Myanmar itinerary help

Old Sep 16th, 2014, 08:59 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Myanmar itinerary help

I have been working with a Yangon based travel agent for our upcoming trip to Myanmar. I would appreciate some feedback on our itinerary:

1) The proposed itinerary is to fly into Yangon, follow the route: Yangon  Bagan  Inle Lake  Mandalay, and fly out from Mandalay.
2) The first sightseeing priority is Bagan, and I asked for 3 full days. TA told me the flight from Yangon arrives early in the morning and we only need 3 nights. I am a little comprehensive about reliable flight schedule. I could insist 4-night stay (and make day trip to Mt. Pope if we get enough temples), or request afternoon flight for Bagan  Heho on day 4. What is the experience of flight schedule reliability?
3) The second sightseeing priority is Inle Lake, and I indicated an interest in Kakku. TA proposed to visit Kakku on arrival directly from airport. I think it is far, and feasible only if we take very early Bagan  Heho flight (see my concern above). Suppose we arrive late and go directly to hotel near the lake, we should still be able to take a day trip to Kakku, right? Will it be a longer drive? Are we going to regret it if we missed it? In any event, we will make sure to set aside 2 full days for boat trips around the lake.
4) Once I am satisfied with enough amount of time in Bagan and Inle Lake, I can use the rest of time in Yangon and Mandalay. Definitely Shwedagon (sunrise or sunset time?). Is boat trip from Mandalay to Mingun on a private boat worthwhile? It is highly recommended by TA but I am not completely sold.

Once the itinerary is fixed, we would proceed with costing. Some questions:

5) Other than domestic flight and hotel, I am think of car service from/to each airport, and day trip to Kakku (if not on arrival day). We should be able to easily get around ourselves in the cities, hire our own horse-cart in Bagan, and hire our own boat in Inle Lake. Is this a reasonable assumption?
6) In your experience, is TA generally willing to break down and itemize the overall cost? That will help us to select only services of value to us.

Thanks, and looking forward for the trip.
foggy27 is offline  
Old Sep 16th, 2014, 09:29 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 33,288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You have made a good start.

If Bagan is your priority, stick to it. I'd insist on four nights so you have three full days. Flight schedules will reliably be changed... but if you are working with a good agent, they can switch your flights as necessary. Note that Mt. Popa has shrines to nats, it's not really a Buddhist site. I'd also insist on 4 nights at Inle. The easiest way to visit Kakku is between your arrival at the airport and getting to your hotel. Going from the airport to the hotel and then to Kakku means a lot of extra driving. Kakku itself doesn't take a long time, but you will want an hour or more to wander among the stupas with the tinkling bells in the breeze.

No need for an airport transfer in Bagan - they are easy and cheap; likewise, Yangon. I did have the agency set up transfers for us at HeHo and Mandalay, as those are much longer drives.

Yes, plan to hire your own horse cart at Bagan and your own boat at Inle. And taxis are plentiful in Yangon. You might want a driver in Mandalay to take you to the ancient cities sites that interest you - Sagaing was our favorite. I could have done without Ava/Inwa and avoid the monastery where they want you to watch the young monks eat. We skipped Mandalay our first trip, and we will likely skip it when we return to the country.

Personally, I didn't bother with the boat trip from Mandalay to Mingun. There wasn't much in the Mandalay area that was that interesting, and nothing, IMO that was compelling. I was glad I saw the Mahamuni Buddha.

Some agents are glad to break down costs, others prefer not to. The prices from agents for guides is very high (I rarely use guides anyway). If flights, hotels and transfers are all you are booking, I don't know that you need a price breakdown.
Kathie is offline  
Old Sep 16th, 2014, 01:59 PM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 143
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Just a few snippets to add to the great advice from Kathie.
2.All the airline flights leave on their milk run from Yangon just after dawn. The only delay is likely to be winter fog,if it is mechanical then they will put you on another airlines flight.You will be in Bagan by 08.30 for a full days sightseeing.
One other thought-we not consider to fly Yangon/Heho/Bagan and then the fast day boat to Mandalay?That of course would depend on flight timings.
Mandalay is a big dusty city dominated by Chinese but unlike Kathie I could happily spend 3 full days travelling around it including trips to Sagaing and Maymo.
Incidentally,many Agents will give a break down of pricing but if you are happy with the overall cost then you don't need to insist. I always recommend getting three quotes anyway.
hope this helps
SS
Silverswimmer is offline  
Old Sep 16th, 2014, 02:43 PM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 33,288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
SS, I don't consider arriving at Bagan at 8:30 to allow a full day of sightseeing, as I consider viewing the temples at dawn a necessity. But obviously, not everyone does.

We spent a day at Pyin U Lwin (Maymo) during our time in Mandalay, but I found the military presence absolutely oppressive. They are tearing down the old houses to put up McMansions for the military brass. Even the markets were filled with soldiers. Others might not have the same reaction.
Kathie is offline  
Old Sep 16th, 2014, 07:08 PM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 11,651
Likes: 0
Received 7 Likes on 1 Post
Of all the places we visited in Myanmar I liked Mandalay the least. We did spend a couple hours in Mingum and enjoyed it. The boat ride was cool and a welcome respite after a morning of sightseeing. We were there in the afternoon and it was virtually deserted. A guide attached himself to us and he provided some interesting insights. If you don't want to take a private boat you can take the public ferry which I believe leaves in the am and returns around lunchtime.
The drive to Mt Popa was also something that we enjoyed. Mt Popa is ~700 steps to the top and the view was great.
We overnighted in Pyin U Lwin on our way to Hsipaw. We were there on a Sunday and the military presence kathie described was nowhere to be seen. The botanical gardens were nice, but there wasnt much else there that interested us.
After much research on this board and elsewhere we decided to skip Kakku based on the length of the drive and the time it would take us to get there and back. I have no regrets about not seeing it. It was recommended to see on the way from the airport to your hotel.
I have only used a TA a few times. One trip to South America the agent wouldn't break down the individual costs and I found that very annoying. I think it's useful to make a comparision of what can each component of the trip costs. If one wants to cut cost how would you know what to cut without having a breakdown of costs?
Our flight from Bagan to Heho was delayed an hour or more due to fog. All the flights going into Heho that morning were delayed. We took a boat from Mandalay to Bagan and that was a great way to go if you have the time. The boat left early ~7am and arrived at sunset wich was lovely to watch from the boat as it approached Bagan.
yestravel is offline  
Old Sep 17th, 2014, 10:48 PM
  #6  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks for the thoughtful comments. My main concern is to allocate enough time for the most important site. I still regret we only had 3 days in Angkor Wat when we first visited it. As long as the priority is met, we should be able to enjoy the cities with the remaining time.

One question: Do we need to get the travel document from TA in person before checking into hotel? If that is the case, it will be handy to have pre-arranged car service on arrival.

I am moving to hotel selection phase, pretty much decided to stay downtown near main train station in Yangon, and Old Bagan. In Inle Lake, is it preferable to stay on the lake as opposed to the town? I guess the experience can be quite different.
foggy27 is offline  
Old Sep 18th, 2014, 02:01 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 143
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
If, as is the norm, you are paying the balance in $ on arrival then the Agent will arrange to meet you either at arrivals (look out for the scrum of welcome boards) or at your hotel to collect the $ and hand over your hotel coupons and flight tickets.
Taxis are easy from the airport-the taxi kiosk at arrivals may cost you a $ more but the cabs are more modern. Expect to pay $8 to $10 to downtown, much cheaper than Agent transfers.
Hotels-there are many good ones downtown in Yangon-dependent on your budget. I personally would stay in Old Bagan and also not on Inle Lake but at/near Nyaungshwe.
Ss
Silverswimmer is offline  
Old Sep 18th, 2014, 08:04 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 33,288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Ask your travel agent whether you need documents from them. Depending on how they have it set up, you are right, if you need to pay and pick up documents, it makes sense for them to do your initial transfer if you are staying in Yangon the first night.

We loved staying lakeside at Inle, though we chose a hotel that doesn't require a boat transfer. Some people prefer staying in Nyaungshwe. The important thing is to hire a boat and boatman and tell them where you want to go rather than following the "tourist route." Given your interest in Buddhist sites, you will find Inle fascinating with the unique iconography present in all of the Buddha representations we saw in the area. Do take a day to go to Sankar.

I agree that Old Bagan is the place to stay.
Kathie is offline  
Old Oct 11th, 2014, 12:02 PM
  #9  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks for the thoughtful feedback from everyone. Now we have the reservation nailed, it is time for some pre-trip readings on cultural and historical background. I have seen some threads on the topic, but have a hard time to locate it now. Can you help on that?
foggy27 is offline  
Old Oct 11th, 2014, 12:40 PM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 33,288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Here's an old thread on readings for Burma:

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...-bookshelf.cfm
Kathie is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
julies
Asia
10
Jan 13th, 2017 07:31 PM
Smeagol
Asia
35
Apr 8th, 2015 02:04 PM
jamintherye
Asia
5
Mar 23rd, 2015 09:19 PM
pitter
Asia
19
Oct 5th, 2014 08:41 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -