5 adventurous ways to see Myanmar differently
Journey across Myanmar in these five spectacular ways, whether it's for a short break or once-in-a-lifetime excursion.
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8 years ago
TRAINS
The hardcore option: Yangon-Mandalay
Trains in Myanmar are not the fastest or most reliable, unless you take the Yangon-Mandalay route. It has better carriages including a special sleeper train so you can appreciate everything along the journey, passing through rice fields, rural villages and winding riverbanks. But just make sure you have plenty of time on your hands: timetables say the journey takes about 12 hours but in reality that can often creep to 16 hours. The railway, too, dates right back to the late-18th century and the time of British colonial rule—that can mean a very bumpy ride.
Credit: Clay Gilliland
The easy option: Yangon Circular Railway
You don’t need to torture yourself just because you want to see Myanmar by rail. One of the most popular tours in Yangon is the circular train that takes passengers on a 39-station, four-hour loop right around the city. Over the course of the ride you'll get to see the city's urban centers, surrounding farming villages and the rate at which outer-lying areas are being urbanized. Book Flymya's Hop on the Yangon Circular Train package here.
BIKES
The hardcore option: Mandalay-Bagan-Inle
This classic loop allows you to cover all of Myanmar's top tourist towns outside of Yangon, taking in plenty of stunning scenery along the way. But be warned: to cycle the entire route will take at least seven days and cover more than 600km. That's a lot of pedaling!
The easy option: Bagan cycle tour
Bagan is the perfect size for a leisurely day-long cycle ride. During the course of eight hours in the saddle, you can take in all the popular and less-known sights, from temples and pagodas to the village of Min Nan Thu, where you can get close to locals before ending the day with a magnificent sunset. Book Flymya's Scenic Cycling Tour in Ancient Bagan package here.
Bagan is the perfect size for a leisurely day-long cycle ride. During the course of eight hours in the saddle, you can take in all the popular and less-known sights, from temples and pagodas to the village of Min Nan Thu, where you can get close to locals before ending the day with a magnificent sunset. Book Flymya's Scenic Cycling Tour in Ancient Bagan package here.
DIVING
The hardcore option: Mergui Archipelago
Travelers around the world are wisening up to Myanmar's unspoiled Andaman coastline. The most famous archipelago is around Mergui Rocks to the south, where intensive diving courses depart from Thailand's Phang-Nga province for one-week live-aboard dive tours. The cost is around B35,000 for the most budget trip, while more luxurious options cost around B90,000.
Travelers around the world are wisening up to Myanmar's unspoiled Andaman coastline. The most famous archipelago is around Mergui Rocks to the south, where intensive diving courses depart from Thailand's Phang-Nga province for one-week live-aboard dive tours. The cost is around B35,000 for the most budget trip, while more luxurious options cost around B90,000.
The easy options: Ngwe Saung & Ngapali Beach
Ngwe Saung is a beach town in the Ayeyarwady Basin that's just a five-hour drive from Yangon. Diving trips cost around US$135 (B4,700) for eight hours of scuba diving including all necessary gear. Book Flymya's Ngwe Saung diving package here.
Another good diving destination is Ngapali Beach in Thandwe, a pristine beach town on the west coast of Rakhaine state. Flying there from Yangon takes 50 minutesand costs around US$100 (B3,400). Eight hours of scuba here costs US$240 (B8,342) with Flymya. Book Flymya's Ngapali Beach diving package here.
HOT AIR BALLOONS
The hardcore option: Taunggyi Fire Balloon Festival
This yearly gathering coincides directly with Thailand’s Loy Krathong on full moon in early November to mark the end of the rainy season. The spectacle is beautiful, but it can be a hazardous few days, with balloons and fireworks sometimes clashing with perilous results.
Credit: Paul Arps
The easy option: Bagan balloon rides
No trip to Bagan is complete without taking to the sky abve the pagodas in a hot-air balloon. A three-hour balloon journey (US$290/B10,000 with Flymya) will give you memories of this ancient kingdom that last a lifetime. Book Flymya's Bird’s Eye View on Bagan package here.
BOATS
The hardcore option: Yangon-Bagan-Mandalay
A grand cruise from Yangon to Bagan and Mandalay is one of those once-in-a-lifetime trips. The itinerary normally takes at least seven days cruising upstream to the north to Bagan and 11 days if you want to reach Mandalay. And don't go with the public slow-boats—this is one that needs to be done in style!
The easy option: Inle Lake
The waters of Southeast Asia's iconic lake stretch on seemingly forever. Along its shores sit beautiful whitewashed stupas, bird reserves and native tribes, while out on the lake itself you can see traditional fishing practices carried out the same way they have been for decades. One often overlooked gem on the western shores of Inle Lake is the mystical In Dein, where ruins of pagodas are overlooked by an ancient Buddha image at the summit of a hill. Book Flymya's seven-hour Mysterious Ancient In Dein and Hidden Part of the Lake package here.
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Flymya offers you the absolute travel plan which lets you control everything including booking domestic flights in Myanmar, package tours, hotels and even car rental including airport transfer at $15 (B500) or even cheaper like $6 in Bagan. Their domestic flight prices are always awesomely cheap (starting at just $100 [B3,400] for round-trips) and you can compare different airlines instantly on the same page.
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