Getting to Myanmar

This might change at some point in the future but currently, overland travel as a way of entering the country for a tour of Myanmar is not a realistic option. It is possible to visit some areas along the border with Thailand but you really can’t get very deep into the interior from there. That pretty much leaves air travel as the way in. Much like the hotel prices in Myanmar, the number of flights and airlines serving the country are showing significant increases.

Most travelers to Myanmar first arrive into the country via the Yangon international Airport (RGN). The terminal is modern and the immigration and customs process were reasonably efficient when we entered and departed the country.

While not always available every day of the week, there are currently non-stops to Yangon from virtually every major airport in Southeast Asia including:

Bangkok, Thailand
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Guangzhou, China
Kunming, China
Taipei, Taiwan
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kolkata, India
Seoul, Korea
Singapore
Hanoi, Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

While in Lao, PDR in July 2013, we saw promotional literature announcing Lao Airlines plans to link Vientiane and Luang Prabang with Yangon in October 2013. (Note: This is being written in October 2013 and as of now; the flights have not been added to the Lao Airlines schedule.)

Bangkok Air has also announced plans to add a Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) to Mandalay International Airport (MDL) route to its current schedule between Bangkok and Yangon. That will bring the total of Thai airlines with non-stops into Mandalay to 4: Thai Smile, Thai Airways International, Thai AirAsia and now Bangkok Air. China Eastern also offers a non-stop to Mandalay from Kunming, China

Domestic Travel in Myanmar

During our 2+ weeks in Myanmar, we were passengers in hired cars, taxis, on river boats, lake boats, domestic air flights, express & local trains, bicycles and horse carts. We did not make use of the intracity bus service but were told by several people who did take buses that it was a reasonable option to train travel.

You can find more detailed information about our experiences on domestic travel in the following sections:

• Domestic Air Travel within Myanmar
• Malika River Cruise
• Train Travel in Myanamar including the ‘slow train from Thazi’
• Hired Cars & Taxis in Myanmar
• Horse and Ox Carts in Myanmar