Myanmar tour packages

The long awaited liberalisation of the regime in Myanmar has opened up another gem in South East Asia. Travellers have tended to look elsewhere until recent years but now a country that many knew only through their history lessons and World War II can send a far more positive message across the world by returning tourists talking about all the great things that they have seen and done on their Myanmar Tour Packages. It has yet to get into some holiday brochures but that is certain to change because holidays in Myanmar have so much to offer.

Isolation has meant that Myanmar has not been affected in any negative way by outside influences so tourists can quickly get an understanding on how the locals live both in city and rural areas. There are many highlights that are worth describing to whet your appetite.

Yangon
Shwedagon Pagoda (The Golden Pagoda) is the highlight of Yangon, the modern day capital of Myanmar. It is covered in gold and diamonds and is thought to be over 2,000 years old. It is a vast complex that is unlike anything else in Myanmar and certainly worth plenty of time to explore properly. There are other pagoda as well as a notable synagogue and cathedral but they do not compare with Yangon’s real highlight.

Visitors to this city, formerly known as Rangoon, will see plenty of evidence of its colonial history. The influences of India, China and Britain have made this city, located in the very south of the Country, a very interesting place to start Myanmar Tour Packages.

Bagan
The first place to put into all Myanmar Tour Packages is this capital of the first Myanmar Empire up north from today’s capital, Yangon. Its archaeological content is a match for anything in South East Asia. Its history dates back 1,000 years and it is important to spend enough time here to see as much as possible. It is situated on the Ayeyawaddy River and of the 10,000 Buddhist temples, monasteries and pagodas that stood here at the height of the Empire over 2,000 remain today.

Angkor Wat in Cambodia is more famous but perhaps for no reason other than Myanmar was fairly isolated until fairly recently. Lovers of South East Asia should make every attempt to see both.

Mandalay
The Palace here was the last one of the Burmese monarchy and was built in the middle of the 19th Century when King Mindon founded a new city that became the national capital. It is the second largest city in Myanmar and has several religious sites worth a visit on a holidays to Myanmar:

•    Maha Myat Muni Payais a very holy pilgrimage site with 4-metre high Buddha statue, made of gold and precious jewels. Men can get a small pack of gold leaves to continue the tradition of decorating the statue.
•    Shwe Kyi Myin Paya dates back to the 1st Century. by Prince Min Shin Saw
•    Shwenandaw Monastery on Madalay Hill is made entire out of teak wood with beautiful intricate carvings.

The Beaches
Myanmar has a huge coastline on the Indian Ocean and there are beaches on both the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Most of these great beaches have an added advantage of being fairly quiet.
Ngapali and Thandwe are probably the most well-known and visited ones but Chaung Tha, Ngwesaung and the Dawei Region are making strides to catch up.The sand at times seems pure white and the contrast that it provides to the clear blue sea is a wonderful sight.

Inevitably the tourist infrastructure is not yet as you would get in other parts of South East Asia but the lack of numbers more than compensates for that. Myanmar Tour Packages ensure you will have time to spend by the coast as a means of relaxing during your holiday.

Other notable attractions
•    Inle Lake located in Shan State is located in mountains and offers cooler weather in stunning surroundings. There are several hill tribes in the region and transport on the Lake is on long-tail boat. People’s homes are on stilts at the side of the Lakeand a cruise on Inle is an absolute must; Myanmar Tour Packages will include that.

•    Pindaya Caves in Shan State up in the mountains above the Lake of the same name has thousands of images of Buddha made from a variety of materials ranging from teak and marble to cement.  There are many meditation chambers and you can expect to meet many people there doing exactly that.

•    Mrauk U is the ancient capital of Rakhine which is the coastal strip on Myanmar’s west where many of the Country’s great beaches are located. However it is history and culture that draws visitors here. Its trading created a great deal of wealth here centuries ago although it is now a fairly quiet small town that still has many reminders of its former importance as well as interesting temples and pagodas.

•    Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock)is a pagoda built high in the mountains on a gold-gilded boulder, precarious yet seemingly secure, above the town of the same name. It is in the south east of Myanmar three hours from Yangon.

Summary
Myanmar travel is only just starting to develop in any significant way and the quality of holidays in Myanmar reflects that. It will become a well-trodden path fairly soon so it is worth thinking about coming for a visit before numbers rise too significantly. Myanmar Tour Packages are in place to give you an introduction to the Country and those that have visited South East Asia before will see some contrasts as well as some similarities with what they have seen before and what is in front of them as they travel around Myanmar.

The people are naturally friendly and seem to enjoy meeting tourists who have been lacking from their lands for many years. They will not be again in the future as long as the government maintains its newly found, forward looking policies.