Myanmar 2019
Be Enchanted

•  Foreigners visit Myanmar can apply to an embassy/ consulate for a visa before travelling or a visa on arrival at the airport.

• With visa on arrival, you should remember carry a valid passport (must-have), flight tickets, portrait photos and hotel vouchers (if any) to fill in the legal documents in the airport.

• Myanmar’s E-visa system is now valid for most regions, even the Thai-Myanmar border points of Mae Sai/Tachileik, Mae Sot/Myawaddy and Ranong/Kawthaung; for other overland border points, you must obtain a normal paper visa in advance.

• Myanmar visa allows you 28 days of travel inside of Myanmar after flying into the airport or crossing the border with Thailand. It is only valid for three months since the issued date and cannot be extended.

• Travelers from Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines can enter into Myanmar visa exempt for up to 14 days.

• Due to the sensitive political situation in some Burma’s border regions, currently, it is only possible to travel freely over land between Myanmar and Thailand. The India crossing (at Moreh, Manipur State) requires permission obtained separately to your visa; Bangladesh, Laos and China crossings are currently restricted to foreigners.

• For further details, please visit Myanmar’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population or contact our journey planners.

Unlike the neighbours Laos and Thailand, hotels in Myanmar are relatively expensive, partly due to the lack of supplies. Luckily, the country is developing fast and there are more decent hotels with valued prices and services currentlyentering the market.

• Luxury 5*– 6*: The big 4 of Myanmar, Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan and Inle Lake, are the only cities offer guests high-end properties as of Sandoway or The Governor’s Residence. A luxury stay in Burma ranges from US $250 – $500 according to seasonal availability.
• Deluxe 4*:  This standard provides a wide range of hotels, from US $150 – $250 applicable with modern facilities and good location including both hotel and resort-styles.
• Comfort boutique 3*: The basic boutique hotels, ranging from US $60 – $100 tend to be in the Chinese molds, multi-floored concrete blocks with plain en-suite rooms off galleried walkways. Space levels at a premium, the more you pay, the larger the room, and more comfortable the facilities. The outer space is vast and inclusive.

• Local transports: 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 should not set you back any more than a couple of dollars. A less expensive, but correspondingly slower option, is 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.
• Domestic flights: There are a number of downsides to domestic air travel. For one thing, it may not save you much time as schedules are subject to change at short notice and delays are not uncommon. It also isn’t possible to buy tickets online, although some airlines, such as Air Mandalay allow online reservations and you then pay once you’re in the country. Carriers operating in Myanmar include: Air KBZ, Air Mandalay, Golden Myanmar Airlines, Myanmar National Airlines, Union Express Charter Airline, Yangon Airways, Air Bagan.

• Food in Myanmar is usually served with fresh ingredients, often including vegetables used together with tropical fruits. As with most countries in the region, white rice (htamin in Burmese) is used for most meals as a base to accompany a variety of meat, fish, vegetable and fruit curries or soups.
• Due to the abundance of vegetables and fruits in Myanmar dishes, and elements of Buddhist culture, vegetarians are generally well catered for Beer, rum and whisky are the most popular alcoholic drinks in Myanmar, whilst locally brewed toddy is also generally available, and wine can be found in higher end restaurants and hotels.
• Simple, open air restaurants that serve alcohol are called beer stations, and can be found on the streets of cities, towns and villages around Myanmar. They usually serve one of the country’s decent draught beers, and are at the heart of Myanmar drinking culture where people come to meet, talk, eat, drink and engage in one of the nation’s favorite pastimes, watching live European football.

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. Fruits should be peeled before being eating, and raw vegetables avoided unless you’ve washed them yourself.