Myanmar is still a white spot on the travel map of Russian tourists. But in vain. In terms of saturation with cultural attractions and natural beauties, this country is not much inferior to its neighbor Thailand. As for the level of service, the former Burma has already said goodbye to its gloomy military past and is turning into a tourist paradise. Of course, not as fast as Vietnam, but every year the number of people wishing to visit Myanmar is growing steadily. What is worth seeing in this country? Just a list of attractions will take several pages. Ecotourists are attracted here by nature untouched by civilization, lovers of Asian culture will be delighted with ancient Bagan and the beautiful Shwedagon Pagoda, and ordinary beachgoers, no worse than in Thailand, will be able to relax in the first-class resorts of Ngwe Saung and Ngapali. Read more about the sights of Myanmar below.
Howgetting there – practical tips
Organized tours to Myanmar are still exotic for Russians. Therefore, many tourists try to get to the country on their own. There are no direct flights from Moscow to either the current capital of Naypyidaw or the former, Yangon. Most travelers fly with transfers in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. From the capital of Thailand to Yangon, six to seven flights depart every day. The same busy communication with Myanmar and Malaysia. But from India or China to Yangon two or three flights a week follow. Vietnam Airlines recently launched a new route from Hanoi to the old capital of Myanmar. To visit this mysterious country of Southeast Asia, Russians require a visa. In addition, Myanmar has very strange customs rules. For example, mobile phones, even personal ones, cannot be imported into the country. You will have to leave your cell phone in the luggage room at the airport. And it is strictly forbidden to export products and souvenirs depicting the Buddha from the country. Tourists are also not advised to buy jewelry, although they are cheap and of decent quality in Myanmar. They may be taken away during customs control.
Tours to Myanmar
Russian operators are slowly mastering this interesting direction. At this time, customers are offered sightseeing, combined with a beach holiday and New Year's tours. Usually a trip to Myanmar lasts two weeks. But you can extend the rest up to three. The cost of an excursion package for a week of stay costs about two thousand dollars. For this money, tourists travel aroundcountry, stopping for a few days in each interesting town. A beach holiday in Myanmar with several excursions will cost two and a half thousand dollars. Resorts on the shores of the Indian Ocean Ngwe Saung and Ngapali have emerged recently and meet all international standards. Combined tours with a river cruise are very popular. You can book a trip from Bagan to Mandalay (four days) or from Yangon to the enchanting beauty of Inle Lake (trip takes ten days).
Country climate: when to go
Myanmar on the map is located between the tropical and subequatorial belts. This means that the weather in Myanmar is determined by the monsoons. These winds divide the country's climate into three seasons. For Europeans, it is best to visit Myanmar in November and the winter months. Then the weather is very comfortable on the coast and most of the country. The air temperature fluctuates between +21-26 degrees in the shade. But in the interior of the country, dust storms occur during this period. November-February is the "high season" in Myanmar. In order to save at least a little, and to avoid the crush on the beaches and in sightseeing places, reviews advise you to come to the country in the spring. True, this season is too hot. Closer to May, the daily temperature does not drop below +32 degrees in the shade. And when one should not go to the country at all, it is in the summer and in the first half of autumn. If in Thailand or Vietnam there are areas where the "rainy season" is not bright, blurred, then in Myanmar there are no such places. It pours like a bucket from June to October.
Where to stay
A new industry that does not yet play a significant role in the economy of Myanmar is tourism. Hoteliers don't categorize hotels the way they do all over the world and hang as many stars on the facade as they please. Therefore, the reviews are advised to carefully study the services and equipment of the rooms, so as not to get into a mess. This does not mean that there are no good hotels in Myanmar. It’s just that a “five” can turn out to be a hostel, and a hotel without a single star can be a great place to relax. Reviews are advised to carry the currency in cash. And don't change more than a hundred dollars or euros at a time.
Yangon
Myanmar, whose sights are very diverse, strikes the imagination of a European with its all-pervading religiosity. Temples, pagodas, monasteries rise at every step. Bagan is especially rich in this sense. This ancient city contains four thousand Buddhist temples! And in Mandalay - another tourist center - there are seven hundred pagodas. But Yangon fully justifies its title of the cultural capital of Myanmar. In this city there is a golden - in the truest sense of the word - Shwedagon Pagoda. It rises in the temple complex of the same name. According to legend, eight hairs of the Buddha are kept inside the 98-meter pagoda. The shrine is covered with sixty tons of the purest gold leaf, adorned with precious diamonds and bells. Reviews advise spending five dollars to enter the temple complex to admire this splendor. You can make your personal contribution to the decoration of the pagoda by buying the thinnest gold plate from the kiosk andsticking it on the wall of the pagoda. In addition to Shwedagon, tourists are advised to go on a pilgrimage to the monastery on the Popa volcano. They say there are mythical nagas there.
Mandalay (Myanmar)
Interesting places of this second (after Yangon) city of the country are so numerous that we will limit ourselves to a general list. Mandalay is the last capital city of kings, and therefore it was decorated especially richly and on a grand scale. All seven hundred pagodas, one more beautiful than the other, are unlikely to be visited in a week. Where are the reviews advised to go, what is the "mast si" in the city of Mandalay (Myanmar)? Mandatory to visit are the Mahagandayon Monastery and the royal palace of Amarapura, a temple with a unique statue of Mahamuni Buddha and the "Book in Stone" of 729 marble slabs - the largest in the world. Not far from this Kuthodav Paya are the Sadamuni Pagoda and the magnificent Shwenandow Monastery. Pilgrims should climb the 1730 steps of the Maidalai Hill to see sacred relics - the bones of the Enlightened One, Gautama Buddha. And to improve your he alth, go to the Maha Muni Pagoda. The golden Buddha statue is surrounded by six bronze sculptures of warriors, lions and an elephant. Touching them is said to have a therapeutic effect.
Mingun and Bagan
Myanmar, whose sights reach the age of more than two thousand years, has an ancient capital. It is definitely worth visiting. This is the city of Bagan. It houses so many stupas, temples and pagodas that it has become something of a Buddhist Mecca. In addition, an amazingpadaung people. The local canon of beauty dictates that women have very long necks. To make girls attractive, mothers attach brass rings or spirals to them. For a small fee, these beauties will gladly pose for you for a photo. Mingun is located eleven kilometers from Mandalay if you move up the Ayeyarwaddy. This city is famous for its Pondavaya stupa and pagoda. Tourists are also attracted by the Mingun bell, the largest in the world. It weighs ninety tons. And at the same time, the bell functions, that is, it rings.
Ecotourism
This direction is only being developed in Myanmar. The sights of nature here are so amazing that numerous ecotourists often go to this country of Southeast Asia. What is only Inle Lake worth! It is located in a depression between the emerald mountains. Resting in one of the villages on the lake, it seems that you live in the time of the Buddha, long before modern civilization. Here, not only women, but also men wear loggia skirts. This is a long piece of light material, tied at the hips with a fancy knot. Numerous monasteries of Buddhist monks rise among the rice plantations on the hilltops.
Sea resorts
Beaches are what attracts a wide range of tourists to Myanmar. Attractions Ngapali is the purest strip of fine-grained white sand. The entire front page of this resort is equipped with magnificent hotels that meet the requirements of "five stars". But there is alsohotels are more modest. The highlight of this resort is that it is not at the mercy of rich foreigners. Fishing boats moor on the beach and the local people, as if nothing had happened, begin to sort out their catch. But the restaurants here serve the freshest seafood, and in the shops you can buy beautiful large pearls. The beaches of Ngwe Saung and Kantai will appeal to lovers of solitude. Be sure - reviews insist - you need to swim in the waves of the gentle Indian Ocean after sunset. Because of the plankton, the water is ignited by billions of small sparks. An unforgettable sight!
