Myanmar Travel Tips - A - Z Handbook

Passport & Visa

Before travelling aboard, the first thing you need to prepare is Visa. Each country has different requirements for the validity of the passport for entry, for Myanmar, your passport must be at least 6 months. So make sure it is still valid before departure.

Since 2014, e visa has come into existence making the procedure of getting a visa to Myanmar easier than ever. Tourists from 100 countries just need to apply on the website of the Myanmar’s ministry of Immigration and Population and pay a fee of 50 dollars for an e visa. For detailed procedures, check out the guides to get Myanmar e visa.

Furthermore, the tourist visa is also available in the Burmese consulate in case you can’t get an e visa. The fee to make a tourist visa is about 17 dollars. Both e visa and tourist visa are valid for 28 days from issued and cannot be extended.

Myanmar passport & visa

Entering Myanmar

You can enter Myanmar through 3 international airports: Mandalay, Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw or 3 land checkpoints between Thailand and Myanmar: Myawaddy, Tachileik, Kawthaung. Yangon airport is the main spot to enter Myanmar receiving international flights from Hong Kong, Tokyo (Japan), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Singapore, Chiang Mai (Thailand), Seoul (South Korea) and also Beijing, Kunming, Guangzhou (China). Mandalay airport only takes return flights from Bangkok.

Yangon international airport

Weather 

The weather in Myanmar splits into 2 seasons: dry and wet like any other South East Asia countries. The dry season begins in the late October and lasts in May while the wet one runs from June to the beginning of October witnessing the monsoon downpours.

From March to June, the weather is extremely hot and the temperature can go up to 40°C. During the rainy season, particularly from June to August, some parts of the country are inaccessible such as the Irrawady delta or the Bay of Bengal coast due to the constant downpours and tropical cyclones. However, the rainfalls also play an important role in helping the vegetation to flourish.

Bagan's plain of temples in the lush vegetation

The north part of the country is higher than the others having the low humidity and temperature.

The Best Time to Visit Myanmar is from November to February when the sky is clear with less chance of raining and the temperature is moderate. This is also the peak tourist season.

Clothing

Most of the tourist attractions in Myanmar bear the tropical climate features with the high average temperature and humid. Thus, it is better to bring light clothes or attire made of synthetic fabrics which are good for air circulation.

Light clothes are preferable when travelling Myanmar

In addition, the culture and custom in Myanmar are deeply influenced by Buddhism, when visiting the religious architectural works, people must walk on barefoot to show respect, a pair of flip flops is a smart choice. Tourists should also bring a scarf or something like that to cover legs and shoulders to entry these sites. If you want to visit the highland in the north, you should bring extra coats because the temperature here can be very cold, especially in the evening.

Dressing requirements when entering the temples in Myanmar

Currency

The major currency of Myanmar is the kyat. The local currency is widely used to pay for food, souvenirs or entertainment, however, US dollar is also accepted at hotels and restaurants. Although, there are plenty of ATMs in the tourist attractions, not all of them exchange foreign currencies to kyat.

Therefore, you should prepare a certain amount of money that you might spend on your holiday in Myanmar in the Kyat. The best and safest places to exchange currency are at airports and banks. Avoid exchanging in the black market or on the street for easy to be scammed.

The local currency - Kyat is mainly used

» You may want to read the useful tips for Myanmar currency and money exchange

These ultimate tips will help you a lot when you travelling to Myanmar. Bear in mind these simple guides and it is sure that you will have good time in this golden land. If you need further information, contact with our Luxury Myanmar River Cruises.