Hello,
I am starting to plan a trip to Burma/Myanmar for January 2013. I've just started reading trip reports and figuring out what to do. We will have about 2 weeks, so we will want to fly places to save time. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with Air Mandalay's Discover Myarmar Pass? It looks like it goes to the main tourist destinations, Yangon - Heho - Mandalay - Nyaung U. It seems most on the forums had travel agents in country arrange all the internal flights. The pass is only valid for 3 months, so I will have to wait until later this year to book it, if it sounds like a good idea.
Thanks,
Carl
Getting around Burma by air - Discover Myanmar Pass
Recent Activity
View all Asia activity »
- 1
Wildlife Tour of India
- 2 Which flight from BKK to Chiang Mai should I take?
- 3 Cell Phones in India
- 4 Bali Private Driver and Profesional Day Tour Guide
- 5
Amazing Malaysia Trip!
- 6
trip report to tajmahal agra india
- 7 Hong Kong - how long to see highlights?
- 8 Photography Trip to Vietnam
- 9 white sand beaches in thailand
- 10 Elephant Visit in Chiang Mai
- 11 Udaipur, India
- 12 National Diet Building and Imperial Palace tours
- 13
Beijing To Tibet, Mt. Everest And Nepal All In 10 Days
- 14 Weather in Bangkok & Phuket in September
- 15 Suggestions for Asian visit Feb. 2014, incl. Singapore
- 16 9 PM arrival in Narita
- 17 where is best place to exchange left over Chinese RMB's for US dollars
- 18 Kanchanaburi - Toi's Tours
- 19 Thailand-Japan-China (is it a bad idea?)
- 20 Trip plans to SE Asia for 2014 coming together! Int'l flights purchased!
- 21 11 days in Japan, JR pass question
- 22 Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan tour suggestions
- 23 where to go in SE Asia
- 24
4 days with Orangutans Balikpapan + Camp Leakey
- 25 Proposed Sri Lanka Itinerary - any opinions welcome
The people I know who have tried to book it found it "not available." I had looked at it for my last trip, but found it didn't work out for us.
Be aware that each airline has a limited number of flights (because each has only a very few planes), so booking everything with one airline gives you fewer options on flight times.
Air Mandalay is the only airline that allows you to reserve tickets via email. At some point in the next year or so, I expect the airlines may begin to accept credit cards. For now, the most efficient way to book flights is through a local agent in Yangon. Be aware that booking though an agent means the agent can book you on the best flight times for your itinerary, and can quickly switch you to another flight if there is a problem.
You have 2 weeks, not 2 days.
We had the same time, yet didn't use any flights from when we landed from the UK until it was time to go home.
And the overland journeys by train, ferry and car were as much part of the Burma experience as the destinations. More, in some cases - the train from Mandalay to Pyin oo Lwin, ferry from Mandalay to Bagan and train Inle Lake to Thazi for onward train to Rangoon were all highlights.
Check out the info site I've created about Burnese train and ferry travel, www.seat61.com/Burma.htm
You will be kissing the ground after an air flight in Burma.
The planes are decades old, they even have ashtrays in the armrests.
The airlines have no idea how much weight is being loaded, because local stuff goes aboard before foreign passenger luggage.
8,500 feet is about as high in the sky that planes can reach, Mostly they're prop-driven Fokkers. They crash rather frequently as one did at Inle Lake while we were there last Christmas.
We flew Air Bagan Mandalay/Rangoon on a Fokker, and I wouldn't recommend it.
Burma is very 3rd world in terms of transport. Hopefully the air transport will improve now that sanctions have been lifted, but roads are going to be dreadful for years.