What to Pack for a Cruise in Myanmar

For many people who have taken a Myanmar River Cruise, sometimes they found themselves having fully packed suitcases but many items prove to be inappropriate for the trip while useful items are missed out on the packing list. The following article will help you answer the question of what to pack for a cruise in Myanmar based on the recommendations of experienced travelers.

Clothes

Tourists wear Longyi - the Traditional Costume of Myanmar

When going on a Myanmar River Cruise, you should pack two types of clothes. For the time staying on board, you should bring casual and comfortable clothes. As Myanmar is a country in the tropical region and the temperature during the day is relatively high, we recommend bringing shorts, T-shirt, and slacks.

On the other hand, when going on shore excursions, mostly are visits to Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries, you should wear costumes covering your shoulders and knees in order not to make any offense in these sacred places. These costumes should be made of light and sweat absorbable materials like cotton and silk. 

Footwear

Flip-flop is the Footwear of Choice for Your Myanmar River Cruise

When traveling to Myanmar in general and having a Myanmar River Cruise in particular, leave all your shoes and socks at home, bring one or two pairs of flip-flops is enough. This is because when visiting temples and pagodas, you will have to take off your shoes and socks and leave them outside.

Only large and well-known pagodas like Shwedagon Pagoda offer the shoe-keeping services, the smaller ones offer none, which means there is a likelihood that you would lose your expensive shoes when coming out. In addition, you would waste a lot of time tying and untying your shoelaces. And you might not know that the majority of Myanmar people where flip-flops during the day.

Sun Protection

Sunscreen is the Item that Should Never be Missed out

The best time for river cruising in Myanmar is often in the hot and dry season when the sun will accompany you all day long. In order to avoid sunburns, you should bring all necessary items to protect yourself from the scorching sun. Sunscreen (with 50+ SPF), sunglasses, hat and aloe cream (for relieving your sunburns if any) are items that should not be missed out. Remember to apply sunscreen all over your body, wear cap/hat to protect your scalp and use lip balm or chapstick containing SPF component if necessary.

The ships will provide you with umbrella or straw hat for you onshore excursions. However for the best comfortable, you can brings your own.

First - aid Kit

A First-aid Kit is Necessary for a Long Journey

Buying medical items onboard is often very expensive and sometimes you cannot find the kind of item that you need, so it’s always a good idea to have a first-aid kit by your side, just in case. Your first-aid kit should include: cotton balls, antibiotic ointment, gauze pads, band-aids, painkiller, antibiotics, aspirin and vitamin C. This first-aid kit will be extremely helpful when you get injured or ill while staying onboard and being in middle of the night and nowhere near an infirmary.

Items for Entertainment

Mobile Devices Prove to be Useful in Many Circumstances

Don’t forget to bring your smartphones, tablets, portable game players or book readers, they will keep you entertained when you just want to relax in your cabin. Moreover, as many cruise cabins do not have clock included, these devices are very convenient for checking time if you stay in a stateroom. In addition, don’t leave you camera at home. While sailing along the Irrawaddy River or Chindwin River, you will have many opportunities to capture amazing sceneries and moments and record memorable videos with your friends and family.

Nevertheless, the number of plugs in a cabin is limited and not enough for recharging your gadgets, so consider bringing extension cords and power strip if allowed. Still, you must check the cruise policy beforehand If you are not a fan of hi-techs, you can also bring books and magazines to kill time in the evening.

Now you have had a general idea of what to pack for a cruise in Myanmar. However, to prepare better for your cruise, you should also check out 5 Things to Remember When Taking a Myanmar Cruising Trip