Yangon

Shwedagon Pagoda, the colonial quarter, and the Yangon circular train ride.

Bagan

Amazing landscape with 3000 ancient temples amount the trees and shrubs.

Inle

Life on the lake, featuring temples, floating farms, stilted houses & fishermen.

Mandalay

Wooden monastery, a palace with a moat, U-Bein Bridge on the Irrawaddy.

What's possible in a week?

If time's short, or you're combining a Myanmar trip with another Asia tour, you might be looking to hit the best of Myanmar inside a week. Good news is you could cover two of the most photogenic places within 5 days.

However, we recommend spending 10-12 days. Read more on how long you need to visit Myanmar.

Roads Less Traveled

Chin State

Mrauk U

Ngpali

Kyaing Tong

Map of Cambodia

Suggested Itineraries

Our recommended Myanmar itineraries are designed to inspire you, to show you what's possible, and give you a head start in planning your own unique trip to Myanmar with us. Here are some recommended Myanmar itineraries, routes, and tips to consider.

 

Featured

Highlights

14 Days

  • Yangon
  • Bagan
  • Mandalay
  • Inle
  • Yangon
Featured

Classic

14 Days

  • Yangon
  • Bagan
  • Irawadii Cruise
  • Mandalay
  • Inle
  • Beach
  • Yangon
Extended Journey

Indepth

14 Days

  • Yangon
  • Bagan
  • Irawadii Cruise
  • Mandalay
  • Inle
  • Beach
  • Yangon
Walking

Tribal Hikes

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Photography

Photo Tours

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Short on Time

In a Nutshell

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Photos

Start Planning Your Trip to Myanmar

Contact an expert in Myanmar that will support you 1-1 from the initial chat, itinerary design, and even on the trip.

Photo Tours & Adventures

FOR THE WELL-TRAVELED

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