Myanmar is one of our favourite destinations in southeast Asia. It is unique and fascinating place, so different from other countries around. It is one of the most religious Buddhism country in the world and you will experience this on every step. Myanmar has been opening for the tourists lately, but there are still many great places with almost no tourists around. The local people are just amazing, excited for their new future and freedom. The food is delicious and very different from what you have tasted before. We have made one of the great traveling memories there. Go there soon!
Places from the photo journey on the map
Visit the greatest wonder of Myanmar - the Schwedagon Paya, there is a nice walk nearby around a lake with great views.
Schwedagon Paya is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar, around 100 metres tall, covered with hundreds of plates of gold and thousands of diamonds.
Walk the streets of Yangon to see the daily life.
Make a trip to The Reclining Buddha, it is a peaceful place where you can rest on the ground with other locals trying to escape the heat.
Don't miss the biggest attraction in Myanmar - the ancient city of Bagan. It is a complex of thousands of temples from the biggest and most crowded ones to the smallest, hidden and abandoned.
Recommended option is to rent an electric motorbike and explore on your own. It gives you a lot of freedom and unique experiences. The place is huge, so renting a bicycle in the heat could be exhausting.
In the bigger temples, you can buy a local souvenir - Burmese sand paintings with Buddhism symbols. The vendors will tell you great stories about life of Buddha on the paintings. Take your time and listen to them.
Tip: Take with you coins from your country, locals and kids are collecting them. We had a nice talk on the top of one temple with a guy who showed us the life collection of his coins and notes.
In the smaller abandonded temples, you can find a peaceful atmosphere and solitude. Take your time there to feel it and think about the ancient times.
Visit the Skinny Buddha statue, it is a unique representation of Buddha, his meditation image.
Rent a motorbike and visit The Royal palace of Mandalay, huge complex of history buildings.
Visit The Schwenandaw Monastery, an original buddhist monastery made of wood. Amazing work!
Walk The U Bein Bridge - the oldest and yhe longest teakwood bridge in the world. It measures 1,2 km and it is still used by locals.
Watch hundrends of monks line up for their meal at The Mahagandayon Monastery. It is an amazing experience, worth to be seen even now when the place has become quite touristy and the moment could be little bit spoiled by people trying to take the best shots of the monks.
Visit The Shwe Oo Min Paya - a temple in a cave. Short walk from Kalaw centre, it is an impressive and quiet place. We were there alone with thousands of different Buddha statues.
Go for a trek from Kalaw to Inle Lake. It has been one of our greatest and unique experiences from Myanmar.
Walking through the mountain villages, you have the oportunity to see the real local life.
You will sleep and eat with the local people. Life hasn't changed much here, but it will soon, so it is the best time to visit asap.
Locals can cook amazing meals on this. The food tasted so great after the trek!
Life seems to be peaceful here, but the history wasn't.
We had a unique chance to sleep at a monastery for buddhist novices. That is a simple incredible place and we are thankful we could experience that. Recommended!
The novices at the monastery were from 4 to 12 years. Besides their duties, they are running around like every other kids and playing fotball with tourists. Awesome place!
The trek was an incredible experience thanks to our guide Mr. De Pak. We don't usually promote anyone, but Mr.De is a very special person. He is the best guide we have ever met on our trips around the world. He knows so much about Buddhism and Myanmar history. He has his own amazing stories from ruby mines, both funny and scary ones and he will make your trip a truly amazing and unforgettable experience. There are so many agencies and guides to choose in Kalaw and we are very thankful that we were so lucky to get Mr. De Pak by chance. Call him, you won't regret that!
When you climb down from the mountains to Tonsai village, everything is starting to get green. Rice fields, floating gardens, water is everywhere and people living in the middle of it.
From the boat you can see the traditional fishermen.
From Nyaungshwe you can make day trips either on a lake or around. After a peaceful treking in the mountains, Nyaungshwe could be a bit of a touristy shock, so try to explore on your own and avoid the touristy attractions.
Rent a bike and go for a trip to the closest villages. They are famous for dried tofu.
On the way you can visit for example The Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery
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