Myanmar still remains a blank spot on the travel map of Russian tourists. But in vain. In terms of richness in 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 paramilitary past and is turning into a tourist paradise. Of course, not as fast as Vietnam, but every year the number of people who want to visit Myanmar is steadily growing. And what is worth seeing in this country? A list of attractions alone will take several pages. Ecotourists are attracted by nature untouched by civilization, lovers of Asian culture will be delighted by the ancient Bagan and the beautiful Shwedagon Pagoda, and simple beach people, no worse than in Thailand, will be able to relax in the first-class resorts Ngwe Saung and Ngapali. Read more about the attractions of Myanmar below.
How to get 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 either to the current capital of Naypyidaw or to the former, Yangon. Most travelers fly with transfers in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. Six to seven flights leave from the capital of Thailand to Yangon every day. The same lively traffic with Myanmar and with Malaysia. But from India or China to Yangon two or three flights a week follow. Recently, Vietnam Airlines launched a new route from Hanoi to the old capital of Myanmar. To visit this mysterious country of Southeast Asia, Russians need a visa. Myanmar also has very strange customs rules. For example, you cannot import mobile phones, even personal ones, into the country. Cell will have to be left in a locker at the airport. And to export from the country is strictly prohibited products and souvenirs that depict the Buddha. Tourists are also not advised to buy jewelry, although they are cheap and of decent quality in Myanmar. At customs control, they can be selected.
Tours in 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 to three. The cost of an excursion package for a week of stay costs about two thousand dollars. For this money, tourists travel around the country, 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 Indian Ocean Ngwe Saung and Ngapali have arisen 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 Lake Inle, enchanting with its beauty (the trip there and back will take ten days).
Climate of the country: when to go
Myanmar on the map is located between the tropical and subequatorial zones. This means that the weather in Myanmar is determined by monsoons. These winds divide the country's climate into three seasons. For Europeans, it is better to visit Myanmar in November and the winter months. Then, very comfortable weather is established on the coast and most of the country. The air temperature ranges from + 21-26 degrees in the shade. But in the interior of the country during this period, dust storms occur . November-February is the "high season" in Myanmar. In order to save at least a little, and to avoid a crush on the beaches and in sightseeing places, reviews are advised to come to the country in the spring. True, this season is too hot. Closer to May, the daytime temperature does not drop beyond +32 degrees in the shade. And when you 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 manifested softly, blurry, then in Myanmar there are no such places. It pours from a bucket from June to October.
Where to settle
A new industry that does not yet play a significant role in the economy of Myanmar is tourism. Hoteliers do not adhere to the classification of hotels as they do around the world, and hang as many stars on the facade as they please. Therefore, reviews are advised to carefully study the services and equipment of rooms, so as not to get into trouble. This does not mean that there are no good hotels in Myanmar. Just 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 do not change more than a hundred dollars or euros at a time.
Yangon
Myanmar, the sights of which are very diverse, amazes the imagination of a European with its all-pervasive religiosity. Temples, pagodas, monasteries rise at every step. Bagan is especially rich in this sense. This ancient city holds four thousand Buddhist temples! And in Mandalay - another tourist center - there are seven hundred pagodas. But Yangon fully justifies its title as the cultural capital of Myanmar. In this city is located the golden - in the literal sense of the word - Shwedagon Pagoda. It rises in the temple complex of the same name. According to legend, eight hairs of Buddha are stored inside a 98-meter pagoda. The shrine is covered with sixty tons of pure gold leaf, decorated with precious diamonds and bells. Reviews are advised to spend five dollars to enter the temple complex to enjoy this splendor. You can make your personal contribution to decorating the pagoda by buying the thinnest gold plate at the kiosk and sticking it on the wall of the pagoda. In addition to the Shvedagon, tourists are advised to go on a pilgrimage to a monastery on the Pope volcano. They say mythical naga are found 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 the 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 do you recommend that reviews go, what is a “mast si” in Mandalay (Myanmar)? Must visit are the Mahagandion Monastery and the Royal Palace of Amarapur, a temple with a unique statue of Buddha Mahamuni and the “Book in Stone” of 729 marble slabs - the largest in the world. Not far from this Kutodav Paya are the Sadamuni Pagoda and the magnificent Schwenandou Monastery. Pilgrims should climb the 1730 steps of Maidalai Hill to see the sacred relics - the bones of the Enlightened, Gautama Buddha. And to improve your health, go to the pagoda of Maha Muni. The golden Buddha statue is surrounded by six bronze sculptures of warriors, lions and an elephant. Touching them, they say, has a therapeutic effect.
Mingun and Bagan
Myanmar, whose sights reach the age of more than two thousand years, also has an ancient capital. It is definitely worth a visit. This is the city of Bagan. He keeps so many stupas, temples and pagodas that he became something like a Buddhist Mecca. In addition, the amazing Padaung people live here. The local canon of beauty requires women to have a very long neck. To make girls attractive, mothers cling brass rings or spirals to them. For a small fee, such beauties will be happy to pose for a photo. Mingun is located eleven kilometers from Mandalay if you move upstream the Irrawaddy. This city is famous for its stupa and pond Pondawaya. Tourists are also attracted by the Mingun bell - the largest in the world. It weighs ninety tons. And while the bell is functioning, that is, it rings.
Ecotourism
This area is only being developed in the state of Myanmar. The sights of nature here are so amazing that numerous ecotourists often travel 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 Buddha, long before modern civilization. Here, not only women, but also men wear loggia skirts. This is a long piece of light matter, tied at the hips with a fancy knot. Among the rice plantations on the tops of the hills, numerous monasteries of Buddhist monks rise.
Sea resorts
Beaches are what attract a wide range of Myanmar tourists. Sights of Ngapali - this is the cleanest strip of fine-grained white sand. The entire front page of this resort is equipped with magnificent hotels that satisfy the requirements of the "five stars". But there are more modest hotels. The highlight of this resort is that it is not at the mercy of wealthy foreigners. Fishing boats approach the beach and the local people, as if nothing had happened, begins 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 privacy. Necessarily - insist reviews - you need to swim in the waves of the gentle Indian Ocean after sunset. Because of plankton, water is ignited by billions of small sparks. An unforgettable sight!