Burma travel advice

Mark Huggins, from our supplier Undiscovered Destinations, shares his Burma travel advice:
“Near Kalaw there is a locally-run project which looks after former working elephants. It was one of the best things I did – you learn about the elephants and help wash them in the river which is amazing – and in a really beautiful setting. It also supports local community projects and microfinance initiatives. The elephants are very well looked after, a vet comes to see them every week, and only a certain number of tourists are allowed to see them every day. It’s not well promoted, the local people are just trying to use the project to protect the forest. After visiting hours, the elephants wander back into the forest, and the mahouts fetch them the next morning. It looked very well done; you can see the medical books for all the elephants with the vets' notes about their conditions.”

Culture tips

Barbara Bauer, from the organisation Partnership for Change, lives in Burma to support and develop responsible tourism initiatives. She shares Burma travel advice for travelling in a more sensitive way: “A respect for local customs is very important. It’s very Buddhist and very modest - yet people violate that standard all the time. The locals don’t say anything, partly because of language barriers but also because they don’t want to irritate tourists. Common sense should prevail when talking with the locals about politics and pressing them. If they appear willing to talk then that’s fine – ask them questions but don’t give deeply opinionated replies; political opinions are highly sensitive. So if a visitor says that Aung San Suu Kyi is perfect and never makes any mistakes and is quite vocal about that opinion, that’s not an appropriate conversation to have.”

Andrew Appleyard, from our supplier Exodus, shares Burma travel advice for those travelling to Bagan and Inle Lake: “What you should go and see – and most people don’t – are the war murals of Genghis Khan in Bagan. He invaded the whole of Burma, and there are incredible murals depicting the Mongol invasion. No-one ever goes to see them because they’re in a remote part and they’re quite dark, but you can take a lamp and see all the wall paintings – which are absolutely beautiful.

On Inle Lake, everyone goes to the floating market and that’s an absolute tourist trap. What you need to do is find the fixed market – get a boat there first thing in the morning when all the locals are there, buying meat from the butchers' tables and the vegetable stands. The land-based markets all around the lake are also well worth going to. We wandered round for hours there wasn’t another tourist to be seen in the entire market. We brought a travelling Buddha and as we left, people were touching their hearts and waving. We really felt that the money we spent there was going directly to the people we were buying from.”

Most visits to Burma are trouble free. However, there are several ways you can ensure your trip is as safe and enjoyable as possible.

Avoid travelling at night due to poor road conditions and insufficient lighting. Additionally, although Burma drives on the right, many vehicles are right-hand-drive, making driving and crossing roads more hazardous. Some fighting continues in border regions, and landmines are also found here. However, these are not close to the main tourist routes and foreign nationals are unlikely to be affected. Petty crime is not commonplace, even in larger cities such as Yangon. However, this may be increasing as tourist numbers rise – exercise the usual precautions, and avoid having valuables on show. Ngapali Beach resort is safe, but travel to the rest of Rakhine State is not permitted due to ongoing fighting. Avoid demonstrations and protests, and never photograph or film people in uniform, including the police and military. Independent travellers should be careful. Although some travel restrictions have been lifted, many remain, and not all destinations have been “approved” for tourism. Some regions may only be reached by plane or train – but not by road; others may not be visited at all. Homosexuality is illegal in Burma. Although the law is rarely enforced, people have been sent to prison in the past, and same-sex couples should act discretely. Families travelling to Burma with kids may be overwhelmed by how “hands-on” the Burmese are towards them. While the contact is not threatening, constant squeezes and petting can come as a shock, and can be unpleasant for the child.