Myanmar Travel

Land of Pagodas

Myanmar, formerly Burma, with an ancient culture and a religious tradition that have persisted right through to the present day, is a country of many different races and creeds, though little is known about some of the minority groups.

People who have heard of Myanmar know it as "the Land of Pagodas" or "Golden Land". Thanks to the predominance of Buddhism, the tourist will find himself choosing between thousands of temples and shrines.

In other European languages, Myanmar travel is known as voyage en Birmanie in French, Viajes a Birmania in Spanish, viagens à Birmânia in Portuguese, Burma reisen in German, Viaggi Birmania in Italian, Birma reizen in Dutch, Бирма тур in Russian, 미얀마 여행 in Korean, ミャンマー旅行 in Japanese, 缅甸旅游 in Chinese, ทัวร์พม่า in Thai.

Geography

With an area of 676.577 square kilometers (261,228 square miles), Myanmar is the largest country in the South East Asian peninsula - almost three times the size of Britain. In the north and east it borders on China, Laos and Thailand, and in the west on Bangladesh and India while the southern coast lies on the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. Today the country has a population of 53 millions people, neighboring Thailand, Laos, Bangladesh, India and China. Apart from a 1,400-mile-long (2,252-km) coastline, it is surrounded by a horseshoe-shaped ring mountains that forms a natural border of almost 4,000 miles (6,436km) with its neighbors. The main rivers are the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy), Chindwin, Thanlwin (Salween). and Sittaung. The lower portion of the Ayeyarwady valley was hit by a devastating cyclone, Nargis, in 2008.

Ethnic Groups

There are 135 officially recognized ethnic groups; a multiracial state in which over 100 languages and dialects are spoken. The majority of the people, about 70% are Myanmar (also called Burman or Bama). The largest minority ethnic peoples are the Shan (8.5%), the Kayin (Karen) (6.2%), the Rakhine (Arakanese) (4.5%), the Mon (2.4%), the Chin (2.2%) and the Kachin (1.4%), most of whom live in the border regions. Between 1% and 2% of the population are estimated to be Indian and Chinese.

Tourism Overview

Whether or not tourists should travel to Myanmar has been controversial for almost two decades. Some argue traveling to Myanmar could benefit the government. Proponents claim the more tourists come to the country, the better for the lives of local people, thus getting more exposure to the outside world and in return tourists will learn more about the secluded country. Whatever rhetorics are being used here and there, visitors should be well-informed and mindful of their choices while traveling in Myanmar.

Tourism Statistics

Myanmar tourism is slowly being paid the attention it deserves despite the global recession and the economic sanctions imposed on the country. According to statistics, 227,400 tourists visited the country in 2009. It was a 25% increase from 2008. A total of 47,161 European tourists visited in 2009, representing 20 per cent of total arrivals. France made up the largest group of European visitors, with 10,225 visitors, followed by 8788 German visitors. There were 14,400 visitors from the United States. Some 148,000 of the visitors last year were from Asian countries, including 42,700 from Thailand and 23,634 visitors from China. On the other hand, neighboring Thailand enjoys approximately 14 millions of tourists every year while 3.77 millions of tourists visited Vietnam in 2009.

Major Tourist Attractions

Bagan

Bagan, a symbol of Myanmar culture and its uniqueness, is a major attraction of Myanmar tourism. Temples and pagodas in Bagan were built one thousand years ago at the plain of central Burma. It would be like seeing hundreds of Angkor Wat in one place. Bagan is notable for the number and size of individual temples. There are as many as 4,400 temples in Bagan. The majority of those buildings were built during the height of first kingdom (11th and 13th centuries). Bagan was submitted to become a UNESCO heritage site but was not designated as a World Heritage Site. Many speculate of politics as partly the reason for the exclusion.

Yangon

In Yangon, the former capital, the glittering Shwedagon pagoda dominates the skyline of the city. This magnificent pagoda is the most sacred Buddhist building in ths southeast Asian country, with relics of Buddha enshrined within. To foreign visitors, the pagoda represents the best of Myanmar arts and culture. Its environs constitute a veritable museum of the cultural aspects of Myanmar.

Mrauk U

Along the Bay of Bengal, in the northwest corner, lie the splendid ancient capital city of Mrauk U in Rakhine State. This city boasts its exclusive, marvelous Shitthaung, Koethaung, Dukekanthein, Andawthein, Lemyethna buddhist temples and many other ancient pagodas such as Ratanapon, Pitaka Taik and Phra Ouk. Those were built during 15th~16th centuries. Present-day Mrauk U, however, declined to a small town, the Mrauk U palace site, several ancient pagodas and temples give rise to a fast becoming tourist attraction.

Mandalay

Mandalay, the residence of the last Burmese king, is a second largest city. The palace serves as a major tourist attraction. Rudyard Kipling's Road to Mandalay poem and the song by Frank Sinatra gave the world its first inkling of the exotic city. The other well-known places in Mandalay include the Great Mahamuni Image, Kuthodaw pagoda, Kyauktawgyi pagoda, Mandalay Hill and some famous ancient monasteries such as Shwenanadaw and Atumashi. In Kuthodaw pagoda, there are 729 large slabs of stone on which the Three Pitakas (complete teachings of the Lord Buddha) have been inscribed. Mandalay is also a place the largest number of Buddhist monks can be found in the world.

Inle Lake

Inle Lake is the second largest lake in Burma. It lies over 2900 ft above sea level and surrounded by mountains. Tourists visit Bagan to study ancient temples, but they travel to Inle to enjoy peace, quiet, fine weather and natural beauty. There must be few places indeed that can beat Inle in providing rest and recreation to travel-weary tourists. Speed boating across a vast, clear and calm expanse of water among blue mountain ranges is a thrilling experience rarely encountered in humdrum city life.

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