Travel Indochina has compiled a list of the top 10 things to do in Burma to coincide with the release of its '2013-14 Handmade Holidays in Thailand and Burma' program, which offers tailor-made itinerary options for independent travellers.
"Burma has much to captivate visitors, from beautiful temples and pagodas to idyllic landscapes and British-colonial architecture,” said Paul Hole , managing director Travel Indochina.
Now that the country is back on travellers' radar as a responsible tourism destination, Travel Indochina has provided its top 10 ‘must do’ attractions. They include:
Watching the sunset behind the thousands of intricate stupas dotting the Bagan Plains; exploring the floating villages and gardens of Inle Lake by local riverboat; visiting monasteries and convents in and around Mandalay, the spiritual centre of Buddhism in Burma; discovering the Irrawaddy River by boat; visiting the colonial hill stations of Kalaw, high on the pine-clad Shan hills and Pyin U Lwin in northern Shan State; visiting the golden Shwedagon Pagoda religious monument; relaxing on the pristine white sands of Ngapali Beach amidst swaying palm trees and joining pilgrims making the hike up Mt Kyaiktiyo to the extraordinary Golden Rock. “Demand for Burma has soared over the past 18 months,” said Hole. “Our bookings for Burma have grown year on year by 532 per cent.”
Travel Indochina offers a range of specialist tours through Burma, including seven and 14 day Spice Road Cycling itineraries, hill tribe treks, visits to elephant camps and regional cooking classes within Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan and Inle and overnight packages to areas beyond the ‘big four’ destinations.
These tours include a four-day itinerary comprising Pyin U Lwin hill station and the remote northern Shan State region of Hsipaw. New offerings for 2013 include a new cruise boat by Orient Express called ‘Orcaella’ (named after the dolphins unique to the Ayeyarwady), with 25 cabins featuring floor to ceiling glass doors open to the river. The ship will start cruising in July and will cruise to more remote regions of Burma such as the far northern reaches of the Irrawaddy and the Chindwin River.
The Handmade Holidays brochure also incorporates Thailand, which like Burma, is an increasingly popular destination, with a 50 per cent growth in the number of independent travellers and a doubling in small group journey passengers with Travel Indochina over the past 12 months.
Beach destinations remain very popular, supported by the emergence of a range of new deluxe boutique properties across the country, such as the Sala Lana and 137 Pillars House boutique properties in Chiang Mai, and The Siam in Bangkok.
Koh Phangan now is moving beyond a backpacker party destination, with a range of new accommodation options available for those that want to enjoy the natural beauty of the island.
Travel Indochina has compiled a list of the top 10 things to do in Burma to coincide with the release of its '2013-14 Handmade Holidays in Thailand and Burma' program, which offers tailor-made itinerary options for independent travellers.
"Burma has much to captivate visitors, from beautiful temples and pagodas to idyllic landscapes and British-colonial architecture,” said Paul Hole , managing director Travel Indochina.
Now that the country is back on travellers' radar as a responsible tourism destination, Travel Indochina has provided its top 10 ‘must do’ attractions. They include:
Watching the sunset behind the thousands of intricate stupas dotting the Bagan Plains; exploring the floating villages and gardens of Inle Lake by local riverboat; visiting monasteries and convents in and around Mandalay, the spiritual centre of Buddhism in Burma; discovering the Irrawaddy River by boat; visiting the colonial hill stations of Kalaw, high on the pine-clad Shan hills and Pyin U Lwin in northern Shan State; visiting the golden Shwedagon Pagoda religious monument; relaxing on the pristine white sands of Ngapali Beach amidst swaying palm trees and joining pilgrims making the hike up Mt Kyaiktiyo to the extraordinary Golden Rock. “Demand for Burma has soared over the past 18 months,” said Hole. “Our bookings for Burma have grown year on year by 532 per cent.”
Travel Indochina offers a range of specialist tours through Burma, including seven and 14 day Spice Road Cycling itineraries, hill tribe treks, visits to elephant camps and regional cooking classes within Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan and Inle and overnight packages to areas beyond the ‘big four’ destinations.
These tours include a four-day itinerary comprising Pyin U Lwin hill station and the remote northern Shan State region of Hsipaw. New offerings for 2013 include a new cruise boat by Orient Express called ‘Orcaella’ (named after the dolphins unique to the Ayeyarwady), with 25 cabins featuring floor to ceiling glass doors open to the river. The ship will start cruising in July and will cruise to more remote regions of Burma such as the far northern reaches of the Irrawaddy and the Chindwin River.
The Handmade Holidays brochure also incorporates Thailand, which like Burma, is an increasingly popular destination, with a 50 per cent growth in the number of independent travellers and a doubling in small group journey passengers with Travel Indochina over the past 12 months.
Beach destinations remain very popular, supported by the emergence of a range of new deluxe boutique properties across the country, such as the Sala Lana and 137 Pillars House boutique properties in Chiang Mai, and The Siam in Bangkok.
Koh Phangan now is moving beyond a backpacker party destination, with a range of new accommodation options available for those that want to enjoy the natural beauty of the island.
