Overview to Myanmar: Travel Guide and Tourist Information
Regardless of whether it’s Myanmar or Burma to you, this is a country both of almost limitless opportunity and frustrating restriction in equal measure. Traveling here can be a test of willpower, but, once the red tape has been negotiated, there are few better places to experience.
Due to its political situation (Myanmar is at loggerheads with much of the West), large areas are, unfortunately, out-of-bounds for travelers. As a result, time spent here normally revolves around Yangon, although permits can be bought to access other parts of the country.
However, the hindrance needn’t necessarily be a terminal obstacle. There’s an absolute wealth of places to explore within the areas deemed suitable for tourists, and since few have made it to Myanmar, each site inevitably feels like a lost or hidden treasure in its own right.
Yangoon is riddled with buildings and monuments of historical importance. Today, high-rise tower blocks compete with its crumbing colonial ruins, while its busy streets teem with vibrant color and plenty of delicious smells to whet the palate.
The Shwedagen Pagoda is Yangoon’s highlight, and may well prove Southeast Asia’s least known wonder. Apart from the spectacle of its glittering spheres, the Pagoda fascinates for its abiding atmosphere, which manages to be mystical without becoming overtly religious.
If the Shwedagen Pagoda is Asia’s least known wonder, then Bagan must be its lost treasure. With around 2,200 pagodas, the whole area is a treasure trove of remarkable sights peppered over a stunning expanse of fields and bush.