Myanmar Travel Tips

All visitors must have a valid passport. Except citizens of one of the eligible visa exempt countries, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, visitors from other countries must hold a visa. E-visa is available for tourism and business purpose. Tourist visa allows travelers to stay for 28 days and it can be extended for another 14 days. Business visa allows visitors to stay for 70 days. Transit visas should be arranged by hotels and Tourism Department in advance. Even if traveling with parents, children over 6 years of age must have a separate visa. Group travel visa usually is issued with the invitation of the travel company.

Myanmar issues visa on arrival to business people and tourists from 48 countries and regions, including ASEAN countries, as well as the United States, the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Japan, China, India, and South Korea.

The consumption level of Myanmar is not very high. If you don't require a high level of eating and living, then it generally costs 20,000K (Kyat) every day. Purchase of souvenirs like small handcrafts will cost approximately thousands of Kyats. Generally it will cost about 5,000K for an ordinary meal, 1,000K for street snacks, 300-1,000K for freshly squeezed fruit juice, and 18,500K for a ticket of VIP luxury bus from Yangon to Mandalay. A double room in an ordinary guest house costs about 30-60 USD.Official Currency: Burmese Kyat

Exchange: It can only be exchanged by US dollars or Euros without stains or creases.Banks in Myanmar do not provide foreign currency exchange service on weekends, and now there are many Money Changers which do not rest on weekends. The business hours is from 8 am to 9:30 pm, and the exchange rate is cost-efficient than that of the banks.

The use of credit cards or debit cards has not yet popularized in Myanmar. A very small number of hotels accept credit card payment, but 7% handling fee is charged. Travelers can withdraw deposit on some ATM machines by using VISA card, but other consumption basically needs cash payment, so pay attention to bring enough cash. There is no regulation of tip, but people are habituated to leave a tip. Restaurants usually charge 5% consumption tax, and some charge 10% service fee.
  a) Clover City Center Hotel, Yangon
b) Merchant Art Boutique Hotel, Yangon 
c) Royal Bagan Hotel 
d) Sedona Hotel Yangon 
e) Hotel Yadanarbon Mandalay Myanmar is a place rich in rice, so the staple food of the Burmese is mainly rice. Curry is also a necessary food on Burmese's dining table. People are used to drink morning tea every morning. The teahouses offer a wide range of choices like coffee and tea for customers. In addition to a lot of drinks, you can also enjoy a variety of snacks when you drink morning tea. There are a lot of unique local snacks made of glutinous rice, sugar, and coconut, and also many dishes made of fish and shrimps.

Fresh, spicy, salty are the main characteristics of Burmese foods. If you are not accustomed to such a taste, it is recommended that you prepare some instant food in advance, to avoid some unnecessary trouble result from dietary preferences.

Myanmar does not have an established tap water filtration system, and you had better buy bottled drinking water.

Bogyoke Aung San Market
The market is divided into areas for clothing, handicrafts, gems, seafood, fruits, vegetable, home appliances and other products, with more than 2,000 booths. Tens of thousands of tourists and locals come shopping every day. It is quite famous in Yangon and even in the country.

Jade Market in Mandalay
It is the most famous jade trading venues in Mandalay, and also one of the highlight tourist attractions.

Nyaung U Market
It is a local farmers' market in Bagan, selling a variety of vegetables, fruits, fresh food, dry goods, daily necessities, and a small amount of clothing and souvenirs. It would be very interesting to have a visit in the morning and experience the local customs.

Note: When buying jewelries, please remember to choose a legal market and ask for receipts and duty-paid proofs issued by the Myanmar government, which are must certificates for taking jewelries to leave the country.

Water-Splashing Festival
It in the middle of April has a history of 700 years. It lasts for four days, and the fifth day is the New Year in Myanmar. During the celebration, people splash water to each other, praying to wash away misfortune in the past year and begin the New Year with a desire of fortune.

Makha Bucha Day in Shwedagon Pagoda
Makha Bucha Day in Myanmar is around the full moon between February and March. It is the most important and magnificent Buddhist festival in the country. During the celebration, not only the monks chant sutras and bow to Buddha, the general public also come to present a bouquet and donate money, and the temple will prepare free meals and fruit for visitors.1. When eating, males should sit on the left side.
2. Visitors must take off their shoes when entering temples or pagodas.
3. Don't turn your back to or take photos of Buddha.
4. Don't touch anyone's head, otherwise it would be considered as humiliation of him/her.

Buying a local calling card is very convenient, with three main operators, Ooredoo, Telenor and MPT. Each card costs about 1,500K. Ooredoo provides 4G services now, and every airport in Myanmar has a telecommunication service counter.

Many restaurants and hotels offer free Wi-Fi service. Internet bars are everywhere, and the charge is about 500 Kyats per hour.

You can rent a Wi-Fi router at Yangon Airport from Telecom Square, Inc., which provides national wireless internet service at a price of $ 15 per day without traffic limitation. Power Outlets: Type C
 
Voltage: 230V
Power Frequency: 50Hz  Calling Code: +95
Fire: 191
Police: 199
Emergency Medical Services: 192
Travel Consultation: 252859, 378376, 374281