Burma: trip planner
Plan your trip to Burma with our in-depth travel information:
• Visa and entry requirements
• Embassies and consulates
• Transport
• Health and safety
• Money and budgeting
• What to readVisa and entry requirements
Tourist visas are required for all foreign nationals entering Burma. They’re valid for up to three months from the date of issue, and last for 28 days from the time of entry. Applications generally take around a fortnight to process, and may be filed in person or by post. The number of forms that have to be filled in and photos needed vary from country to country; check with your nearest embassy or consulate beforehand.
One of the forms is a work history resumé. It’s worth noting that anyone who cites ‘writer’, ‘journalist’, ‘photographer’, ‘film maker’, ‘publisher’ or any media-related profession as their occupation can expect their visa to be declined, or at least seriously delayed. Your passport will also need to be valid for at least six months from the date your visa is issued.
Short-term visas for entering the country overland from Thailand and China are usually available at the border, though they tend to be for very brief periods. See the relevant account in our Places section for more details.
Visa extensions are not available to foreign tourists, and the Burmese authorities are likely to arrest any visitor who overstays.
Burmese embassies and consulates overseas
Australia
22 Arkana Street, Yarralumla ACT 2600
Tel: 02 6273 3811
Canada
Sandringham Bldg, 85 Range Rd, Suite 902-903, Ontario KIN 8J6 Ottawa
Tel: 1 613 232 6434
South Africa
NO.201, Leyds Street, Arcadia, Pretoria, South Africa
Tel: 27-12-341 2556
UK
19A Charles St, London W1J 5DX
Tel: 020 7499 4340
US
300 ‘S’ St, NW Washington DC
Tel: 202 332 3344
Transport
Getting to Burma
As entry by overland routes from China and Thailand is only permitted for short periods, most foreign arrivals in Burma come by air.
By air
Due to the trade embargo, comparatively few carriers operate to Yangon-Mingaladon, Burma’s main international airport, and those that do route flights via their home hubs and/or through Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur, which tends to mean painfully long waits in transit. The following airlines all fly scheduled to Yangon.
Air Asia www.airasia.com
Air China www.airchina.com
Air India www.airindia.in
Bangkok Airways www.bangkokair.com
China Airlines www.china-airlines.com
Malaysia Airlines www.malaysiaairlines.com
Myanmar Airways International www.maiair.com
Qatar Airways www.qatarairways.com
Silk Air www.silkair.com
Thai Airways www.thaiair.com
Vietnam Airlines www.vietnamairlines.com
Getting around Burma
Exploring Burma on an pre-organised tour, all your travel will of course be booked in advance by your operator, which is just as well as the country’s transport infrastructure is rudimentary, at best. Travelling independently, you’ll be at the whim of ageing vehicles and unreliable timetables, but will have correspondingly greater flexibility. With the exception of those border regions closed due to insurgencies, foreign travellers can go just about wherever they want, when they want, with no restriction other than the usual practicalities of schedules and route conditions.
Air
Travellers on short sightseeing tours to Burma often avoid long and potentially uncomfortable road journeys by catching flights between Yangon and Mandalay, or to Nyaung U (for Bagan), Thandwe (Ngapali Beach) and Heho (Inle Lake). A handful of carriers fly these routes daily (see below). However, none enjoy a particularly good reputation –for reliability or safety. The worst is the government-run Myanmar Airlines, whose fleet of ageing Fokker F27s and Douglas DC3s has a poor accident record.
Another reason to think twice before catching a domestic flight in Burma is that a large slice of your ticket price goes directly to the military regime, as the carriers are all owned by individuals closely associated with the dictatorship, or by the government itself.
Domestic Airlines
Air Bagan www.airbagan.com
Air Kanbawza www.airkbz.com
Air Mandalay www.airmandalay.com
Asian Wings www.asianwingsairways.com
Myanmar Airways www.maiair.com
Boat
Burma has more than 5000km (3000miles) of navigable river. Even at the height of summer, when water levels are lowest, it’s possible to travel all the way from the Delta to Bhamo in the north of the country by ferry along the Ayeyarwady, and in the monsoons you can even reach Myitkyina. Other rivers serving as major transport arteries include the Chindwin, which joins the Ayeyarwady southwest of Mandalay, and the Thandlin (Salween), in the far southeast.
In colonial times, the redoubtable Irrawaddy Flotilla Company, or IFC, plied the country’s waterways with its elegant, double-decker river steamers. A handful of these wonderful old tubs survive (some have been converted into luxury cruisers; see below), but nowadays most of Burma’s ferry network comes under the jurisdiction of the government-owned Inland Water Transport (www.iwt.gov.mm), whose fleet of 476 boats annually shifts around 25 million passengers along with 4 million tons of cargo.
On a package tour, the only kind of boat you’re likely to come into contact with is a luxury cruiser. These vessels tend to be beautifully restored antique steamers, or else newly built replicas, complete with timber-walled cabins furnished in high colonial style, sun decks, bars and restaurants. Trips typically last from five to around 13 nights, and include plenty of sightseeing excursions to towns and other places of interest along the way.
The three largest cruise companies operating in Burma are: Pandaw (www.pandaw.com); Ayravata Cruises (www.ayravatacruises.com); and the German-run Amara Cruise (http://www.myanmar-discovery.de).
Bus
Air-conditioned coaches and minibuses are the most usual way foreign travellers on group tours to Burma get around. They’re clean, comfortable and cool – unlike the dilapidated, government-owned hulks serving the local population. That said, the highway between Yangon and Mandalay is these days also served by a fleet of privately run deluxe coaches, which nearly all depart late afternoon, arriving and dawn the next day. The Highway Bus Centre at the intersection of Pyay and Station roads, southwest of Minagaladon airport, is where they all leave from.
Car
If you’re travelling independently, you’ll probably do most of your travelling in a rented car. In Burma, these come with a driver (self drive is still virtually unknown). Tourist cars tend to be no more than two or three years old, and are air-conditioned. For a maximum of 12 hours driving per day, including petrol, the driver’s fee and expenses, and all toll charges, expect to pay around $100.
Train
Begun in 1877 by the British, Burma’s rail network extends for nearly 5400km (3360 miles) across the country. Yangon’s Central Station is the hub, and departure point for the route most often followed by foreigners: the 716km (445-mile) trek north to Mandalay. This is the country’s premier line, boasting reasonably clean and comfortable rolling stock, though even here journeys can be hot and sticky, schedules erratic and delays frequent. On less central lines, standards are lower still.
There are three classes: Upper (reclining seats); First (wooden slatted seats with padded leatherette bottoms); and Ordinary (bare slatted seats). Some services between Yangon and Mandalay also have sleeper carriages – ‘standard’ and ‘special’; the latter with compartments instead of benches. Either way expect a noisy ride, and bring a fleece as it can get cold a night in winter.
All things considered, you’ll nearly always get around more cheaply and quickly by bus – though travelling by train in Burma is certainly an adventure, and the views out of the windows of the country’s rural hinterland can be delightful.
Local transport
Japanese-made taxis line up outside all major hotels in Burma, and are the most convenient means of transport for city sightseeing. None are metered, but trips across town shouldn’t set you back any more than a couple of dollars.
A less expensive, but correspondingly slower option, is a cycle-powered, three-wheeled trishaw (sai-ka). They’re cheap, ubiquitous and environmentally friendly, as are horse carts, which you’ll encounter if you venture inland to Bagan.
Diesel-powered auto-rickshaws (thoun bein) are much handier, though, if you’ve more ground to cover, and rarely charge more than $1. Pick-up trucks (kaa) tend to be horrendously crammed, but can be fun to experience on shorter hops.
Health and safety
Health standards in much of Burma are low compared with many Southeast Asian countries. Polluted water poses the main risk to travellers. Always drink bottled water, or purify your own with chlorine or iodine. Fruit should be peeled before being eaten, and raw vegetables avoided unless you’ve washed them yourself.
Malaria is rife everywhere below 1000 metres (330ft). Visitors should thus take appropriate anti-malarial precautions before entering the country, and continue taking prophylactic medication throughout and after their tour, as advised by their physician. Always sleep under a mosquito net if you find yourself in a room without a/c; use coils to get rid of flying insects; and cover any exposed parts of your body with a DEET-based mozzie repellent when sitting outdoors from a half hour before sunset time.
Medical care
Stands of medical care are abysmally low in Burma. This is not a country you want to fall sick in. Hospitals are filthy and under-resourced, staff poorly trained and availability of dependable drugs limited. Make sure you’ve got good medivac coverage in your travel insurance and hope you won’t need it.
If you do fall seriously ill, contact your embassy for advice on where to seek medical help. Private hospitals do exist in major towns and cities, and are much better than the regular ones, though they’re not cheap.
Crime
Crime directed at foreigners is extremely rare in Burma – a fact attributable to traditional Burmese notions of hospitality, and to the fact that anyone found stealing from or menacing tourists can expect harsh treatment from the local police.
Money and budgeting
Burma's currency is the kyat, though the US dollar functions as an alternative for most hotels and airlines.
None of the country’s ATMs accept foreign cards, and wherever you travel you’ll be expected to pay in cash. Changing money can be done through official forex desks, but the government rate is ten times lower than that offered by the black market (changing through shops, hotels or travel agents). You’ll need pristine dollar bills in large denominations to do this. Count the kyat you receive carefully, and reject any torn, soiled or repaired notes.
Tipping
Tipping isn’t as yet the norm in Burma, and not expected, though this is bound to change as tourism becomes more widespread. That said, a small consideration of K100 at monasteries and remote religious sites will always be welcome.
Budgeting for your trip
If you’re travelling on a pre-arranged tour, where all the transport and accommodation costs are covered by the price of your holiday, your main expenses are likely to be dining and shopping. Allow $5–15 per head for a two-course meal in a regular, midscale restaurant, or $20–30 in a five-star hotel. Breakfasts are usually included in your hotel tariff, but it’s sometimes worth checking. How much your souvenirs set you back will depend on your ability to haggle, but as a rule of thumb count on around $10–15 for a puppet, or $100–200 for a top notch lacquerware bowl.
What to read
The River of Lost Footsteps: A Personal History of Burma by Thant Myint-U
A highly readable account of the country’s chequered history, both ancient and modern, by a high-ranking Burmese émigré.
Burmese Days by George Orwell
Story set in the days of British rule in Burma.
Under the Dragon: A Journey Through Burma by Rory MacLean
Poignant travelogue focussing on the lives of four Burmese women.
The Lady and the Peacock: The Life of Aung San Suu Kyi by Peter Popham
The most recent biography of Burma’s Nobel-Prize-winning political leader.
Little Daughter: A Memoir of Survival In Burma and the West by Zoya Phan
Phan, a native Karen, became the face of a nation enslaved after this gripping 2009 memoir was published.
The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh
Prize-winning novel whose plot shadows a century of Burmese history.
Read more
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