Starting from a few years ago, Myanmar has opened up and since then the number of foreign travelers has become to increase more and more annually.
Most of the world travelers become interested to explore the hidden attractions of this magical land.
Are you one of them? Wondering the trendiest activities to do in Myanmar? The below list will show you the most popular activities that will add excitement to your trip.
Drift together with Dolphins
Community-based tourism (CBT) has reached to top of the latest trend list in the Myanmar tourism sector since a few years ago.
CBT provides a win-win situation for both locals and tourists. Through CBT, tourists can experience the locals’ way of life and study their social, economic and environmental impact on the destinations.
On the other hand, it enhances educational and economic benefits for the host village.
CBT tour packages are favored by adventure travelers who love to explore new culture and traditions closely and get exceptional traveling experience.
Nowadays, many travels and tours agencies become to focus on CBT and there are around 27 CBT accommodation providers in Myanmar.
Being famous as dolphin-watching spots, Myit Kan Gyi and Hsi The Village are popular CBT destinations in Myanmar that have gained attention from adventure travelers.
The big community of poor fishermen and fisher-women in the villages welcome the idea to create a new tourist destination with a number of interesting additional livelihoods.
These riverside villages are easily accessible from Mandalay.
A boat and a pair of binoculars are enough for this wonderful trip for watching the nature of Irrawaddy Dolphins.
The Irrawaddy dolphins are renowned for their high intelligence. They cooperate in villagers’ daily fishing routine by chasing shoals of fish towards the nets.
The mutual relationship between the dolphins and villagers are strong and most of the dolphins even got their own names.
From this one day trip, you can learn the life and daily routines of the villagers as it is. If you are lucky, you will have a chance to witness those intelligent creatures closely and the way they help fishermen.
As these tours are meant for witnessing authentic nature, we cannot guarantee to see dolphins during your visit.
However, we can guarantee countless opportunities for magnificent photos and memorable experiences.
Defy Gravity in Bagan
Bagan, the seat of first Myanmar Empire, has been a wonderful heritage site and is the proof of exceptional skills of ancient Myanmar architects.
With its splendid temples and stupas, this 1,200-year-old city is 40.15 square meters wide and it is the perfect place to observe the splendid architecture of ancient Myanmar.
Being famous not only for the fabulous architecture but also for the breath-taking sunset view, Bagan has been a popular destination that raises the country’s tourism sector.
Floating over the greatest archaeological treasure house of Myanmar is no longer a dream! Nowadays, visitors can enjoy the bird’s eye view of Bagan by Balloons.
The balloon flight takes for about an hour. The extraordinary view of the glorious city which can be experienced from the floating balloons will be definitely more spectacular than your imagination.
With elegant Mount Popa in the east and sparkling Ayeyarwady River in the west, visitors can enjoy the impressive Bagan from an entirely different view.
Green-colored fields and reddish brick temples combine to make a heart-stopping view for the visitors.
Suitable flight period for ballooning over Bagan is from October to mid of April. It will cost around USD 350 per person.
Weather conditions are extremely important for the flight. Therefore, the flight may be canceled although it is booked beforehand. At the time, the visitors are fully-refunded.
Children under the age of 8 years, pregnant women and passengers with heart diseases are not allowed to book or fly for safety reasons. Children under the age of 16 years must be over 4’ 6’ or 137 cm in height and accompanied by a responsible adult. Passengers who weigh above 125 kg/ 280 pounds have to pay 100% surcharge of the ticket price.
Ballooning experience can also be enjoyed in Mandalay, Inle, Ngapali and Pindaya.
Witness the Night when Hot-Air Balloons Rule the Sky
During the eighth month of Myanmar Calendar, Tazaungdaing Festivals are held throughout the whole Myanmar and as part of the festival, hot-air balloons are released as a religious offer to Sulamani cetiya.
Taunggyi Tazaungdaing Festival has been a dream destination for every traveler. What’s special about it? It is not usual for you to see hundreds of hot-air balloons floating in the night sky, is it?
Taunggyi Tazaungdaing Festival is can offer you a chance to experience such a delightful scene!
This once-in-a-year celebration is held in Taunggyi, capital of Shan State, Myanmar. Not only Myanmar citizens from different parts of the country but also foreign travelers sacrifice their precious time to witness the impressive sparkling night sky of the festival.
For the year 2017, Taunggyi Tazaungdaing Festival started on 26 October. It was held for 10 days till 4 November 2017.
Thousands of locals and foreigners visited Taunggyi to join the fantastic festival.
On the opening ceremony of the festival, 2 Sein Na Pans and 2,500 small balloons were released. After that, the audience enjoyed Shan traditional dances and songs performances.
The festival usually starts to come alive in the afternoon.
Balloons with various shapes of animals – birds, elephants, and cows, etc. are released in the daytime.
The balloons released at night can be differentiated into two categories – Sein Na Pan (hot air balloons decorated with small lanterns) and Nya Mee Gyi (hot air balloons attached with firecrackers).
There are competitions for each type of balloons in which locals actively participate annually.
They put all of their effort to show their skills and creativity. It takes them about 3 weeks to prepare for the competition.
The balloons are usually decorated with artistic drawings.
Nearly 400 balloons will be taking part in the competitions this year. On the last day of the festival, winners will be selected by the association of the festival.
The responsible persons of the festival are very attentive to the security of the visitors and they even installed CCTVs around the area of the festival.
There are about 700 security guards patrolling during the festival for the safety of the visitors. The visitors also need to cooperate and follow the rules of the festival.
Feel the Beauty of Mandalay & Bagan from a Different View
Drifting along the Irrawaddy River to witness the peaceful scenery of Mandalay and Bagan is definitely relaxing. It can guarantee the satisfaction of those who are tired of traveling by land vehicles.
After this trip, you will be able to add some beautiful pages to your travel diary.
Since last few years, the Irrawaddy River, Myanmar’s largest and most important river has become a popular cruise destination for foreign travelers and Myanmar locals.
Splendid pagodas scattered along the bank are the key attractions of this tour.
You can feel the gifted nature of Myanmar’s famous tourist destination and learn the splendid appearance of the heritage. It’s like killing two birds with one stone!
Don’t worry about where to eat while you’re feeling the nature! The cruise packages usually include complimentary breakfast such as toast and tea/ coffee and afternoon snacks.
Moreover, most cruises have restaurants on their upper decks where you can get a large variety of options for lunch.
Some travelers choose to take a cruise here for their photography tours.
Always get your camera ready to capture the pleasant landscape of this beautiful place.
Every scenery is worthy to be in your shot.
Not to be missed is the sunset! This is the highlight of the trip!
Currently, Oway is offering day cruises from Mandalay to Bagan and vice versa everyday with RV Panorama Cruise, Malikha River Cruise and MGRG Express.
Willing to enjoy those activities and get one-of-a-kind experience? Reach us via support@owaytrip.com!
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