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Things to do & See in Myanmar

Living in the fast pace of modern life, we might be a bit tired of working and studying all day long. Sometimes, we just want to look for a peaceful landscape where we can feel the laid-back pace of life, walk slowly, and mingle with the gentle people. That’s the time we find out Myanmar, the land of radiant temples, rustic countryside, and undiscovered secrets. Perhaps after many visits, there will still be more things to discover, see, and taste. A Myanmar classic tour will give you a chance to do so. Keep scrolling up to check out the list of what to do and see in Myanmar.

Things to Do & See in Yangon

For many visitors in Myanmar classic tours, Yangon is the first interaction that will hit their eyes and the fantastic starting point to their trip to Myanmar. Being the largest city in the country, Yangon offers tourists with a ton of sights, sounds, and flavors. We can stay in Yangon for one day, two days, or more. However, specialists recommend spending 3 days to discover the beauty of Yangon.

Visit Shwedagon Pagoda

Once visiting Yangon from a Myanmar classic tour, you should never miss a chance to visit the dramatic construction of Shwedagon Pagoda. It is one of the most famous places in Myanmar and perhaps the most beautiful religious site that we hope to admire in Yangon. It was once described by Somerset Maugham: “The Shwedagon rose superb, glistening with its gold, like a sudden hope in the dark night of the soul of which the mystics write, glistening against the fog and smoke of the thriving city.” The legend said that it contains various relics from the Buddha, including the robe, water filter, and eight strands of hair. Shwedagon Pagoda is where you can marvel at the man-made masterpiece of Burmese people through a thousand years. It is best visited at sunset time of the day when the fading sunlight glints off the golden stupas to give a majestic twinkling light. You can stay in the pagoda until darkness to see it lit up and shining against the midnight blue sky.

Bogyoke Aungsan Market

The largest bazaar in the city is where provide visitors a closer look to the life of the local people. It is worth to wander through the stall and see how the locals barter for their products. For a long time, Bogyoke Market (or Scott Market) has become a center for selling jade, rubies, and other rare gems. In addition, an array of fabrics, painting, and souvenirs can also be found in many shops and along the stairway.

Save the Best Photos at Karaweik Hall

The Karaweik Hall or Karaweik Palace is probably the most beautiful golden barge in the country. From a far distance, it looks like two giant birds floating over the serene Kandawgyi Lake. It is an ideal destination for tourists in Myanmar classic tours to take photos and enjoy the fresh air on the lakeshore at day time. In the evening, it is the best place to have dinner and an authentic Burmese cultural show.

Things to do & See in Bagan

Classify the differences between a pagoda, a stupa, and a temple among over 2000 old Temples

For a long time, Bagan was under a siege of development. Between the 11th and 13th century, it was said that over 10000 temples and monasteries were built on the plain of the city. To date, there are over 2000 of them still exist, making Bgan one of the famous archeological zone and the best place to visit in Myanmar tours. If you had a chance to visit the Angkor complex in Cambodia, you will definitely fall in love with the landscape of Bagan, but it will be another astonishment and more than you can expect. In this upcoming trip to Bagan, let learn about the differences between a pagoda, temple, and stupa. It would be so much exciting!

Marvel at one of the best sunsets in the world

Of all the things to do in Bagan, watching sunset should be the top of your list. From the top of the sunset hill at dusk, you can admire the finest moment of the temple town as the blazing sun sinks slowly to the horizon and reflects the sky with its reddish glow. North Guni Temple, Pyathadar Hpaya Temple are two of the most favorite sunset spots in Bagan that you can capture this incredible moment.

Explore the Rural Village Life

Visit some household in the countryside and interact with the rural dwellers is a great experience that we highlight recommend tourists to try. There is nothing better than gaining local insight and a better understanding of the people lifestyle and culture. The simple lifestyle and peaceful scenery in the villages will definitely wipe out the busy, tired, and the chaos.

Things to Do & See in Mandalay

There are many people do not really consider Mandalay as the main attraction to visit in their Myanmar trip. Nevertheless, once setting foot on the city, it will never fail to excite your senses. Possessing numerous attractions worth to visit, the city of Mandalay slowly becomes one of the popular tourist destinations in Myanmar. Like other cities in Myanmar, Mandalay is noted not for the mouth-watering food or natural beauty but for the great temples with unique architecture. Besides, it is home to a hundred monastic schools and monastery and where to discover Buddhist education as well as the life of young novices. Below is the list of the best destination to visit in Mandalay from Myanmar classic tours.

Kuthodaw Pagoda

Far-famed as the world’s largest book, Kuthodaw Pagoda has 729 stupas in which each contains a marble slab that carved with text from the Tipitaka (Buddhist Scriptures). If you wonder how long does it take to read all of them. Well, the answer is over a year when you spend 8 hours a day to read it!

Mandalay Hill

If you have spent the time to enjoy the majestic sunset in Bagan, you will definitely not want to miss the sunset in Mandalay in your Myanmar classic tour. Reaching after 1000 steps, the beautiful pagoda on the top of the hill is a favorite sunset spot for both locals and tourists. Sit back and listen to the light wind swaying in the air and look beyond the horizon, that must be the scenery that you can never forget.

U Bein Bridge

Dating back to nearly 200 years ago, U Bein Bridge is the oldest and longest teak bridge in the world used by local toward the Taungthaman Lake. So far, it is one of the main attractions to visit in Myanmar classic tour. For a long time, the bridge that gently curves through the lake has created one of the best places to watch sunrise, sunset and take photos.

Mingun Pahtodawgyi

Situated 39 kilometers towards the northwest of Mandalay city, the unfinished Mingun pagoda is most famous for the crack running through it caused by many natural disasters in the past. There are many theories about the construction of the largest pagoda in the world but finally left to abandon. The pagoda is quite large, but the chamber inside is relatively small. Tourists coming to the pagoda in Myanmar classic tour can also climb to the top of the pagoda to gain a view to the surrounding area.

Things to Do & See in Inle Lake

Inle Lake is one of the most beautiful regions in Myanmar. The serene lake draws tourists attention by its rudimentary houses built on stilts, the dramatic floating gardens, and the iconic leg-rowing fishermen.

Enjoy a Boat Trip Around Inle Lake

The best way to explore the beauty of Inle Lake in Myanmar classic tours is riding a boat trip on one of the slender long-tail wooden boats used by the local people. The stunning boat trip will provide you a panoramic view of the natural beauty where mountains and water rolled into one. Besides, it also leads you through the exceptional floating gardens where you can see how the people making the lake one of the most productive lakes in the world.

Walk Through Thousands of Ancient Stupas in Indein

The mysterious pagoda in Indein village situated at the end of the marvelous Indein creek. This is a highlight of Myanmar classic tour in Inle Lake. Upon here, tourists will be mesmerized by hundreds of red, white, and brown stupas perched on the hill of Indein. These structure dating back from the 14th to 18th century featuring fantastic creatures like chinthe – the mythical lion in the Burmese legend.

Best time to visit Myanmar

Is there any time of the year that you considered the best time to visit Myanmar? Actually, maybe not, you can travel to Myanmar in all year round to explore the main attractions such as Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, or Inle Lake. If you are a beach lover, the answer may be yes instead. As the weather in Myanmar is characterized by the tropical climate, so it rains more frequently from June to October, during this time, the beaches are closed due to the bad weather. Due to this, there are three seasons available to plan for a Myanmar tour: Cool-season: November to February is warm and dry Hot season: March to May is the hottest period of the year, there is no rain Rainy season: June to October marks the monsoon season with high rainfall. And two seasons which are peak traveling season (October to April) and low traveling-season (July to September)

Myanmar Travel in High Season – November to May

Weather overview

From October to April is the best time to visit Myanmar. It is warm and dry day by day, with an average temperature of 27oC in top Myanmar attractions including Yangon, Bagan, Inle Lake, and Mandalay. Generally, it’s cool from November to February with the temperatures of between 20oC – 24oC. It starts getting warmer from March to May with the temperatures between 25oC – 30oC. The temperature hasn’t yet reached stifling, making the weather perfect to visit temples, villages and to see the majestic sunrise and sunset. Traveling to Myanmar this time, you can visit all the key places in the country. Beautiful beaches such as Ngapali, Ngwesaung, or Chaungtha are reopened and the hot-air balloon ride over Bagan temple is available. This time is also the best time to take a river cruise on the picturesque Irrawaddy River. This is the peak traveling season in Myanmar. Likewise, more flights are offered and all hotels across the country are on business. While planning a Myanmar tour in peak season, always book the flights and accommodation as early as possible, like three months in advance is highly recommended. Also, regardless of the warmth during the daytime, the temperature can fall dramatically to 15oC, so prepare some warmer clothes is necessary.

Events & Festivals

Taunggyi Hot Air Balloon Festival Date: 23 November to 29 November 2019 Location: Taunggyi Taunggyi hot air balloon festival is the most wonderful festival of the year when thousands of local pilgrims and international tourists choose to visit Taunggyi to watch scores of giant paper animals being inflated and floated off into the sky. The hot air balloon is made with different shapes of elephant, ox, water buffalo, bird, pig, fish, owl, and parrot are sent up into the sky creating a wonderful scene for you to get the best photos. This festival is well-known as the festival of lights Ananda Pagoda Festival Date: Thursday, January 9, 2022 – Friday, January 24, 2022 Location: Bagan This is one of the most famous pagoda festivals in Bagan - one of the most amazing and richest archaeological sites in Asia. The Great Ananda Pagoda Festival has going on continuously from the Bagan period to date. Attending the festival, you will see many villagers come to the festival in bullock carts, a traditional way which has existed a long time ago. Indulge in the traditional lifestyle of the locals during this festival will bring you an unforgettable experience. Thingyan Festival & Myanmar New Year Date: Monday, April 13 – Thursday, April 16, 2021 Location: Nationwide Thingyan festival or water festival is the most expected celebration in Myanmar. It celebrated nationwide for a week. In the heat of summer, tourists can indulge in a delightful moment with the locals. This is the occasion when Burmese people go to the temples and pagodas to offer to monks, wash the Buddha images, and pray for their better life in the New Year. The interesting water fighting takes place on the second day. This time, streets are poured out with water, the people believe that water will remove bad luck and purify the sin of people in the last year.

Myanmar Travel in Low Season – June to October

Weather overview

June marks the start of the rainy season in Myanmar. This time, the heat also builds up steadily, with temperature ranges at 30oC. This time, beaches are closed completely due to the bad weather condition. Nevertheless, you can still travel to major attractions of Myanmar including Yangon, Bagan (except the hot air balloon ride), Inle Lake, Mandalay and other charming attractions such as Pyin U Lwin, Hpa-An, Hispaw, etc. Although it rains frequently in the hot season, rains tend to fall in short bursts in the afternoons and early mornings in Mandalay, Bagan, and Inle Lake. In Yangon, rains often witness longer downpours in the afternoons. There are convincing reasons for you to travel to Myanmar in the off-peak season. To be in the low season means that there will be more space for you to discover the country and have a big chance of getting an excellent guide who is usually booked up during the peak season. All the country’s attractions are less crowded.

Events & Festivals

Thadingyut Festival Date: 12 October to 14 October 2019 Location: Nationwide Thadingyut also called the festival of light. This is one of the most vivid festivals in Myanmar when people light up thousands of lanterns and leave them up into the sky. Thadingyut festival celebrates the time when Buddha back to earth after preaching at 3 months of lent. During 3 days of the festival, people decorate their houses with colorful candles. This is also the time for Burmese to give thanksgiving and pay homage to monks, the elders, and their parents.