Two Weeks In Myanmar – The Flawless Burma Itinerary 2017

The best Myanmar itinerary is typically around two weeks and should include a mix of culture and natural beauty that Burma is famous for. We suggest you spend your time inbetween the cities of Bagan, Inle Lake, Mandalay, and Kalaw.

We planned our Myanmar excursion last minute and in the middle of high season, the very first week of January. All we had planned was the very first two nights in a Mandalay hotel. We literally were researching hotels on TripAdvisor in the taxi on the way to the airport. Gratefully we found the ideal hotel with Bagan pagoda views right from our room and we booked it right on the TripAdvisor app on our phone. The below Myanmar itinerary starts and finishes in Mandalay it doesn’t matter if you go to Bagan very first or Inle Lake. It’s kind of a messy triangle hitting four of the best Myanmar destinations.

Spend at least two nights in Mandalay that way you have one utter day to see the nearby Mandalay attractions. Most tourists overlook Mandalay as they don’t realize there are tons of things to do in Mandalay. You can rent a bicycle or walk to many of the glances in Mandalay or join a Mandalay day tour. We hired a private driver for the day who drove us around for twelve hours for 55,000 kyat that way we could make up our own Mandalay tour and go at our tempo.

Get up early and head to U Bein bridge for sunrise, not only is a gorgeous sunrise but very few tourist and instead locals & monks crossing the bridge. The U Bein bridge at sunset is also superb but will be packed with hundreds of tourists. We had our driver pick us up at Five:45 am so that we got to the U Bein bridge twenty minutes before sunrise.

Have your driver bring you to Mingun which is an hour drive from Mandalay. Mingun eleven kilometers/7 miles up the Ayeyarwady Sea, there is a nine am daily Mingun boat from Mandalay for Five,000 kyat and it comes back to Mandalay at one pm. Our beloved temple in Mandalay was Mingun Pahtodawgyi, which is famous for the cracks running through it caused by the one thousand eight hundred thirty nine earthquake. Within walking distance from Mingun Pahtodawgyi is the gorgeous white Hsinbyume Pagoda.

Head back to Mandalay to check out the Mandalay Palace located inwards the moat. If you are up for an venture you can climb the stairs to the top of the Mandalay Hill or you can take a taxi to the top and then rail the escalator to the summit. We suggest watching the sunset over Mandalay from the top of the hill.

Recommended Mandalay Hotels:

• Luxury Mandalay Hotel $100+Mandalay Hill Resort five starlet resort located just outside the moat within walking distance several Mandalay attractions.
• Midrange Mandalay Hotel $50-$100 The Link seventy eight Mandalay Boutique Hotel four starlet hotel in the center of Mandalay with modern rooms.
• Budget Mandalay Hotel Under $50Hotel A1 #Ten hotel on TripAdvisor is where we stayed located right in the center of Mandalay, excellent value

Recommended Mandalay Restaurants:

• Bistro on 82nd #1 restaurant on TripAdvisor, puny European menu. We very recommend wiener schnitzel for 15,500 kyat. Address: 82nd St | inbetween thirty & 31th Street
• NOVA Coffee #1 cafe on TripAdvisor, popular cafe with excellent coffee and reasonably priced menu Address: A/146, thirty seven Street, Inbetween seventy nine & eighty Street
• Indian Tadka Mandalay We found this restaurant thanks to the raving reviews on TripAdvisor where many customers telling it was the best Indian food they ever had. It was pretty darn good, we recommend chicken tiki masala & garlic naan mains for Five,000k. Address: sixty three 64 On 27th Street | Inbetween sixty three & sixty four Street

Ko Fatty Mandalay Private Driver

Five Days In Bagan

When traveling to Bagan from Mandalay you can either fly, take the bus, hire a private taxi for $Sixty nine, or take a boat cruise to Bagan. We choose to take the boat from Mandalay to Bagan which took ten hours but it was truly relieving and scenic. You must book in advance, book online in advance here. We spent five days in Bagan and would suggest at least three nights in Bagan as there are over Two,000 temples in Bagan and you’ll need time to explore them.

As soon as you arrive you’ll realize why we are suggesting spending five days in Bagan. Our hotel was right at the edge of Fresh Bagan with amazing pagoda views. We spent the few extra dollars a night to have a pagoda view room in Bagan and it totally was worth it. Right from our balcony, we could see ten of the most famous Bagan pagodas including Su La Ma Ni Pahto, Dhamma Yan Gyi Pahto, Ananada Temple, Shwe San Daw Paya, and That Byin Nyu Temple. We truly lucked out booking this room for $60 a night on the TripAdvisor app.

1. Rent E-bikes in Bagan

Renting e-bikes in Bagan is a must and it’s the best way to see the best Bagan temples. There are e-bike shops all over and most hotels either have e-bikes for rent or they will have one of the e-bike companies drop one off in the morning and pick it up at night to charge it. Tourists are not permitted to rent mopeds in Bagan but honestly, e-bikes are just the same.

Bagan E-bike Rental Prices:

• 8,000 kyat 7am-7pm
• Two,000 kyat extra to have it dropped off at 530am for sunrise
• Two,000 kyat extra to bring it back after seven pm

Since we rented two bikes for five days we negotiated a little and get a few of the sunrise charges waived, prices possibly were cheaper in town if we would have shopped around.

Two. Get a Bagan Temple Map and go Explore

On your very first day in the city pick up a Bagan temple map. Most hotels have free maps and a few e-bike shops sell a more detailed map for 1,000 kyat. We suggest spending one day visiting the temples nearby each main city. You’ll honestly need a day in each part. We found ourselves spending more time at temples not even on the map. You’ll be literally driving down a road and see a temple in the distance and next thing you know you’re in the middle of the field attempting to find a way there.

Trio. Observe the Sunrise over the temples

One of our thickest Myanmar travel tips is get up early! Begin the morning early because Bagan sunrises should not be missed. Watching the sunrise over the Bagan temples never gets old. We suggest skipping the temples listed as a sunrise temple or sunset temple as there will be tons of other tourists there. Instead, the day before check out hidden temples off the tourist map. We attempted a different place every morning in search of the best Bagan sunrise temple and again in the evening for the best Bagan sunset temple.

Four. Hot Air Balloon over the temples of Bagan

One of the best views of the temples in Bagan is in a hot air balloon. Every morning we spotted the balloons over Bagan making for some iconic photos. We knew we had to get in a hot air balloon, one morning we woke up at five am to leap in a hot air balloon for an memorable morning. We soared through Bagan for over an hour with Balloons Over Bagan. Due to the drone laws in Myanmar, we didn’t bring it with but the photos of Bagan from a hot air balloon were just as good. Click here to book a hot air balloon over Bagan. Book months in advance the balloons are sold out four months in advance due to balloon only running five months a year due to winds.

Recommended Bagan Hotels

There are three main hotels zones in Bagan: Old Bagan, Fresh Bagan, and Nyaung-U. There are pros and cons to all options. Old Bagan is right in the middle and most likely the best location however if you rent an e-bike it doesn’t matter where you stay as you can drive from Fresh Bagan to Nyang-U in 2o minutes. We think Fresh Bagan and Nyang-U have the best restaurant choices.

• Fresh Bagan Hotel: Kumudara Hotel this is where we stayed in a pagoda view room, good pool, walkable to Fresh Bagan restaurants, | TripAdvisor Reviews
• Old Bagan Hotel: Thande Hotel Bagan | TripAdvisor Reviews
• Nyanung-U Hotel: Aureum Palace Hotel & Resort Bagan | TripAdvisor Reviews

Recommended Bagan Restaurants

We are only listing the restaurants we personally ate at. There are tons of restaurants that are much cheaper and serve local Burmese food. We have had several friends visit Myanmar and had belly trouble which ruined their time in Myanmar, so we opt to eat at higher end places in Burma.

• Nyanung-U: Weatherspoon’s was our go to place, we ate here three times and drove thirty minutes on the e-bikes just to have lunch here. We very recommend the chicken burger Four,700 kyat and tea leaf salad 1,900 kyat | Read TripAdvisor Reviews
• Fresh Bagan & Nyanung-U: La Pizza offers tasty wood-fired pizzas, we visited the Fresh Bagan location three times. Pizzas aren’t cheap by Myanmar standards 7,000+ kyat we recommend the pizza with arugula, fresh tomatoes, and parmesan shavings. | Read TripAdvisor Reviews
• Old Bagan & Fresh Bagan: Be Kind To Animals Moon one & Two

1 Day In Kalaw

If you are wanting to see a more rural side of Myanmar there is some superb trekking in Myanmar. One of the best treks in Myanmar is from Kalaw to Inle Lake. We suggest spending one day in Kalaw to arrange your trek. Treks can be booked the day before there is no need to book in advance. There aren’t that many things to do in Kalaw so no need to spend more than one day there before heading off on a trek. There are buses daily from Bagan to Kalaw, the journey is about six hours. The nearest airport is in Heho about forty five minutes away.

Recommended Kalaw Hotels

• Luxury Kalaw Hotel $100+Amara Mountain Resort
• Midrange Kalaw Hotel $50-$100 Royal Kalaw Hills Resort
• Budget Mandalay Hotel Under $50360 Kalaw Hotel

3-day trek Kalaw

There are a few trek options in Kalaw, the most popular is the seventy km 3-day trek from Kalaw to Inle Lake. There is also a 2-day trek to Inle Lake option if 3-day trek sounds too intense. Another epic trek is the 3-day trek from Kalaw to Pindaya. Both treks have stunning views visiting local Shan villages along the way. Hike through tea leaf plantations and gardens as the path goes up and down.

Most treks are done in groups of six but private treks can be arranged for an extra fee. The average going price for the 3-day trek from Kalaw to Inle lake is 40,000 kyat a person which includes all meals, accommodation, and a local guide. Don’t leave behind to peak the guides. My friend trekked with Ever Smile Trekking, you can email [email protected] to get prices and book in advance.

Trio Days In Inle Lake

Three days in Inle Lake is the ideal amount of time to check out all the things to do in Inle Lake and just love the lake. Inle Lake is a lot fatter than you think and it takes time to get around the lake. If you trek from Kalaw you’ll want a day just calming doing nothing. There are several ways to get to Inle Lake, it’s about 7-8 hours from Bagan or Mandalay. The nearest airport is in Heho, forty five minutes away.

1. Hot Air Balloon over Inle Lake

One of the best to see the lake is from a hot air balloon. Hot air balloons in Inle Lake is relatively fresh with only two companies operating. We were fortunate to get in a balloon with Oriental Ballooning for a 2-hour balloon rail. This is was our fifth hot air balloon rail and very likely our dearest. We began out low flying over the villages along the lake and the floating gardens. We eventually made it up to 7,000 feet above the lake.

Two. Rent Bike in Inle Lake

One day rent bicycles in Nyaungshwe for 1,500 kyat a day and just get lost. We railed our bikes out to Crimson Mountain winery for a peaceful afternoon taste-testing Burmese wine which was must better than expected. The winery is also a fine spot to catch the sunset. Rail bikes to the Htat Eian cave which has hundreds of Buddha statues inwards.

Trio. Inle Lake Boat Tour

Spend a day on the lake on an Inle Lake boat tour. We organized a private lake tour right at our hotel for $35 USD for the entire day. Our driver had a list of places to bring us but we often told him no to places as we weren’t looking to buy any souvenirs. Instead, we had him stop at local random restaurants over the water to have a beer.

Four. Witness the traditional Fisherman of Inle Lake

If you are fortunate you’ll spot a group of dudes fishing, Inle Lake fisherman are famous for their one gam fishing style. They have gam on the boat and the other gam packaged around the oar rowing. We happened upon a group of fisherman who appeared to be working together throwing the net and spanking their oars on the water to get the fish into the net.

Recommended Inle Lake Hotels

There are hotels spread out all around the lake but the majority of hotels are in Nyaungshwe. Nyaungshwe is where the bus drops off and the “major” town with tons of restaurants. Staying at a hotel located outside of Nyaung Shwe has its ups and downs. You’ll have to take a taxi into Nyaungshwe for dinner and nightlife options HOWEVER you will have gorgeous views of the lake. We choose to stay on the lake, our hotel was a 40-minute drive to town and cost 20,000k each way.

• On the lake: Amata Garden Resort this is where we stayed and very recommend this 4-star hotel right on the lake with gorgeous views | TripAdvisor Reviews
• In Nyaungshwe: Mingalar Inn this budget 3-star hotel is located right in town within walking distance to everything and is under $30 a night | TripAdvisor Reviews

Recommended Inle Lake Restaurants

Inle Lake has a broad range of restaurant options. We only had three meals in Inle Lake and one restaurant was so good we went back again. We very recommend all the places we ate and are still longing some chicken tikka masala.

• Innlay Hut Indian Food House #Three restaurant on TripAdvisor the best Indian food we have ever had. Get the chicken tikka masala, butter chicken, and garlic naan.
• One Owl Grill serves real coffee and breakfast all day. We had their soup, hummus, and fries all were tasty.
• Pub Asiatico Inle has a fine rooftop bar with Two,000k blessed hour cocktails. The inwards restaurant looks straight out of a magazine.

Useful Myanmar Travel Information

Booking Myanmar Hotels

If you are traveling during high season (November-February) we advise booking a hotel in advance. Myanmar is becoming a popular tourist destination and hotels book up months in advance. Research hotels on TripAdvisor to find one that fits your budget and needs. But, did you know you put your travel dates in TripAdvisor and it’ll give you the best rates on several booking websites? Most hotels you can actually book right on TripAdvisor.

We like having the prices from several websites given to us in one spot. That way we don’t have to search on several different booking websites. You can book hotels and tours right from the TripAdvisor app which makes everything so effortless. Like we mentioned before we literally booked our Bagan hotel on the app while we were in the taxi heading to the airport to catch our flight to Myanmar.

Traveling To Myanmar

The cheapest flights to Myanmar will be to Yangon but in this two weeks in Myanmar itinerary, we very suggest flying to Mandalay. There are direct flights to Mandalay from several nearby Asia destinations. We flew from Chiang Mai Thailand to Mandalay direct for $220 round tour (bags included) on Bangkok Airways, it was a quick 1.5-hour flight.

Apply for your Myanmar eVisa online in advance. We applied a week before our tour and we were approved within three days. An email confirmation will be sent to you, just print out your visa and present it at immigration.

If you are traveling around Southeast Asia we very suggest spending a week or two in Myanmar. Myanmar is switching at a rapid rhythm and traveling in Myanmar is becoming lighter – We suggest visiting sooner than later.

Have you traveled to Myanmar? What was your Myanmar Itinerary?

Our excursion to Myanmar was in collaboration with TripAdvisor but as always our opinions are our own. This article contains affiliate links. When you book on TripAdvisor through our affiliate sites, we earn a puny commission at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep things running at Getting Stamped. Thank you for your support!

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