Myanmar

Understand

History Like most of Southeast Asia's countries, Myanmar's people and history is a glorious mishmash of settlers and invaders from all fronts. The Mon and the Pyu are thought to have come from India, while the now dominant Bamar (Burmese) migrated through Tibet and, by 849, had founded a powerful kingdom centred on Bagan. The ethnic diversity of the region, and the dominance of the Bamar people in the central plains, set up the geopolitical struggles between them and the multitude of smaller ethnic groups surrounding, which have continued unabated until the present day. From the 9th century to the 19th century, the Burmese empire grew through conquests of Thailand (Ayutthaya) and India (Manipur), and shrank under attacks from China and internal rebellions.

Eventually, Britain conquered Burma over a period of 62 years (1824-1886) and incorporated it into its Indian Empire, and King Thibaw, the last Burmese monarch, was exiled to Ratnagiri in what is today India. Like in their other colonies, the British maintained control partly through a "divide and conquer" strategy, in which they deliberately stoked tensions between different ethnic and religious groups, resulting in ethnic and religious conflicts that have never been resolved. For example, bureaucrats were imported from India, and other government positions tended to be manned by locals from the smaller ethnic groups. Burma was administered as a province of India until 1937 when it became a separate colony. During the Second World War, Burma was a major battleground as the Allies fought the Japanese for dominance over Asia. The Burma Road was built to get supplies to China. The Thailand-Burma railway (the so-called "Death Railway") from Kanchanaburi in Thailand over the River Kwai to Burma was built by the Japane

See

Myanmar has not been a popular destination in Southeast Asia as visitors have been largely deterred by the country's volatile politics and restrictions placed on travel. But the political and travel situation has been improving notably since 2015. The country is a true, unspoiled treasure trove, and should capture the imagination of anyone interested in culture and history. Walking around Yangon brings you back to the time of 19th-century British colonial rule. Sparkling-clean parks and temples stand side by side decayed colonial-style buildings and deep potholes. Its cultural and religious attractions, like the Shwedagon Pagoda, add to the city's feel of exoticism, as do the smiles of the locals. Every street corner brings something new—and a short ferry over the river even gives you a glimpse of r

Getting there

Entry requirements

The visa situation in Myanmar is changing quickly and this has caused confusion even among immigration staff, and many guides and official websites are out of date. Check Wikipedia for visa policy.

Visa-free Citizens of the following countries may visit Myanmar without a visa for tourism provided they enter by air, and their stay does not exceed the following number of days:

14 days: Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, Thailand 30 days: Russia, Vietnam Citizens of Singapore may visit Myanmar without a visa for up to 30 days regardless of mode of entry. These visa exemptions are strictly not extendable. All other travelers are required to apply for a visa in advance.

E-Visa E-Visa are available for visitors from many countries, including most Western countries for US$50/tourist and US$70/business travelers (as of Jan 2020) through the Myanmar Immigration's web-site, which take 3 days to process. However, there is also an express tourist e-Visa service available on the governments website for US$56 (rather than the standard US$50) taking 24 hr (though sometimes just a few hours). Check the e-Visa website for details on which nationalities this is available for. The visa is valid for 28 day for stays beginning up to 90 days from the date of issue, and is single entry only. In order to apply, you will need to upload a passport-sized colour photo, and payment which is only accepted by credit card. Permitted entry points are: Yangon International Airport, Mandalay International Airport, Nay Pyi Taw International Airport, and the longtail boat crossing from Ranong, Thailand at Kawthaung Tourist visas are valid for 3 months. The visa is valid for a stay of up to four weeks (from date of entry), although you can overstay if you are willing to pay a

Getting around

Myanmar's infrastructure is in poor shape. Travel to certain regions is prohibited; for others, special permits must be obtained, and a guide/interpreter/minder may be mandatory - although whether these "guides" accompany you to look after you, or to keep you from going to places the government doesn't want you to see, is a question best discussed elsewhere. However, travel between the main tourist sites, namely Mandalay, Bagan, Inle Lake and Yangon, is fairly straightforward.

Restricted areas Much of Myanmar is closed to foreign travellers, and many land routes to far-flung areas are also closed (for example, to Mrauk U, Kalewa, Putao, Kengtung). Due to longstanding ethnic conflicts, many ethnic minority areas are controlled by armed separatist groups and remain outside the control of the central government. Thus, while tourists can travel freely in the Bamar-majority Burmese heartland, travel tends to be restricted or circumscribed in ethnic minority areas. In theory, any tourist can apply for a permit to visit any restricted area or to travel on any restricted land route. In practice, it is unlikely that any such permit will be issued in a reasonable amount of time, or at all. Permit requests can be made locally in some cases (for example, requests for the land route to Kalewa can be made in Shwebo) but, in most cases, the request has to be made in Yangon. Requests to visit restricted areas must be made at the MTT (Myanmar Travel and Tours) office in Yangon (Number 77–91, Sule Pagoda Rd, Yangon). Applications for local permits can often be made at a local MTT office or at a police station. Local permits are available only for the following places & routes:

Kengtung - Tachilek. This used to be straightforward but the availability is now uncertain. Mrauk U Chin/Zom