Myanmar (Burma)
Suggested Itinerary
The following are examples Remote Lands’ recommended activities in Myanmar that can be incorporated into our clients’ bespoke itineraries.
Note: Some of the suggested itinerary points are recommended for adventurous travelers only.
Destinations include: Yangon, Inle Lake, Mandalay, Nagaland, Pagan, Chin State, Mrauk U and Putao.
Yangon
Visit the International Buddhist University and join 500 monks for lunch. Learn about their age-old traditions and witness a head shaving ceremony, part of the novitiation (monk ordination) celebration that all young monks go through.
Spend the afternoon at the spectacular and seemingly endless Shwedagon Pagoda, Burma's most sacred temple and one of the world's great manmade wonders. Watch the sunset from Shwedagon, a truly spiritual event for even the most jaded.
Have dinner with a prominent local family in their home, and learn from them about Burma's rich culture and history.
Visit the 70-year-old Bogyoke Aung Sun Market, where thousands of shops and hawkers peddle everything from Burmese silk and rattan to traditional musical instruments and tea.
Go to the Myanmar Martial Arts Gym for a lesson in Myanmar Letwae (Myanmar kickboxing), which differs from its Thai counterpart in that it is done without gloves. Chat with the students and get hands-on insight into this ancient sport dating back to the 15th-century Bagan Era. Take a few of the boxers out to lunch at their favorite local restaurant, and hear from them about their lives and their sport.
Visit the famed Shwe Phone Pwint Pagoda, site of Yangon's fortune-telling community, where over 30 astrology and fortune telling shops engage in one of Myanmar's oldest and most revered pastimes.
Go to the home of a famous Burmese chef, who will give a fascinating cooking demonstration and tasting during cocktails. Afterwards, sit down with the chef and her family and feast on local delicacies including various hin(curries), thouq(spicy salads), mohinga(fish soup with noodles) and of course the staple food of rice
^Top
Inle Lake
Visit the floating markets and floating villages, and have tea in the home of one of the families. Marvel at the floating farms that grow fruit, vegetables and flowers literally on the surface of the lake.
Check into the deluxe boutique Inle Princess Resort, have lunch, and treat yourself to a relaxing massage at the spa. Have sunset cocktails at the bar, before a specially arranged dinner for two on a terrace overlooking the lake.
Visit the fascinating tribal market and buy local Burmese handicrafts such as teak woodcarvings, pottery and textiles.
^Top
Mandalay
Stroll across the nearby U Bein's bridge, the world's longest teak bridge which is ¾ mile long.
Visit the Mahamuni Paya and see the famed Buddha, covered in gold leaf daily by pilgrims. Join in and add a small amount of gold leaf to the Buddha.
Visit the Shwei-in-bin Monastery, which is an example of traditional Burmese wooden architecture, the Kuthodaw Pagoda with the world's largest book made of marble, and the stupendous Mandalay Palace complex.
Visit some silk weaving workshops, and go shopping in Mandalay's famed crafts centers, where jade, lacquerware, traditional puppets, and stone carvings are only some of the handicrafts available for purchase.
Invite some local members of the intelligentsia to have dinner with you at the Green Elephant restaurant, which features delicious Burmese and Shan cuisine, along with Thai and Chinese dishes.
Meet the monks as they make their early-morning alms processions to collect their food donations from the local people.
^Top
Nagaland
For the more adventurous, fly to Nagaland, home of the Naga tribal people, famed for their exotic and colorful costumes including headdresses made of tiger tusks, bear fur, and hornbill feathers. Until recently, the Naga were headhunters who traditionally beheaded their enemies in battle order to avenge other killings, appease the gods, encourage rich harvests or just bring glory to themselves.
Travel to the local capital of Hkamthi by plane, and have dinner with a local Naga tribal leader and his family. Spend the night in their home or in a local guesthouse. In the morning, visit the Naga Museum, where you will learn about the ancient and remote customs of one of the world’s most compelling and inaccessible regions.
Adventurers can continue their travel by charter boat along the Chindwin River, the heart of the Naga region, where locals dive the waters looking for gold. Your own private entourage includes your guide/translator, driver, private chef, and porters as needed.
Take a 4WD vehicle and by the evening reach the village of Lahe, one of the most isolated places in the world, untouched by modern technology. Lahe is often the site of the Naga New Year's Festival, with traditional dances and performances done by all the different Naga clans, all attired in their finest colorful costumes.
Go on to the Nauk-Awn village where you will be honored guests at a Naga celebration and feast. The libation of choice is locally brewed Naga rice wine. Stay the night with one of the tribal leaders and his family, or in a renovated school guesthouse.
Drive to Machan Naga village by 4WD vehicle and get a taste of local village life, meeting the local people and engaging in their daily activities with them.
Trek for four hours back to Lahe through the beautiful Patkoi Mountains near the Chindwin River.
Participate in a cooking demonstration and tasting in the home of a Lahe tribal leader, and have dinner with his family.
^Top
Pagan
Spend the day visiting some of the most interesting and least visited of the 2,000 ancient Temples built between the 11th and 13th centuries along the Irrawaddy River.
For a bird's-eye view of the area and a most unforgettable experience, take a hot-air balloon high over Pagan with breathtaking views of the endless temples below.
Check into the lovely Aureum Palace Resort and have a rejuvenating massage or other spa treatment.
Hire a private boat for a romantic sunset dinner cruise on the mighty Irrawaddy River.
Visit the vibrant Nyaung-U market of exotic fruits and vegetables before visitin Mt. Popa, a soaring volcanic peak dramatically crowned with a gold stupas, monasteries and shrines believed to be the abode of the powerful nats, animist spirits. The devout worship of these animist spirits coexists with Buddhism, and Buddha is considered the greatest of the 37 nats. Mt Popa is an important destination for pilgrims, who must remove their shoes before climbing the 777 steps to the summit rising almost 4,000 feet above the desert below.
Have lunch at the lovely Popa Mountain Resort, which has stunning views over the temples and surrounding landscape. Drive back through the countryside and stopping in small villages along the way to learn about rural life in Myanmar.
^Top
Chin State
Take a charter boat up the Irrawaddy, and then drive by 4WD vehicle to Mindat in Chin State, famed for its intact traditional culture. As in Nagaland, your private entourage includes your guide/translator, driver, private chef, and porters as needed.
Meet the Chin people and visit their homes and learn about their lives. The Chin women are famed for their tattooed faces, a tradition that began when they put ink on their faces to avoid being chosen as concubines by the Burmese kings. Stay overnight in Mindat at a basic but comfortable guesthouse.
Take a three-hour trek to far-flung Kyardor village, home to the remote Munn Chin tribe. Participate in the Lun Yu festival, where giant stones are pulled by locals in a contest of strength, and cows and pigs are sacrificed for a huge feast. Take part in a massive celebration, with plenty of rice wine and dancing to make for a most memorable evening. Stay overnight in local guesthouse.
Drive by 4WD vehicle to Aye village (two hours) or trek on foot (four hours) through many traditional Munn Chin tribal villages, a beautiful area often covered in rhododendrons. Meet many local families, and talk with people who have never spoken to foreigners. Dine with a local family and some of their friends, and stay the night with them in a local Munn Chin house.
^Top
Mrauk U
From Sittwe, cruise on a series of rivers inland to reach Mrauk-U, which was founded in 1433 and once was the center of the medieval Arakanese kingdom, whose naval force of 10,000 war boats dominated the Bay of Bengal. The city was a major regional trade hub, growing to a size of 160,000 residents by the early seventeenth century: its kings boasted that the kingdom of Arakan extended from the Ganges to the Irrawaddy. Visiting Mrauk-U offers fantastic opportunities to explore a little-known corner of Burma and discover the fascinating history of pre-colonial times here.
Visit the ruins of the city palace and the Archaeology Museum within for a firsthand glimpse at artifacts gathered from the many temples around Mrauk U. Your expert guide will escort you on a private tour of the museum’s collection and introduce you to a senior member of the museum’s staff.
Cruise by local motorboat to visit a village of Laytu minority people, distinguished by their spider-net tattoos on their faces. Meet local residents and learn about their ways of life through your expert guide an interpreter. Continue on to villages of Cheik and Sinke people, famed for their hand-weaving, a centuries-old craft which the villagers will be happy to give you a hands-on demonstration of.
Visit Shittaung, “temple of the 80,000 Buddhas,” an impressive fortress-like temple. Constructed during the mid-16th century as a site for both prayer and secret royal ceremonies, the temple extends through a maze of tunnels constructed with sandstone six feet thick: the result is a haunting, labyrinthine complex, believed to house over 84,000 relics of the Buddha. Afterwards, visit the Andawthein pagoda, believed to house a tooth of the Buddha brought from Sri Lanka.
Return to Sittwe by boat and visit the Maha Kuthala monastery, home to antique art works and stupas.
Stop at the Sittwe fish market, where a cornucopia of sea life is sold wholesale for distribution throughout Myanmar.
^Top
Putao
A visit to the completely isolated Putao region is a wonderful addition to any trip to Myanmar, offering a glimpse of undisturbed nature that few travelers ever see. Inhabited by the Hkamti Shan people, the region was once known as Hkamti Long, or “great place of gold,” and borders both China and India. Because of the incredibly mountainous terrain, little to no infrastructure links Putao with the rest of the world. The climate of the region is highly diverse, ranging from sub-tropical valleys to alpine peaks, creating lush biodiversity perfect for eco-travel: hiking, biking, canoeing and climbing activities are all available, or just relax and take in the lush and largely untouched landscape.
Stay at the Malikha Lodge, a luxury resort lodge designed by Jean Michel Gathy of Amanresorts fame. Situated above the Nam Lang River, this boutique resort offers spacious rooms replete with teak wood baths, fireplaces, and stunning vistas of the mountains beyond the jungle. The intimacy of the lodge will make you feel like a guest at an exotic house party: a personal chef will cater your meals along a refined continental country style, shared fireside in the elegant main lodge.
Explore Hkakabo Razi National Park, home to Hkakabo Razi, Southeast Asia’s highest mountain. Part of the southern reaches of the Himalayas, the summit at 19,295 feet is one of the region’s main attractions for intrepid mountaineers, but the park itself is rich in wildlife and flora, and an exceptional place for exploring the natural beauty of the land. The park is mountainous and mostly filled with broad-leaved rainforest, but its close proximity to the alpine peaks has led to exceptional biodiversity, much of which has yet to be discovered.
Go birding around the Putao Valley. While only 127 species have been recorded so far, it is believed that many more unidentified species make their home in the lush Alung Dung valley. Known species include the Great Hornbill, Collared Myna, Collared Treepie, Brown Dipper, Chestnut-headed Tesia, Silver-eared Mesia, Red-faced Liocichla, White-bellied Yuhina, Burmese Shrike and Green-backed Tit. In addition, the region boasts a wide range of butterflies, and over 523 species of orchids & rhododendrons.
Trek through the wilderness to Visit Fort Hertz, one of the most isolated British fortresses in the history of the Empire. During World War II, Fort Hertz was cut off from the outside world for months after the Japanese occupied Burma, yet amazingly remained in British hands, and became one of the main bases for opposing the Japanese occupation.
Climb Phogun Razi. Located by the Myanmar–India border, Phogun Razi’s peak lies at 11,433 feet, making it a suitable trek for those wishing to scale the Himalayas. The trek will take you out of the subtropic rainforest and into a semi-deciduous forest, a notable change in climate as well as flora and fauna. From the peak, admire the lush valley and the distant mountains lining the horizon.
Go whitewater rafting in the Nam Lang River. A full day’s trip will take you through the mountains north of the hotel and into the exhilarating rapids that pass through them. Enjoy the pristine water rushing past you as you navigate technical rapids through tight bedrock canyon: once the danger has passed, enjoy your leisurely float downstream, which will drop you off at the foot your hotel.
Take a guided bicycle tour through the valley. Your guide will bring you around the valleys and mountains, stopping along the way to take in the beautiful vistas that the mountainous terrain provides. The more adventurous traveler can choose a more rugged trail for a thrilling cycling experience.
After a scenic hike, visit an ethnic village in the vicinity. Because of the region’s proximity to India and China, a highly diverse tribal community exists, with Kachin, Shan, and even Naga people living within the area. After meeting with the locals and speaking with them about their lifestyle, browse the local market and see some of the handiwork of the villagers for sale.
True to the original meaning of its name, Hkamti Long is still a place to find natural reserves of gold, and remains one of the region’s most lucrative jobs. With a local guide, go panning for gold in the river: if you’re lucky enough to find some, have a local artisan create a piece of jewelry to commemorate your trip to Myanmar, a souvenir literally “worth its weight in gold.”
^Top
