Two weeks in Myanmar

Myanmar is one of my biggest favorite countries. The borders are open since 2008 for the tourists, the country is still authentic and the locals are open to our coming. The landscapes are varied and beautiful. The only drawback is that Myanmar is the country of the pagoda. There are so many of them that sometimes it is too much. But it is part of the charm of the country.

TIPS

* Moving around : The best way to travel between cities is by bus. There are many of them and they are the cheapest. Night buses also save a night's accommodation and time.

* Money : The currency is the Kyat. There are many ATMs everywhere, so it is very easy to withdraw money.

* Visa : The visa is mandatory to enter Myanmar. You have to do it in advance because it takes time and they may ask for more information before granting it. So take 2 weeks to be wide. You just have to go on the internet, fill the questionnaire and pay. For Belgians, the visa is valid for 90 days after the date of issue and allows you to stay 28 days in the country. It costs about 50$. When we arrived at the airport, the line for immigration is very long, we waited one hour.

* Security : Only the northern part is not recommended for tourists because the situation is not yet stable. Except for this region, we feel totally safe. The locals are adorable and always ready to help. Some locals have never even seen a tourist in their lives, so they are more intimidated than anything else. - Update: Please verify this information due to the current civil war situation.

* Phone : I strongly advise to buy a sim card with 4G on it when you arrive in Myanmar because wifi is rare. Apparently the price is the same if you buy it at the airport or in town. I bought the 6,5G sim card for 6500 Kyat, which is 4€.

ITINERARY

I advise to go to Myanmar for 3 weeks. The country is incredible and there is a lot to visit. Moreover, the trips between each step are very long. We did the main points to see but some travelers also told us about remote villages in the north-west that are a must to visit as well as the beaches on the coast. I would take more time to do these parts. The north of Myanmar is not accessible to tourists because the situation is still unstable and dangerous.

For a question of flights we arrived and left from Yangoon, but it would be more practical to arrive in Yangoon and to leave from Mandalay in order to avoid the journey to Yangoon which is one day/night.

Yangoon – Hpa-An – Kalaw – Lac Inle – Mandalay – Bagan

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YANGOON

Yangoon was for us only a sleep stop after our late arrival at the airport. Unfortunately, we did not visit the city but I advise to stay there for a few days. It's a city that moves a lot, with many different nationalities.

* Accommodation : We stayed at the Backpacker Hostel. The rooms are correct and the beds are comfortable. There is hot water and breakfast is included. From the outside it doesn't look that nice.

* Activities : I have not done all these activities but a local recommended them to me. You can go to Schwedagon pagoda, go to DohEian street which is a street art street, taste the local tea at Rangoon Tea House, see the Sunset at Yangon Yangon bar and eat a smoothie bowl at Green Gallery.

* Bus station : For buses going to Hpa-An, the bus station is "Aung Mingalar Highway Bus Station" and it takes between 1h and 1h30 from Yangoon to get there. It is better to buy tickets in advance via internet.

HPA-AN

* Accommodation : We stayed at the Lil Hpa-An Hostel Boutique. Very nice accommodation. The rooms are spacious and the bed super comfortable. It is necessary to book in advance because the places leave very quickly in all the hostels of the city. The 2nd night we stayed at the Golden Palace. The rooms are correct, with air-co and hot showers. The included breakfast was not great but it was enough.

* Restaurants : Every night, there is a Night Market along the river. It's very nice, the prices are mega cheap and very good. A must try is the fried sweet dough donuts (500 Kyat for a pack of 10). We also tested the Veranda Youth Community Café which is very well rated on TripAdvisor. But I strongly advise against it. The food had no taste. The brownie cake is really not good. The banana cake is ok.

* Activities : You can rent a scooter for about 6000 Kyat per day.

1st day : Visit Kawgun cave (3000K/pers). It is a very beautiful cave with many Buddhas. You can go up to a viewpoint which offers a beautiful view of the area.

Then the cave of Yateak Pyan (free). Before the cave there are a lot of monkeys. The locals are very nice and we were the only tourists there. The cave is beautiful, you have to go to the end to cross it and then you get a beautiful view.

We then headed to the Kayak Ka Lat pagoda (free). It is a temple on a rock whose base is thinner than the top. It is very impressive and beautiful but we cannot go to the top because it is reserved for people who pray.

To follow we visited the Saddan cave (1000K/pers). It is a very big cave, we are a little in the dark but they put lamps a little disco everywhere (they adore the kitsch and the disco there). There are full of bats in the ceiling. You have to cross the whole cave to get to the boats that take you back to the starting point. It's 6000K/boat and you can be at most 4 people. It is really worth it. We cross rice fields, and it is of a calm. Advice: do not leave your shoes at the entrance of the cave. You must make the cave barefoot but take your shoes with.

And to finish we went to the Kaw Ta Taung cave (free). The cave is not beautiful, I did not find it worth the detour. But the road with all the Buddhas is nice and you have to go there very early in the morning to see the offering to the Buddhists.

Day 2: We climbed Mount Zwegabin (the entrance is included in the price of the access to the Lumbini Gardens). It is a 700m climb and it is only steps. It is a very hard climb. We did it in 1h30 with some breaks. At the top there is a temple and the view is magnificent. The climb was worth it. Avoid doing it at noon, you will be in full sun almost all the way up.

To go to Mount Zwegabin you have to pass through the Lumbini gardens (4000K/pers). It is a huge garden with more than 1000 Buddhas inside.

To finish the day, we went to the bat cave. You have to be there for 5:30 pm maximum. At sunset, thousands of bats come out of the cave to go hunting. It's a magical experience to see, one of my best memories.

I didn't do it but there is also the Taung Wine Pagoda which looks beautiful and the view from the top seems incredible

KALAW

Kalaw is the starting point for a 3 day trek to Inle Lake. The area is beautiful but there is not much to do there except the trek.

* Accommodation : We slept at the Lodge Hostel. It is enough for one night. On the other hand it is rather cold at night. The breakfast is included.

* Restaurants : We ate at Sprouting Seeds. It's a social restaurant that hires women and teaches them the business. It is super yummy. We took guacamole, toast with homemade peanut butter, French toast, tofu, omelet etc.. Smoothies and coffees are also very good.

* The trek : This trek is probably the best memory of the trip. We did it with Sam's Family agency. Their organization is great, the guides are very nice. Our big bags are brought directly to our accommodation at Inle Lake. They take care of everything and it's perfect. I can only recommend this company, even if there are many others that are very good too. The 3 days were magical. We walked between 5 and 7 hours a day, crossing different landscapes every day. We slept two nights in local people's houses, there was no electricity or shower, only a buket to rinse your body. The food was excellent, the best meals of the whole stay. And the best for the end, the price is ridiculous, 30€/pers for the 3 days all included.

Advice for the trek : take very warm clothes for the night. During the day it is very hot but once the sun goes down, it is very cool in the mountains. Moreover, there is no heating at the local people, you have blankets but it is not enough. Because there is no electricity, it is impossible to recharge the phones. Personally it was good to be disconnected for 3 days so it was not a problem. I just kept some battery to take pictures. Otherwise get a portable battery with you. And my last piece of advice would be to make the most of the experience. Take the time to be with the locals, don't hesitate to ask if you can stay in the kitchen with them. They are shy and don't speak, or very little, English but these are real moments of sharing that we don't have often.

INLE LAKE

Inle Lake is a beautiful lake with several floating villages surrounded by mountains. I advise to stay there for 3 days.

* Accommodation : We stayed at the Ostello Bello Hostel. It is a chain of hostels in Myanmar. It is very nice, always clean, comfortable. For this one there is a rooftop with a bar and the restaurant. The evenings are very nice. The breakfast is included.

* Restaurants : I highly recommend Le Sin Yaw Restaurant. It is a local food restaurant. It is possible to take an assortment of 8 different small dishes to share. We were 6 and we took two assortments and we ate well enough. It is a good compromise for the vegetarians and not vegetarians because on the 8 dishes, 6 are vegetarian. And the price is more than democratic. We also tested the Dosa King. It is a very good Indian restaurant. The chicken butter masala is a killer.

* Activities : There are many things to do around Inle Lake. The main activity is to take a boat and visit the lake and the small floating villages. To do this, go to the small port where all the boats are and negotiate what you want to see. It will be much cheaper than organising it with your accommodation. We first visited the village where women create silver jewelry, which is the same one where the famous long necked women are. And then another small village with a temple. We asked to see the sunset over the lake. It was beautiful.

You also have the option of doing a wine tasting. I personally didn't do it but my friends did and they loved it. The wines are very good, the price is democratic and the view is beautiful, especially at sunset.

You can also rent bikes and ride around the city and the surroundings because the landscapes are sublime.

MANDALAY

The city of Mandalay itself is not incredible, it is very noisy and polluted. But there are still very beautiful things to see, especially around the city. I advise to stay there for 2 days.

* Accommodation : We stayed once again in the hostel Ostello Bello. It is very well located.

* Restaurants : We tested the Mangalabar which was very good, the Ginki which has a very nice terrace in the evening. The City Hot Pot & Bbq is a nice concept of soups that we create ourselves. We choose the base and then we add whatever we want in it. There is everything, meat, fish, vegetables, noodles, fresh herbs. It is very good and nice concept. There is also the Chinese Night Market which seems very nice to eat there in the evening but I did not have the opportunity to go there.

* Activities : There are not many things to visit in the heart of the city. As everywhere in Myanmar, they are mainly pagodas. To visit all the pagodas and main points of the city, you can buy a ticket at 10000K/pers which allows you to visit almost everything. There is notably the Royal Palace, the Mandalay hill with the Su Taung Pyae pagoda (1000K/pers) which offers a 360 degrees view on the whole city. You can get there by foot (1700 steps) or by car. In addition to this there are also many pagodas.

Around Mandalay, you can visit the ancient royal capitals. There are 4 of them: Mingun, Sagaing, Inwa and Amarapura. We visited 3 of them by taking a driver because we were 5. But you can also visit them by scooter. The first stop was Amarapura which is a monastery with 1200 Buddhists. It is necessary to go there for 10:15 am to see the offering, but it is very crowded. The best is to visit the monastery with a monk who explains everything. The visit ends with a donation of 20000K. To go to Inwa you can take a boat trip which is faster than by road. I did not like this spot at all. Hardly arrived, we are invaded by the locals who want to make us visit in carriage. The horses are in very (very) bad state, mistreated, badly fed, in short it is very sad. It is quite possible to visit everything on foot, yes that will put more time but we are here to discover and the ballade is very nice. To see there, the tower of the clock and several pagodas. And finally Sagaing which is in fact a monastery but around it you see hundreds of pagodas along the hills. I admit that pagodas are a bit boring at the end so this spot was not incredible but the view is beautiful.

You can't go to Mandalay without going to see the sunset at the U-Bein bridge which is 1.2km long. It is very crowded, but just walk across the bridge and it will be less crowded. The view is magnificent.

And finally, we went to the Dee Doke waterfall which was beautiful. It's a long way from Mandalay so it's better to go by car, because it would take too much time by scooter. In the morning there is absolutely nobody at the waterfall. There is a way to go to the top by climbing a little and each time there are basins by stages.

BAGAN

I loved this city. It is calm, beautiful and has a mystical side. I advise to stay there 3-4 days.

* Accommodation : Not to change, the Ostello Bello which is a sure value but there is also the Baobabed Hostel which is very nice and which has a rooftop with swimming pool.

* Restaurants : We didn't eat very well in Bagan in general. However, we ate at The Moon which is a very good and nice vegetarian restaurant, even for just a drink.

* Activities : On the spot, tourists cannot rent classic scooters, so you will have to rent electric scooters. It is necessary to pay attention to the battery, of experiment they do not have a great autonomy.

Walk around Bagan, between the pagodas. It's absolutely magical. On the Maps.mee application you can see some points of pagodas which are accessible only with a key that you can ask to a guard who usually lives next door. It's very nice and the guard gives explanations about the religion and the pagoda. At sunset you can go to abandoned pagodas to observe it from an unusual place and without tourists. We met a young local who showed us the pagoda in exchange for a painting he made himself. But if you want to know where it is, don't hesitate to send me a message, I have it registered in Maps.mee.

Bagan is very famous for a hot air balloon ride. The price is quite democratic for this activity, 90€.