A typical first trip here runs about $300 to $400 per person for 7 days at a mid-range style, before flights. Get your own number from the Budget Calculator.
- Mohinga, thin rice noodles in fish broth with lemongrass and banana stem; the unofficial national breakfast dish
- Shan noodles, rice noodles with minced pork, tomato, sesame oil, and pickled vegetables from the Shan Plateau
- Tea leaf salad (lahpet thoke), fermented green tea leaves mixed with fried garlic, peanuts, sesame, and lime; uniquely Burmese
- Htamin jin, sour fermented rice mixed with tomatoes and potato; a tangy Burmese street staple
- Toddy palm sugar, used in desserts; harvested from palm trees and tastes of caramel with a floral note
- Thingyan (Water Festival, April), Myanmar's New Year celebration; streets become days-long water fights across the country
- Thadingyut (Festival of Lights), celebrates Buddha's return from heaven; homes and pagodas are lit with oil lamps and LEDs
- Ananda Temple Festival (January), thousands of pilgrims gather at Bagan's famous pagoda for one of Southeast Asia's largest Buddhist events
- Balloon Festival in Taunggyi, massive lantern balloons are launched into the night sky; a breathtaking spectacle
Burmese (Myanmar language) is official. English proficiency is limited outside major cities like Yangon and Mandalay but improving in the tourism sector.
" Locals are exceptionally warm and patient with foreign visitors.
- Remove shoes before entering pagodas, temples, and many homes, socks are also removed at religious sites
- Dress very conservatively at religious sites, long pants or longyis (sarongs) and covered shoulders required
- Use both hands or the right hand when giving or receiving items; the left hand alone is considered unclean
- Monks hold the highest social status, stand aside and give them priority seating on public transport
Latest for Myanmar
Updates for Myanmar will appear here as they are published. Every update cites official sources, so you can plan on it.