A guide to plan your Myanmar trip, Cambodia Travel

A guide to plan your Myanmar trip

Myanmar (also known as Burma) continues to open up to the outside world, more travellers are curious of this amazing country. Myanmar is in its rapid transition and it can be hard in finding the latest information on what to expect when you visit. Indochina tours Myanmar

Before you go

Visas

It is now avaiable for people of 100 countries to apply online for a tourist e-visa via Myanmar’s Ministry of Immigration and Population website (evisa.moip.gov.mm). It is only avaiable to enter Myanmar on an e-visa at Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw international airports; and at three Thai-Myanmar border crossings Tachileik, Myawadi (Myawaddy) and Kawthoung (Kawthaung). Check the immigration website for the latest information at the time you travel.

Apply visa online is an convenient way for tourists- source: internet

Accommodation

The enormous increase in visitors since sanctions were lifted in 2012 has stretched Myanmar’s tourist infrastructure to the limit. There is a shortage of hotel or motel rooms in famous destinations such as Yangon and Bagan, though many new hotels are being built up. Yangon’s accommodation fills up as far as a month in advance, particularly if it is a place listed in a guidebook. It is not impossible to roll up and find a room, but it can be difficult and stressful and you will likely end up paying more than you want. You can book most places online now, so it’s worth reserving your room as soon as you can. It is necessary to book ahead during peak season (November to March). Myanmar tours packages

Money

Banks and ATMs

In the last few years, ATMs have started appearing throughout Myanmar, it means that travellers no longer have to carry hundreds of US dollars in cash with them. You can find ATMs in remote or mountainous destinations like Hsipaw and Mrauk U. KBZ and CB Bank have the most reliable ATMs – they accept both Visa and Mastercard, and charge a fee of 5000 kyat (around 4$) per transaction. It’s also possible to receive international cash transfers by Western Union.

Costs

Myanmar is no longer as cheap as it once was, so make sure you adjust your budget. In particular, prices for normal accommodation have risen dramatically. In tourist hotspots like Bagan, you must pay 35 to 40$ US for a dingy, no-frills room.

Cash and Currency

Myanmar has been encouraging both locals and visitors to use the local currency – kyat – rather than US dollars, which was the preferred currency from 2012. As of the last period of November 2015, only banks and official moneychangers are able to change dollars, although how rigidly that will be enforced remains to be seen.

Kyat( Myanmar currency) is preffered to use – source: internet

Though it is now having the presence of ATMs, you still should bring some US dollars with you, preferably in smaller notes, as they can be useful if you can access to an ATM. Make sure your US bills are clean, immaculate and printed no earlier than 2006, or you may not be able to exchange them. It’s convenient to change Thai baht in Yangon and Mandalay.

Credit cards

Credit cards are accepted mostly only in top-end hotels. Some small hotels in Mandalay and Yangon also take them, usually charging a small fee, for purchasing flights.

Getting around

Unless you fly, all travel in Myanmar takes time (it’s a nine-hour bus trip from Yangon to Mandalay, for example). Buses are almost faster than the trains, but bus rides are bumpy – you might consider taking tablets for motion sickness. Boats are also an choice for some routes; the Mandalay–Bagan service is popular among travellers.

Yangon International Airport is the main center for domestic flights, and there are a large number of services linking the main centres of the country. Local airlines include Myanmar National Airlines (flymna.com) and Air Bagan (airbagan.com). Note that it is easier and cheaper to book domestic flights via agencies once you are in Myanmar.

Yangon- The major international airport in Myanmar – source: internet

There are no international car-rental companies, but most travel companies in Mandalay, Yangon and Bagan – as well as guesthouses and hotels elsewhere – can serve drivers and cars.

Etiquette tips

Many people wear traditional dress – the htamein for women, the longyi for men, both sarong-like garments. You rarely see anyone expose their knees or shoulders, and you will make everyone more comfortable if you follow suit.