Traveling to Myanmar (Burma)

Myanmar or Burma (as it was traditionally called) is and amazing country still under one of the basest military dictatorships in the world. However, since some few years ago, the country has opened to the world and is now receiving many tourists. But the prices are increasing very fast, and if you want to visit, you better go now.



In many ways Burma is very unique. I went there with my wife in February 2012, during the Chinese New Year holiday, while we were living in Beijing. So, here I will give you an example of how prices are increasing rocket-high.

We were two persons, and we had two friends that had traveled together the previous year, at the same time of the year (also during the Chinese New Year holiday), and also leaving from Beijing. So, the point of reference couldn't be better.



Our friends were very happy with their trip, so we asked them to share with us their itinerary, the tourist agency that had used, and the contact person. They sent us the pdf with the whole trip plan. It was USD 850 for 9 days traveling around Burma to Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay, and Inle Lake, including guides, drivers, 5 star-hotels and most meals. It just didn't include the flights from Beijing and back to Bejing.

We forwarded the pdf the same person at the agency that had prepared the itinerary. We said we were friends and wanted the same trip plan. The agency had to send a new quotation because in that one year prices had increased. And that itinerary jumped from USD 850 per person to USD 2450 per person! In one year only!

If possible, try to avoid travel there during the Chinese New Year because that season is more expensive. This is when the great majority of Chinese can make a long trip. It's usually around end of January or beginning to mid-February.

I had to return three times to emailing the agency to let them know that we didn't have that money, and to put us in the cheapest hotels they could find. I reassured them every time that we were only interested in visiting their culture, and not in the comfort of a cosy hotel. Still I had to ask 2 times more to lower the budget ever more, until I realized it was safer to stop, because I was perceiving they were losing interest and taking too long to reply (because they have too much work at that time of the year).

At the end, the lowest budget we got was USD 1350 per person staying at 3 and 4 start-hotels. The trip was still amazing and unforgettable. But if prices had increased so much from one year to another, I wonder how high they must be next year in 2014.



http://amazingmagictrips.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-sacred-shwedagon-pagoda-yangon.html