A Whirlwind Tour Of Myanmar

Sometimes it’s easy to get preoccupied by trying to get ‘off-the-beaten-track’ and visit places no-one else has been before. But Myanmar is one country where you don’t have to stray too far from the path to find an unforgettable experience. A recent whirlwind trip around the big 3 destinations – Mandalay, Bagan and Yangon – served to prove that Burma has a lot to offer even the most seasoned traveller.

While the city itself may not hold much charm, Mandalay has a wealth of sights worth sticking around for. One highlight is the Kuthodaw Pagoda, the world’s largest ‘book’, each page of the Buddhist scriptures housed in a separate white pagoda, stretching out in endless rows around the central golden pagoda. Further out of the city lies Amarapura, former royal capital of Burma, and home to the U-Bein Bridge, a favourite of photographers. While it can get busy and the tourist buses and inevitable hawkers that follow have started to close in, the bridge is still a marvel, and if you can take the time to make it past the first, and busiest, section, then further along the bridge the crowds empty out and you can explore in peace.

Bagan needs no introduction, and from sunrise, complete with hot-air balloons dotted across the sky, to sunset it is nothing short of breath-taking. Visit the main sights, such as the Ananda Temple and the Golden Monastery, but it is equally worthwhile to take some time to just wander or cycle around. Visit some of the temples with no names and try and get to grips with the sheer scale of it all.

This brings us to Yangon, Burma’s former capital city, and home to the mighty Shwedagon Pagoda. As you wander around, marvelling at the 100-metre high structure covered in gold leaf, you may still find the tourists are outnumbered by the local people and monks who come here to worship. The rest of Yangon is a maze of crumbling colonial buildings and busy streets. You could spend days exploring, stopping to sample the local tea-shops, or taking a trip on the circle line train and really get under the skin of this mesmerising city.

We have a range of tours that cover the whole range of what Burma has to offer, from the pristine beaches of the west, to the rugged scenery of the north and the minority villages around Inle Lake. Get in touch to speak to one of our team and start planning your trip to this endlessly fascinating country.