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Travel Advice to Clients

We suggest that you pack a few necessities (a change of underwear, toiletries and medications) in your carry-on bag. You should also have a photocopy of your Passport and Visa in your carry-on bag and your itinerary. Your Passport should be kept in (preferably) a waist pack and separate from the copy. It is also advisable to put your name and address and a copy of your itinerary inside each piece of your luggage in case it gets lost. Don't forget to keep the copy of your passport in a separate place than the original and not in your checked luggage.

Dehydration and fatigue contribute greatly to jet lag, and there are some things that you can do to minimize the effects of long flights: wear comfortable clothes, drink a lot of fluid (water is the most important) and sleep as much as you can. It also helps if you get up and walk about the cabin of the plane from time to time.

As you know, common colds can spread quickly in a group and in an aircraft. To minimize the risk of getting sick, start the trip rested and healthy. Remember to pack a supply of vitamins and medicines you take for common ailments such as colds, allergies and stomach upsets.

CLIMATE:

The best time to travel in Myanmar is between the months of October and March, when rainfall is minimal and temperatures are more moderate. High temperatures range between 88-95 degrees, while lows are between 66 and 73 degrees.

CLOTHING:

The primary consideration is comfort – lightweight, smart casual clothing will be appropriate for all excursions throughout the tour; formal dress will not be needed at any point.

During the tour you can expect to encounter warm to hot weather, often with a high degree of humidity. In general the heat and humidity intensify as you head south. The weather can be moderately humid (typically 70-85% at this time of year), and periodic rain showers are common. For those travelers who visit during the period of May and October it’s essential to bring a collapsible umbrella and lightweight raincoat or poncho.

Note that due to Myanmar’s conservative society, ladies should plan to bring pants or longer skirts. For ladies, shorts are not generally accepted: men might be able to wear them, as long as they are knee length. In some places (outside hotels and some restaurants) we will be encountering Eastern-style toilets, which involve squatting. These are much easier for women wearing skirts, as opposed to pants. It is also advisable to bring a fanny pack or daypack to carry valuables; using a pack allows you to tour with your hands free, a definite plus when climbing into tour vehicles or taking off your shoes.

You may find that a walking stick or cane is helpful, as walking surfaces are often uneven, and there are many stairs and very few good handrails or ramps. Luggage shops or travel catalogs have collapsible models with a pistol grip, which give well and can fit in a suitcase when not in use. Please don’t forget comfortable walking shoes and a travel alarm clock.

At some of the temples that we visit during the trip, you will need to remove your shoes and socks before entering. I therefore suggest that you bring shoes that can easily be removed, such as slip-on styles. As it’s rare to find places to sit down while removing your shoes and socks, many find it easiest to wear shoes without laces or buckles.

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HEALTH:

Immunization against malaria prophylaxis is strongly recommended. We request you to consult with our family doctor. You should also pack bug spray (DEET) and sun screen in your carry-on. Bring the anti-diarrhea medication in case you have upset stomach.

CURRENCY:

Local currency is Kyat (almost pronounced like "[to] chat") and approximate currency exchange rate as of the writing are: 1US Dollar = 1100 Kyats

CREDIT CARDS, TRAVELLER CHEQUES, ATM-CARDS

Only a few well established hotels in Yangon and other major tourist destination such as Bagan, Mandalay & Inle Lake may accept credit cards (mostly Visa & Master), but charge an additional fee. It is virtually impossible to pay by credit card or traveller cheques apart from those places. Nobody will accept them, and most of Burmese would not even have the technical installations to accept them. The same is true for ATMs or any other cash machines. You have no direct access anymore to the cash on your bank account once you entered the country. The only chance might be a transaction through a local bank, but you will certainly face lengthy paper works and some additional charges.

EURO, Chinese RMB, Japanese YEN, Australian Dollars, Singaporean Dollars, UK Pounds

Some well established hotels in Yangon may exchange these currencies at a very bad rate and only in small amounts. Apart from these exceptions, nobody will change these currencies.

So there is only one foreign currency that rules the country: the good old US Dollar in cash. Take it with you, and plenty of it! (Remember: no chance of getting fresh cash once you are in the country.) Be aware that you will have to indicate larger amounts of cash at the immigration; this is, however, just a formality.

Exchanging foreign currencies in Myanmar

In most of the countries, you can exchange your currency already at the airport. Not so in Myanmar: There are practically no official exchange offices, and currency exchanging is a business done somewhere in the shades. Some tourists would simply accept relatively bad rates at the hotels' receptions. Most of the tourists, however, would leave it to their tour guides to change a certain amount for them.

Changing Dollars into Kyats

Take NEW notes with you! The paper must be almost fresh from the press, and the face of the American President must not be scratched. (The Burmese are very serious about that!) Nobody will accept relatively battered and worn notes, simply with the explanation that the local banks won't accept them. Do not take any notes that start with the numbers 'CB...' and 'CV...': Some years ago, a few fake dollars must have entered the country, probably bearing these numbers. So people active in the business still avoid dollar notes bearing these numbers like the plague.

TELEPHONE & E-MAIL SERVICES:

Even though telephone services are usable in hotels the charges are relatively higher than using an international phone card. Each minute called to any city in the United States can cost about $7. Services of sending and receiving e-mails are available at a couple of dollars for one e-mail address through hotel’s E-mail address. Checking mails such as gmails and other free mails are possible while some others like hotmail and yahoo are blocked by the only state run server. You will be pretty fortunate if a computer wiz who knows how to bypasss is present at some internet cafés in the streets of four major places of visit Yangon, Mandalay, Nyaung U (airport town in Bagan) and Nyaung Shwe (town by Inle Lake).

ELECTRIC CURRENTS:

The current is 220/230 Volts AC 50 cycles. Adapters should be taken into Myanmar as some hotels have inadequate supply.

VISA FOR BURMA:

All visitors to Myanmar must have a valid visa to enter the country. The validity for the Burmese visa is 28 days and can be obtained through the Myanmar Embassy in your home country or through a visa service. Make sure you send your passport at least 3 weeks prior to your departure to obtain visa for the embassy needs a number of days for the process.

Please remember when planning your trip to our country that your PASSPORT must be:
VALID FOR AT LEAST 6 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF YOUR DEPARTURE FROM BURMA.
HAVE ONE, FULL BLANK PAGE IN YOUR PASSPORT FOR THE BURMA VISA.