Anna is a co-founder of Adventure in You and has been traveling the world for the last 9 years. She has spent time living in Thailand, Mexico, Indonesia, and Spain and is our local expert in these areas. Her expertise on travel, gear, and building businesses have been featured on Foundr, Business Insider, Yahoo Travel, and more.
Myanmar is one of those places that I urge everyone to visit sooner rather than later. When its borders first opened, it was a place that was pure magic. It was real, raw, and untouched. Although it is still a fantastic place to visit, the number of tourists that visit every year is on the rise. Myanmar is a country with amazing people, a strong and vibrant culture, with a landscape that is so varied and diverse. While planning a trip here can get overwhelming, here is our ultimate Myanmar bucket list guide to make sure you don’t miss out on anything while in this up and coming travel destination.
Editor’s Note: Download our free Myanmar Bucket List Guide Checklist at the bottom of this post!
For anyone heading to Myanmar, a trip to Bagan is a must! Between the larger than life experience of watching the sun rise over the many pagodas, or the incredible amount of history and culture that you get to experience, it is one of our favorite places in Southeast Asia. For those with a little extra cash to spare, we highly recommend you indulge yourself and splurge on the hot air balloon experience it is truly one of a kind.
Coming from someone who has been traveling the world for the last 8 years AND has been in the hospital 2x, travel insurance is something everyone NEEDS to get. Get a quote below!
Formerly known as Rangoon, Yangon is the busy city ushering Myanmar to the 21st century with its posh hotels, beautiful art galleries, and vibrant historic culture. There is an incredible amount of things to see and do in Yangon while you can easily explore most of it yourself, I recommend getting a guide for experiencing things like the circular train so you can get an inside glimpse of how most people in Myanmar live and get around. We recommend availing of the many guided tours that companies like Flymya offer. The insight given by local guides can be priceless.
While Mandalay looks like a busy city, spending a day or two exploring it is still worth it in our books as after all, Mandalay is home to a few of the most iconic places in Myanmar. From the famous U-bein bridge all the way to Mandalay Hill, here are a few of our must do’s while in Mandalay.
Climb Mandalay Hill (a must for its views)
Visit the world’s largest book in the Kuthodaw Pagoda
Watch the sunset by U-bein bridge as you admire the Taungthaman Lake
Visit the Shwenandaw Kyaung (teak temple)
Adventure to the clear waters of Dee Doke Waterfalls
Explore a few famous attractions like Atumashi Kyanugdawgi and Schwenandaw Kyaung
We've scoured the internet for the best ALL-AROUND travel shoe and Tropicfeel wins by far. We've taken ours through rivers, jungles, and cities and they're still alive and kickin'. Check them out below.
Both my partner Tom and I prefer being surrounded by nature rather than cities- which is why it is no surprise that Inle Lake is high up on our books. One of the most unforgettable things that my partner enjoyed doing was the trek from Kalaw to Inle Lake. If you enjoy local life and off-the-beaten-path adventures, we highly recommend that you include this on your list! It allowed us to see the real and rugged parts of Myanmar as we weaved our way through local villages and homestays.
Photograph and marvel at the traditional fishing methods of the locals
Go trekking from Kalaw to Inle Lake (or vice versa)
Visit the  Htat Eian Temple Cave by bike
Go on a boat tour as you visit places like Phaungdawoo Pagoda and  the Jumping Cat Monastery
Ride a hot air balloon and enjoy the beautiful views of the lake
While I could easily go on and on about the many must see and do things in Myanmar, the bits I listed above the main highlights. However, I would like to stress that although Myanmar is a place that has many beautiful things to see, the real highlight for me was the local interaction. Although the language was a barrier from being able to truly interact with a lot of the locals, we found them to be welcoming, hospitable, and always ready to give a beaming smile. Hopefully, this bucket list will help you narrow down on what to see and do in this beautiful country. Happy travels!
Interested to read more articles on Myanmar? Here are a few of our top posts
Thanks for the information.Excited to visit Myanmar.
Wow! No word to say anything. Great post and detailed description about Myanmar is amazing.
Thanks!