Welcome to Burma!

Welcome to Burma!!

Welcome to Burma, one of the most fascinating of all Southeast Asian destinations! The country now known as Myanmar may be one of the poorest of Southeast Asian countries, but at the same time it is one of its most remarkable – these two attributes blending together to make for a truly unique destination that is unique from anything else on Earth.

Burma is a poor country due to the policies of its military rulers, who for decades sought to fiercely protect the land from the influence of outside (foreign) forces. Yet even though these policies have led to the country becoming isolated and poor, they are also the reason why it retains its fascinating culture and customs. A trip to Burma is one of the few remaining voyages in the world that can still be considered a trip back in time.

A journey back in time

How far back in time you travel will depend on exactly where you head off to once in Burma. Comparing Burma’s sage old capital with nearby Bangkok for example, will lead you back maybe 30 years into the past – but on the other hand, trekking through the jungles to meet one of the many backwash hill tribes that still exist in this country and you will feel like you have travelled centuries back in time!

The old city of Yangon, although no longer the country’s capital, remains its biggest metropolis and most important city. Yangon is a place where time appears to have stood still, lookingvery much like one would expect gleaming Asian cities like Bangkok, Tokyo and Shanghai must have done 40 or 50 years ago. Traffic is almost non-existant in the city, and what little there is, is almost exclusively cars that come straight out of the 1950’s or 1960’s. The biggest attraction in Yangon is the Shwedagon Pagoda, a stunning 2,500 year old temple that will simply take your breath away.

Highlights of Burma

For more Buddhist temples and monuments, the major cities of Bagan and Manadalay are equally spectatcular, featuring dozens of centuries old structures in an equally charming, laid back atmosphere.

But perhaps the biggest reason to travel to Burma is its countryside – with its mountainous, lush green jungles and its diverse ethnic makeup of multiple different peoples. Travel to Shan State and its ancient capital of Taunggyi, a city of stunning natural beauty located as it is on the side of a steep mountain, surrounded by incredibly picturesque landscape.

Nearby Taunggyi is the incredibly beautiful Lake Inle, an enormous expanse of fresh water stretching out some 100 km from north to south, and almost 2 km wide in parts. The stunning beauty of the area is enhanced by the numerous man-mad gardens in the lake, created by building a wall surrounding it and then filling the middle up with loam from the bed of the lake, which privides an incredibly rich soil for the cultivation of beans and tomatoes, the two main crops of the people who live at the lakeside. In some parts of the lake, so extensive are these ‘island gardens’, that it appears as if Lake Inle is little more than a series of canals between plots of land.

There are dozens more exotic destinations to be visited in Myanmar – you could head North West to Pindaya, a fascinating place with spectatcular lakes and caves just waiting to be explored.

For eco-tourism, there are parks like the Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park or the Popa Mountain Park. If you’re a beach lover, head down to the coast at Kanthaya Beach, Ngapali Beach or the Chaung-tha Beach – each of them great expanses of golden sands and warm tropical waters.

There is so much to see and do in Burma, a special country that has many special delights to offer visitors, from its wonderful culture and friendly people to its breathtaking landscapes and superb cuisine – this is a secret paradise just waiting to be discovered.