5 Best Places To Visit For A Great Vacation In Myanmar

With its legendary kingdoms, gorgeous landscapes, diverse people and fine examples of architectural and archaeological marvels, Myanmar has long been a place of mystery and allure.From snow-capped Himalayan mountaintops to vast underwater reefs teeming with abundant life, Myanmar’s diverse beauty is absolutely unbelievable.

Here is a list of the best places to visit in Myanmar:

* Yangon

The ‘Garden City of the East” is most famously known as the home of Myanmar’s holy of holies – the 2,500 year old Shwedagon Pagoda. At 325-feet in height & covered in 60 tons of gold, Shwedagon’s shimmering glory dominates the city skyline. Although Yangon is much more than Shwedagon. There are a host of fine exotic hotels and restaurants, a burgeoning arts scene, rare antiques shops, fascinating markets, and even the nightlife is surging with new energy, Yangon is truly an urban experience quite unlike anywhere else.

* Bagan

The vast Buddhist temple-scape of Bagan, a legacy of devotion and monuments to power built by the Pagan Kings over several centuries, is not only a place of surreal wonder, but is without a doubt one of the greatest archaeological sites on earth. The 2,220 surviving temples (13,000 at its apex) can for the most part be explored quite freely. Modes of transport around the 40 square mile temple zone, include bus, car, bicycle, foot and hot air balloon!

* “The Golden Rock” of Kyaiktiyo

Located about five hours by road from Yangon, The Golden Rock is Myanmar’s 3rd holiest shrine, behind Shwedagon Pagoda and the Maha Muni Buddha. The true history of this gilded wonder resting precariously on the precipice of a mountain outcrop, is as shrouded in mystery as Myanmar itself. Legend has it that what keeps it from tumbling a thousand feet into the gorge below, is a single hair of the Buddha!

* The Lost City of Mrauk U

Mrauk U was the seat of power of the Arakan Empire that ruled vast coastal regions of western Myanmar and into India as far as the Ganges River. At its height the city was as wealthy, diverse and influential in the East as Amsterdam was contemporaneously in the West. The Arakan kings thought enough of their own well-being to enlist Japanese Samurai as personal bodyguards! Mrauk U today, with its great temple fortresses serving as little more than exotic backdrops for a collection of small rural villages, has a surreal feel to it, especially when shrouded in morning mist. That the only access is by river adds even more of an adventure feel of visiting this lost dynastic capital.

* Putao & Eastern Himalayas

The Myanmar Himalaya is virtually virgin territory, at least as far as foreign visitors go. The region is one of most bio-unique in the world, with an average of 30 to 40 new species of flora and fauna discovered each year. Putao is the gateway to Himalayan trekking for true adventure types, and is reachable only by air. For the luxury-minded, river rafting, short treks and bike jaunts are all available from the beautiful Malikha Lodge. Nothing like a delicious cocktail and a massage after a long day exploring.