The exotic Asian country of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) is tourism for the experienced. For those who are already hard to surprise with the beaches of Turkey, Egypt, Spain, even Thailand, and Bali. This small country, close to China, will amaze you with its wealth of nature, clean air and boundless ocean, and ancient buildings. Rest here will take on a new meaning, and provide energy and peace at the same time. Myanmar is often called the "Golden Country" because of its wealth of gold-topped pagodas and temples.

How to get to Myanmar

The most possible way to get to the country is by plane. Although during the pandemic restrictions, this direction was almost at a standstill. Currently, tourist routes are being updated and Burma is starting to receive tourists again. In this regard, you need to be prepared for the fact that it may not be possible to easily and quickly plan and book a Myanmar vacation. You will have to make efforts to rationally plan the route to the country and find hotels with decent service.

Burmese tourism has its own characteristics, as it offers tourists a beach vacation on the shores of the Indian Ocean (at the same time, the beach coastline stretches here for up to 2,000 kilometers), and interesting and unusual excursions with an introduction to colorful architecture and untouched nature.

In order to enter the country, you need to apply for an electronic visa online.

Visiting the country requires the availability of medical insurance, by the way.

Therefore, you need to prepare the following documents for your trip:

• passport;
• plane tickets;
• Medical Insurance;
• certificate of vaccination against COVID-19;
• housing reservation;
• an issued tourist visa.

Where to go and what to see in Myanmar

It is interesting that the capital of Myanmar has been constantly moving since the time of kings who, trusting astrological predictions, were looking for new better places to create a new happy city. So what the capital will be like at the time of your visit is an unpredictable fact. Currently, the most visited city is the former capital of Yangon, which contains a number of cultural and historical sites of the country, such as the golden Shwedagon Stupa Pagoda (famous in the world for keeping Buddha's hair), the two-thousand-year-old Sule Pagoda, the Golden Stone on Mount Chaittyo (a kind of pilgrimage, since you have to walk 3 kilometers to get here).

Mandalay is the last royal capital, so here you can see the Amarapura Royal Palace, the Mahamuna Temple with its Buddha sculpture, and the "Book in Stone" of 729 marble tiles.

An endless number of pagodas and temples can be found in the abandoned city of Bagan. They were built at different times from different building materials, each preserves the spirit of ancient history and relics. For example, the Ananda temple, according to legend, preserves the footprints of the Buddha. For every Buddhist, this city is a kind of Mecca.

Visiting temples is possible only barefoot, even socks or shoe covers are not allowed. And it is worth following local traditions in order to avoid conflicts (due to the zeal of local Buddhists for observing traditions, some areas are completely closed to tourists).

The unspoiled nature of Myanmar invites you to get to know the local landscapes. One of the most popular tourist attractions is the Inle mountain lake, in the middle of which the Leaping Cat Monastery is built on stilts.

When is the best time to go to Myanmar

This country is warm all year round. But there are rainy seasons. From May to September, it rains every day, making excursion tourism difficult. So if you want to fully enjoy the impressions of this country, and not just relax on the beaches, then you should come here in the dry season - from November to February, during this period it is both dry and not so hot. And in order to immerse yourself in Myanmar traditions, it is better to arrive in April, when the Burmese celebrate the New Year. Tinjan is held - a water festival - entertainment for adults and children.

As for renting a vehicle, as in many Asian countries, renting a motorcycle or moped is a better option than a car - both in terms of budget and accessibility. Small planes fly between the cities, so you can visit many of the country's tourist attractions in a short time.

The local currency is Kyat. It is worth exchanging the currency with which you arrived for a local one (exchangers are in a circle, starting from the airport) since you will mostly have to pay in cash, dollars, and euros can be accepted, but at an unfavorable exchange rate for you. In general, staying in the country itself can be classified as a budget vacation (most of the vacation budget will be taken by the flight).