I hope you have enjoyed reading our website. By now you may have decided where and when you wish to go and where you wish to stay once you arrive. I hope this section of our website will answer any questions that you may have. As there is a lot of information here we have divided things up into four categories. |
About Myanmar
This section tells you a little about the country and its people, the landscape and seasons. This is also where you can find out when businesses and embassies are open, and when the holidays fall. |
Planning Your Trip
This section explains how to find an embassy and apply for a visa, how to get to Myanmar, what money to bring, what to pack and how to get around once you are here.
|
|
In Myanmar
Here you will find information on customs rules, etiquette, food, shopping ... even tips on tipping! |
After Your Trip
Lastly, this short section tells you how to give us feedback on your trip, and donate to charity in Myanmar.
|
The earliest civilisations in the area that is now Myanmar were established before the Christian era. The Rakhaing Kingdom of the Bay of Bengal coast is thought to have been established in the 4th Century BC and was known to the ancient Greeks. The Pyu, forerunners of the Bamar, established Kingdoms on the Ayeyarwady plains in the 3rd Century BC. The land that became Myanmar was a key trade link between China, India and beyond. |
The government of Myanmar recognises more than 100 ‘national races’, the term used to describe the different ethnic groups, tribes and cultures that make up the population. The most numerous group is the Bamar (Burmese), who comprise around 65% of the population. The largest minority group are the Shan, who make up around 9% of the population and are related to, and speak a similar language to the Thai. Other large minorities include the Kachin, Chin, Kayah, Kayin (Karen), Mon and Rakhaing. The culturally-rich people of Myanmar are renowned for their friendliness and hospitality – The people themselves are the highlight of a visit to Myanmar. |
Some 89% of Myanmar citizens practise Theravada Buddhism. About 4% of the population are Christian and a further 4% are Muslim. Most Christians and Muslims are either of ethnic Indian descent, or from the Kayin, Kachin and Chin national races. The remaining 3% of the population are mainly Hindu or Animist. |
There are some 107 languages and dialects spoken in Myanmar. The national language is Myanmar (Bamar), which belongs to the Tibeto-Burman language group and is spoken or understood by about 90% of the population. English is not widely spoken except in areas frequented by foreign tourists and businesspeople such as airports, hotels and tourist sites. Mr Myanmar Travel can provide professional English-speaking guides, and guides fluent in other languages on request. We can also provide English-speaking drivers for driving tours of Myanmar. |
Government offices, embassies, and many shops will close on the following dates. Note that the dates of Buddhist holidays (set by the lunar calendar) vary from year to year. Please refer to the ‘Festivals’ page of our website for scheduled dates in the coming year.
|
Government offices and Post Offices open Monday to Friday, 09:30 until 16:30. Private business offices may open for slightly longer hours and open on Saturday mornings. Small shops and supermarkets often open 7 days a week from 09.00 or 10.00 until as late as 21.00. Shops in quiet small towns may keep shorter hours and larger businesses are usually closed on weekends. |
Myanmar Standard Time (MST) is GMT/UTC + 6.30. |
Myanmar is an extremely safe country for foreign visitors. There is almost no street crime and there are no ‘no go’ areas to be aware of. Pavements (sidewalks) are often in poor condition so mind your step when out walking. It is a good idea to carry a torch (flashlight) at night as there may be inadequate street lighting. Theft from hotels is very rare but it is a wise precaution to use room, or hotel safes where provided. Please ensure you have an adequate travel insurance policy to cover your trip. |
Visitors must have a valid passport and visa to enter Myanmar. Your passport must be valid for at least six months after your planned departure from Myanmar. Visas cannot be arranged on arrival in Myanmar, they must be arranged in advance of travel. There are two ways of obtaining a visa.
Tourist visa applications are generally straightforward though the procedure may vary from embassy to embassy. We would advise you to always contact the embassy concerned in advance of application to check the current requirements. Applicants for business visas need to show a letter of invitation from a registered Myanmar company.
|
Following is a list of Myanmar embassies overseas. This information was supplied by the Myanmar Hotel and Tourism Directory, 2009 edition. Australia. Bangladesh. Belgium. Brazil. Brunei Darussalam. Cambodia. Canada. China. (Consulate-General) Egypt. France. Germany. Greece. India. (Consulate-General) Indonesia. Israel. Italy. Japan. Korea. Lao PDR. Malaysia. Nepal. Netherlands. Pakistan. Philippines. Russia. Serbia. Singapore. South Africa. Sri Lanka. Switzerland. Thailand. Turkey. United Kingdom. United States of America. 10, East 77th Street, Vietnam. |
Mr Myanmar Travel requires as a condition of booking that you arrange comprehensive travel insurance to cover you during your stay in Myanmar. Mr Myanmar Travel does not organise travel insurance for you. Whilst Mr Myanmar Travel and its agents and suppliers will try and assist you in the event of an emergency, we cannot take the place of a travel insurance company, offer similar services or pay any bills on your behalf.
|
One of the great delights of travelling in Myanmar is sampling the local cuisine. A typical meal as served in a local home or rice shop would consist of a plate of T’amin (rice), the basis of most meals along with a curry or two (usually not spicy), soup (often sour) accompanied by a plate of raw and / or blanched vegetables and various condiments. One of our favourite restaurants in Bagan boasts a table of more than 20 different curries and condiments from which to choose. Some of our favourite dishes include: |
Mr Myanmar Travel recommends that travellers follow the usual health precautions common to all tropical countries. Drink, and brush your teeth with bottled water. Ice available from higher standard hotels is usually made with boiled water and is safe but we recommend avoiding the ice supplied by some street side restaurants. Avoid eating raw vegetables and fruit that you cannot cut or peel yourself. |
The postal service in Myanmar can be unreliable, so we do not recommend posting anything of value. If you wish to buy an item in Myanmar that requires shipping to your home country, we would suggest that you make your purchase with a well-known and reliable company and ask them to arrange shipping for you. The telephone service in Myanmar is not of a high standard. Whilst local calls are reasonably priced, international calls can be expensive. International calls can be made from IDD phones at hotels and telephone offices and payment will be requested in US Dollars. International roaming is not possible in Myanmar. Pre-paid SIM cards are available to purchase in some hotels and supermarkets (starting from US$20) but may not work in foreign-registered mobile phones. To call Myanmar from overseas, the international country code is (95). |
Tipping is not customary in Myanmar however tourism has introduced this concept to the country. Airport porters will expect a tip and in hotels, staff such as bellboys and waiters may be used to being tipped by foreign visitors. Your tour guide and driver may also be accustomed to receiving a tip when they bid you farewell. Myanmar does however, have a concept known as ‘tea money’. If somebody offers, for instance, to guide you through a market, or find the key-holder at a remote temple, they may be hoping for a little tea money for their service. Mr Myanmar Travel suggests that you keep some small denomination Kyat notes (K200, K500) to offer in these situations. |
Myanmar is a wonderfully photogenic country. Dawn is one of the best times of day to take pictures, before the bright sun is high in the sky. This is also a country of beautiful sunsets; the pagodas of Bagan, U Bein Bridge at Amarapura, the breathtaking Shwedagon and all the West-facing beaches boast gorgeous sunset views. Mr Myanmar Travel ends its day-tours, where possible at sunset-view locations. |
Many famous, and some not so famous pagodas, museums, attractions and historical sites levy a reasonable entrance fee. Ticket prices may be listed and payable in either Myanmar Kyat or US Dollars and should be paid on arrival. As change is sometimes not available we would recommend you bring small denomination bills with you in order to be able to pay the exact charge. Children under 11 or 12 years of age may have the fee waived in some locations. In a few locations a small camera fee may also be payable. To ensure the flexibility of excursions, Mr Myanmar Travel will not usually include the cost of entrance fees in quoted tour prices. Where entrance of zone fees are included, these will be be clearly itemised on your itinerary. As far as we are aware the fees listed here are correct but they are of course subject to change without notice.
|
Myanmar is not a country of huge shopping malls and designer outlets. It is, however, an excellent place to shop for high-quality handicrafts. Lacquer ware is probably the most popular purchase; the highest quality products are made in Bagan and near Monywa. The best quality items take months to make and may have 7 to 15 layers of lacquer and several colours. |
All of the following embassies are located in Yangon unless otherwise stated. Should you wish to obtain a visa for onward travel from any of these embassies, we recommend calling them in advance of your arrival in Myanmar in order to ensure that they can provide the necessary service. The international country code for Myanmar is (95) and the telephone code for Yangon is (01). The following information was supplied by the Myanmar Hotel and Tourism Directory, 2009 edition.
|
The departure tax for international flights is US$10 per person. Only perfect condition $10 bills are accepted. Departure tax is not included in the cost of a Mr Myanmar Travel tour or your international airline ticket. |
We hope you will have a wonderful time on holiday in Myanmar, and we will do our utmost to help you enjoy your trip. If you were pleased with our service to you and enjoyed your trip to Myanmar, please tell others about us, so that we can have the pleasure of helping more people get acquainted with this wonderful country. Should you have any ideas or suggestions that would help us or our future customers, we would very much appreciate hearing them – just send us an email. If you have any negative feedback please also let us know, so that we can rectify any problems and make sure they are not repeated.
|