Overview

The nation of Myanmar is officially called the Union of Myanmar and is one of the largest nations of the region used to be referred to as Indochina. It is bordered by China, Lao, Bangladesh, and India on one side and Thailand on the other. The nation is ruled by its own military, which officially decided to change the name of the country from Burma to the traditional name Myanmar. This name change is widely controversial. European nations along with United Nations have granted recognition for the name change, but opposition groups, political dissidents, as well as large numbers of Burma emigrant in the United States continue to refer to their country as "Burma." Myanmar has a tropical type of climate, with a yearly monsoon season that delivers between 100 inches to 200 inches of rain. Average temperature ranges from 70 to 90 degrees throughout the country. Majority of the ethnic group follow Buddhism, and other religions are also in practice. Burmese, which is related to Tibetan and Chinese, is the official language of Myanmar.

Activities & Attraction

The beautiful country of Myanmar reflects an amazing cultural diversity. Buddhism, along with many other local religions followed by the people of Myanmar, makes it a culturally rich nation. The popular animals in Myanmar include tigers, wild buffalo, wild boar, antelope, deer, and elephants. The elephants are largely tamed and bred for utilization in harvesting of trees and lumber. More than 800 species of birds, monkeys, and gibbons are also found to be the natives of Myanmar. You can plan tours to the jungles from most of the cities; the tours are reasonably priced. Wild species are abundant too, including variety of venom snakes, gecko lizards, crocodiles, turtles, and reptiles.

Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar, houses many high-rise buildings, electrically lamped streets, several shopping malls, open-air markets, and sufficient green parks that offer a variety of shopping and sightseeing opportunities. The people of the country are friendly and open to tourism. Even the government of Myanmar is working hard to make it a popular global vacation. Major attractions in Myanmar include Shwedagon Pagoda, Aung San Suu Kyi House, Sule Paya, and Shwemawdaw Paya.

Lodging

Yangon offers variety of hotel and motel accommodations. It is a large city, home to more than four million people. The city is slowly becoming a popular tourist vacation with its increasing convenience for travelers. There are many bed and breakfast inns as well. Popular hotels include the Governor's Residence hotel, Savoy Hotel Yangon, the Strand, Traders, and Summit Parkview Hotel. Prices range from $50 dollars a night for average hotels to $400 dollars a night for the luxury hotels.

Transportation

Travelers can plan their trip to Myanmar both by air as well as by land. There are several international flights taking off to Myanmar. Domestic airlines such as Air Mandalay and Yangon Airways offer privately operated flights throughout Myanmar. Yangon International Airport is about 20 kilometers from downtown Yangon and is operational all the 24 hours. Mandalay International Airport is located 45 kilometers to south of Mandalay. The most preferred mode of transportation is inland waterways, because most of the cities in Myanmar are located near water.