Comparing quotes from local agents?
 

We are planning our first trip to Myanmar for early January 2014 and have requested proposals for a nature/birding oriented trip of about 10 days from several agencies recommended on this board, Tripadvisor and Lonelyplanet.

We would prefer to use local agents to arrange our travel like we have done many times before in other countries (most recently in Botswana and Zimbabwe). We postponed going to Myanmar until the President and Secretary of State have gone and several groups have lifted their recommendations against travel to Myanmar. We do note from this forum that things are rapidly changing, but, want to use our hard earned travel dollars to promote positive change.

The disconnect between the pent up tourist demand, and the existing tourist infrastructure has me worried, and it has been challenging to get an idea of what the travel costs will be.

For example, Shan Yoma Travel states "Regarding the booking of flight and hotel, please inquire again 5 months before your travel date... price will be changeable with prior notice in case of increase of fuel charges and the hotel and room types may be changeable with prior notice depend on the availability of rooms...we don't know real situation in January 2014. Above tour price will be changeable in January 2014...it is possible to make hotel reservations in August. We can know the final price and we can give you at this time."

Reservation River Mekong said "you could book the hotels now also and as your booking dates will be next year peak season, better to book not later than 4 months ahead will be sure and easy for you to choose everything for you." They also mentioned that birding guides need to be booked "as earlier as possible" since there are "very few in number"

How do we manage our travel costs, especially since hotel costs are rising so rapidly? How are hotel reservations handled now? Are travel agencies just reserving rooms and then working out the details about how much it will cost later? How do we ensure that our reservations (once made) are honored (have read that some folks have shown up for their reserved room only to find that it was given away to someone else who just showed up at the doorstep earlier in the day)?

I have asked for proposals with guesthouses/hotels that don't have ties to the government, but, on Tripadvisor was told that this isn't such a concern now?

Thank you in advance.

Some of the hotels do not post their Jan. rates until 2-4 months prior to Jan. This was the case when we went in Jan. 2012. We had the TA reserve rooms when he could, and then he told us the rate when it was posted. That was before the big rush of tourists, so it is not a new policy. What is new is that instead of increasing rates by 5-10 percent year over year, the hotels may feel that they can and will increase their rates according to what the traffic will bear. Obviously the TA has no control over this. I'd still reserve the rooms as soon as possible if you really want to go because once the rates are posted, the rooms may not be available. You can always try to change your reservations if the rate seems ridiculous, or cancel the trip all together if it is way beyond your budget.

The hotels sign contracts with the agencies several months before high season (August last year). Until then, the agencies will not know prices. Likewise, flights are announced several months before high season.

No one knows what next high season will be like. There have been a number of new hotels built - will it be enough to meet demand? No one knows. The agencies are doing the best they can.

I have to tell you that Burma would not be a place I'd choose to go birding. Yes, you will see some birds here and there, but remember that the country has been in a state of civil war for decades. The areas in the far north and in the far west of the country are still off limits because of "civil unrest."

Go to Burma to meet the warm and welcoming people, see the lovely Buddhist monuments, both temples and stupas, to see ways of life that have persisted for centuries. If you see a few birds, great, but I wouldn't go thinking I was going to see lots of unusual birds.

Thanks for your replies. Actually several birding tour companies highlight Myanmar as the place to go for birding in SE Asia (e.g., Birdquest, Rockjumper, VENT, birdholidays). For instance, saying "ornithologically most diverse country in Southeast Asia" with nearly "1,100 species of birds." Although we are not serious birders (no life lists or fancy equipment), we have found that a birding oriented tour gives us a very different trip than the usual cultural tour. We have therefore organized independent nature/birding oriented tours in other countries before including Thailand (twice with Paddle Asia who we highly recommend) and Malaysia (also would recommend our guide but would have to dig up details). But, when we went to Lao six years ago, we were struck by the fact that we never saw birds, even along the river. It was scary. All had been hunted. Given the rapid changes occurring in Myanmar that can negatively impact on habitat (e.g., spoon-billed sandpiper)--we feel that it is good to support that aspect of tourism in Mayanmar.

Certainly Burma has inherent biological diversity. My question is whether you'll be able to see much of it. The places that are considered the treasure chests of biological diversity, like the Mt. Victoria area or the far north have been off-limits to travelers for many decades.

There are a number of biologists and botanists who have gotten permission to go to these areas. You might enjoy books by some of these people. Two I especially enjoyed are "The Weeping Goldsmith" by W. John Kress and Beyond the Last Village by Alan Rabinowitz.

Good luck to you!

Thank you Kathie for the suggestions for the books. Have ordered them from Amazon.

Several of the birding companies are now including several days in the Mt Victoria/Chin Hills area (kanpetlet), though we probably won't have enough time to go there. You are correct that several areas are still off-limits (e.g., border with China, tiger sanctuary, Sittwe--good area to see the critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper).