How Many Days to Travel Myanmar? The Best Myanmar Itinerary Offered

Myanmar is an amazing destination to explore for the old Asia charm. The city streets are old, dotted with British colonial buildings, golden pagodas, and small vendors selling snacks and fruits. The country roads are dusty, lined with small lodges. Sometimes, you may encounter cows, dogs, or other animals blocking your way.

Besides, there are over 3000 ruins of temple and monastery sitting on the land. The Burmese are incredibly friendly and welcoming. Most of them work in their fields every day, dressed in “longyi”, a traditional “skirt” wearing by both men and women. Except for Inle Lake, many hidden gems of Myanmar offer beautiful nature.

With so many sights to see, how many days are required to travel Myanmar? There are some suggestions offered for your reference to work out a perfect travel plan.

4-5 Days for a Glimpse of Myanmar

Within 5 days in Myanmar, you’d better base yourself in Yangon or Mandalay. As Myanmar's two largest cities, both of them have international airports, offering a convenient transportation.

Except for the most iconic Shwedagon Pagoda and the striking British colonial architecture visible in the downtown, Yangon has more to explore.

To immerse into this city, take a circular train to observe the locals. Some are chatting, some are taking a nap, and the others are walking around with their carts. That’s what they look like in their daily lives. Or head to its surroundings, Kyaiktiyo and Bago, to make a pilgrimage to the amazing Golden Rock.

As the cultural center of Myanmar, Mandalay boasts its fabulous temples and pagodas, for example, the old Shwenandaw Monastery built with teak wood.

Tour Mandalay Royal Palace to admire the grand Burmese architecture.

You can take an excursion to Mingun and Amarapura. Before the sun sets over the beautiful U Bein Bridge, visit Mingun Pahtodawgyi, an unfinished masterpiece, and Hsinbyume Pagoda, the most stunning and unusual temple in Myanmar.

Bagan is just about 3 and a half hours drive from Mandalay, you can also take an overnight trip to admire the thousands of Buddhist ruins.

6-7 Days for the Essence of Myanmar

Instead of a tight schedule, the 6-7 days tours to Myanmar enable you to focus on two or three regions.

If you are interested in history, Mandalay should be your first choice. In addition to the splendid temples of different styles, there are many opportunities to experience a different Mandalay.

Hike up Mandalay Hill or cruise Amarapura River for an impressive sunset. Or cycle around Royal Palace to appreciate the grand Burmese architecture. After the historical trip of Mandalay, 2 days of beach time in Ngapali is a perfect addition.

Hike up Mandalay Hill to enjoy a beautiful sunset.

If you travel Myanmar because of Bagan, you can combine the Bagan temple adventure with a Inle Lake boat excursion and the city discovery of Yangon. Or after the exploration of Bagan and Yangon, rest on the beaches of Ngapali.

Alternatively, a week-long luxury heritage tour in Myanmar takes you to soak up in the marvelous cultural heritages in Mandalay, Bagan and Yangon, which is definitely a well-worth for history buff.

8-9 Days to Experience a Classic Myanmar Tour

8 days are enough for you to experience a classic Myanmar tour, covering all the key destinations of Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan and Inle Lake.

Start your tour from Yangon, then transfer to Bagan and Inle Lake, and finally depart from Mandalay. At sunset, climb up one temple for a beautiful sunset. It’s hard to see such a scene that the sun drops over a pagoda in any other places of the world.

Optionally, begin the tour from Mandalay, pass through Bagan and Inle Lake, and finally arrive in Yangon. In Inle, enjoy a boat trip to cruise on the tranquil lake until the sun sets. Take out your camera and photograph the gorgeous silhouette of the leg-rowing fishermen.

Cruise on the tranquil Inle Lake until the sun sets.

If you are a beach addict, Ngapali can be added based on the classic itinerary. With a 7 kilometers long of white sandy beach, you can enjoy a sunbath under a palm tree or have some water fun in the turquoise blue water.

10-12 Days to Explore Myanmar in Depth

For those who travel Myanmar for 10 to 12 days, you have at least one full day to explore each destination. Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay, Inle Lake and Ngapali are all included. You can slow down your pace in these main destinations, or take your time to explore their surroundings.

As mentioned earlier, after the city discovery of Yangon, you can take a day out towards Kyaiktiyo and Bago. In Bagan, go for an extra exploration of Mount Popa, an extinct volcano decorated with gold shrines. To avoid the crowds in Inle Lake, take a longtail boat to tour Indein, a village floating on the lake, or to discover the more hidden village of Sagar.

If you want to encounter with the long neck ladies of Myanmar, we recommend you to go to Loikaw. You can also visit their traditional weaving mills. Everything here remains authentic.

13 Days or More for a Myanmar Tour Off the Beaten Track

Two weeks can assure you of a Myanmar tour off the beaten track.

For instance, you can hike through the hill tribes in Kalaw, a town with beautiful nature and rural scenery. A different way to transfer between Bagan and Mandalay is to take a cruise on the mighty Ayeyarwady River, the most common route taking three days two nights.

Take a cruise to appreciate the mighty Ayeyarwady River.

Or add an extension to Hpa An or Mrauk U. Hpa An is a small scenic town locating in a picturesque setting. Mrauk U is the most hidden gem of Myanmar and international visitors are hardly to see. To explore Myanmar’s unique culture, take a trek to Chin State to find the mysterious facial-tattooed women.

For trekkers, go further north to Putao to see snow mountains. Yes, the Himalayan mountain ranges are visible in Myanmar! Putao offers the views of Mt. Hkakabo Razi, the higheast moutain in Southeast Asia.

Summary

Basically, it is best to base yourself in Yangon or Mandalay that has an international airport when you travel Myanmar within 5 days. If you plan to stay for 6 to 7 days, you are able to focus on two or three regions.

The 8 to 9 days Myanmar tour covers all the key destinations of Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Inle Lake. If you want to have some beach fun, Ngapali is a great addition. And this will take you the extra 2-4 days. However, you can slow down your pace to explore more surroundings of these main destinations.

If you have two weeks of holiday in Myanmar, you get the opportunity to experience a totally different and authentic Myanmar.