Planning to go bagan at the end of the month.
Any recommendations of where to stay and what are the places to go?
I also plan to go on a self-guided exploration

When? How many days required for Bagan?

still considering whether to go 2 days or just a day trip. maybe 29/30th?
Plan to travel around using the ebike and just self-explore the temples.. and wait for sunset

Day trip only? Not tiring?

hey guys. just got back from a great trip from Myanmar. i ll try to put in as much info as possible as i go on, including cost, itinerary and some advice, etc. damn, kinda wish i could stay longer, but well.. only have that much days tho.

24th Dec - 4th Jan
(Mandalay - Bagan - Inle - Yangon)

before the trip:
- i made my visa @ the mentioned tour agency as per my previous post. at the current USD rate, it is much cheaper la if u dont mind going to KL for it. the visa can be done within that day itself if u apply it in the morning.
- i activated my atm card to enable oversea withdrawal. it is true. THERE IS MANY ATM at all the places we went. we did not withdraw any money eventually
- i called Citibank to ask if their credit card can be used there. Citibank told me it cannot be used in Myanmar as that country is still being sanctioned by US bla bla (@@!!). but no prob cuz thru out the trip we din need it (in our case la), cuz we brought enuf USD to exchange
- we checked the weather forecast. we found out that Mandalay, Bagan and Inle get pretty chilly and cold in the evening and during the night. we brought jackets just in case. the weather in Yangon is similar to KL tho. but since the humidity is different, it is pretty tolerable.

note:
1 USD - RM 4.32 (rate that i changed back home)
1 USD - 1,306 kyat (USD rate at Mandalay International Airport, as to 3 x 100 USD notes. more on this below).

24th Dec (KL - Mandalay)
- arrived at Mandalay International Airport
- changed approx 300 USD to Kyat at 1 of the bank at the arrival hall. There are a few banks across the hall, but the rates are not much of a difference, so just pick 1. we brought more USD, but decided to only change 300 USD initially, and then more in other cities as we move along down south. the casher did check our USD if they are pristine or not, but they accepted ours (no tear, no markings, not so obvious folded marks - 1 of mine has it, but i had flattened it out and they accept it... so no fuss). they have several rates. higher denomination (100 / 50 USDs) gave the best rates
- took the free Air Asia bus shuttle to city center. once you exited the arrival hall, the bus is just outside, so its pretty straight forward. show your boarding pass, off you go! do check this website for more info (http://www.airasia.com/th/en/MDL-Shuttle-Bus.page)
- there was a bus conductor on board, do check with him where is your hotel and how to get there. I assume he has his own service for day tour / taxi to hotel as i heard him explaining to others. we didnt as we know our hostel is walking distance
- checked into Ace Star BnB Hostel. approx RM 170 for 3 nights. we took the 8 bed mixed dorm, with ensuite bathroom. pretty basic room but clean. nothing to complain about (in Myanmar, u get what u paid). it was run by a Singaporean, and he was super informative and frenly. his staffs are great too! we booked our day tours and inter-city transportation thru them. they have a nice balcony area on top (lepak at night, breakfast in the morning, etc). breakfast included. free coffee n tea 24/7, there's a satellite tv as well!
- walked around the neighborhood, whack some local noodles, jalan around, went to the night market and walk to the church to see how's the xmas eve celebration (it was lighted up with wonderful colours but din join the xmas mass as it is happening late at night jer.. din plan to do much tho as we just arrived
- booked a day tour via the hostel fpr the next day @ 10,000 kyat each (share taxi). Bought the minibus to Bagan (for 27th Dec) @ 9,000 Kyat per person (it includes picking u up from your hostel and transfer to your hostel in Bagan)
- expenses : 1,300 kyat for 3 bowls of local noodles. 300 kyat for a bottle of 1L mineral water (everywhere sama jer, no matter what brand, as far as we came across la). dinner including 2 bottles of local beer @ 7,000 kyat (IIRC, both big bottles of beer is approx 1,500 & 2,000 kyat respectively)

25th Dec (Mandalay)
- day tour between 8 or 830 am (cant recall) to 6 plus - 7 pm or something (cant recall). since it's a share cab, another guest join us for the tour, thus 3 in a cab.
- destination include Mahamuni temple (camera fee @ 1,000 kyat), some monastery, Sagaing bridge, Sagaing hill, Ava (the day does not include the boat ride - to & fro, and the horse cart ride.), Ubein bridge for sunset, then balik
- its xmas and the hostel provided a nice xmas dinner for all their guest. nice huh!
- expenses : lunch at the jetty before taking the boat to Ava @ 4,000 kyat each (total 12,000 kyat for 3 main dishes for 3 pax). the boat to and from Ava @ 1,000 kyat, horse cart ride at Ava @ 5,000 per pax (we nego to have 3 of us in the same horse cart - 15,000 kyat in total). at Ava, 2 of main sights are included in the so called 'Mandalay Archaeology Zone' fee, so we paid 10,000 kyat for it (they will give u a card which u need to keep hold of it for the rest of your visit in Mandalay). why horse cart? well, it is possible to walk but its quite far thus between the sights time consuming. you would not want to miss the sunset in Ubein bridge eh!

26th Dec (Mandalay)
- decided to take a boat ride to Mingun in the morning. as we got up late, we asked the hostel staff about the fastest way of getting to the jetty, which they advice its better to use the moto taxi @ 2,000 kyat each. the boat leaves the jetty approx 9.00am. once we reached there, go to the ticket counter and purchase the boat tix (include the journey back) @ 5,000 kyat. you ll automatically know where is the tix counter cuz there will be a que infront of it. bring you passport (1 person among your group will do) as they ll wana record down your details.
- once you sampai Mingun (approx 1 hour boat ride), there will be a officers waiting for you to pay the Mingun Zone fee @ 5,000 kyat right up the road. oh ya, once you alight the boat, there will be touts asking you if you wana engage em for bull cart ride. We felt its unnecessary cuz the main sights are just walking distance. plan your time well, becuz the boat ride back is approx 1 pm or something
- in the afternoon, once balik from Mingun, took a moto cab to Mandalay Hill area @ 2,000 kyat to check out more temples around the area (it is all within walking distance)
- sunset at Mandalay Hill. then took a taxi @ 5,000 kyat back to hostel (we din nego hard). but well, turns out the taxi is a mvp, not sedan. so, ok la kot.
- extra expenses: lunch at the foot of mandalay hill (many choices near by the chinthe entrance) @ 3,000 kyat each. since we worry we might miss the sunset, we took moto taxi up to the mid point (car park area at Mandalay Hill) @ 2,000 kyat each (we din nego hard). actually, could have saved this 2,000 kyat when i thought about it after. lol. camera fee at Mandalay Hill @ 1,000 kyat. dinner at the 'makan street' near the hostel (just a block or 2 away, and many local food choices) @ approx 2,100 kyat per pax (we ordered 2 or 3 main dishes IIRC). 2 cans of local beer @ 2,400 kyat.

27th Dec (Mandalay to Bagan)
- took the minibus to Bagan in the morning. approx 4 hours plus journey IIRC. since this minibus is not cater for the international passengers, it does pick up passengers along the way. no biggy. found that it arrived as per the quoted journey time (not sure about other minibus company tho)
- before entering bagan, the minibus will stop at the Bagan tour office and all foreigners gotta pay the Bagan Zone fee @ 27,000 kyat. and once the minibus reach the last stop (Nyaung U), we were then transferred to our hostel as quoted.

more on Bagan later

This post has been edited by cradle0fFilth: Jan 11 2016, 12:50 AM

27th Dec (Mandalay - Bagan)
- .... cont from above
- checked in @ Ostello Bello hostel in New Bagan. turns out to be the best accommodation in Myanmar (IMO), and the most happening one as well! most backpackers around around the area hangs out here eventho they dont stay here. many restaurants around the main road, all which is walking distance. there's also some mini market, souvenir shops, book store, and there's 2 e-bike rental / tour services right in front of this place. pretty convenient if you ask me. very clean, very good staffs at the receptionist area, do request for a map from them. free cigar, free coffee and tea all day long. breakfast included no less. we paid approx RM 295 for 3 nights
- since we are approaching sunset time after makan and settle down, we rented an e-bike from 1 of the stall in front for half a day (actually less than 2 hours in total) to the recommended pagoda to check out the sunset @ 5,000 kyat which can accommodate 2 people (we din nego hard, i ges it is rather expensive since we used it for awhile only)
- other expenses: 1st meal @ bagan - approx 4,000 kyat per person. dinner - approx 3,000 kyat per person including a bottle of local beer.
- note : food is more expensive in Bagan as it is more touristy. we dont find any local joints (as in road side stall selling local dishes macam Mandalay) around the area.

28th Dec (Bagan)
- woke up early for the free sunrise tour organized by the hostel around 5.30am. requirement : must have an e-bike, which u can rent it across the hostel (they opened pretty early!)
- with a map in hand, just go around the plains of Bagan and explore.. we did it from early morning till after sunset.
- the e-bike battery can last damn long, as i just drive it slowly (batt full when we arrived back at the shop after dinner around 8.30 - 9.00 pm). we were afraid the gauge was faulty but it isnt. lol. total cost for the e-bike is 8,000 kyat, which is slightly more expensive cuz we took the 1 which can cater for 2 people
- earlier, we asked mt poppa half day tour for the next day via the hostel, but they dont provide such service. the yin fact recommended the same shop which we rented the ebike from. we opted the sunset Mt Poppa tour @ 10,000 kyat per pax (share cab) which starts from 3 pm and back after sunset on the next day. (the morning half day tour is slightly cheaper).
- since it is peak season, we booked our ride between Bagan and Inle this night itself as we afraid no seats later. we tried nego (well, we r msian ma) since we took the tour and rented e-bike from them twice, thus the manager agreed to discount 500 kyat per pax for the ride. total cost for 'minibus' between Bagan - Inle @ 12,500 kyat each (MORE ON THIS LATER). We did request the ever popular JJ Express bus, and they were fully booked (FYI - cost for JJ between Bagan to Inle is 20,000 kyat)
- extra expenses: lunch @ 3,000 kyat each, dinner @ 5,000 kyat each (a more 'posh' joint @ riverside). coconut drink during the day @ 1,000 kyat sebiji. we also bought a more detailed map @ 1,000 kyat

29th Dec (Bagan)
- did a horse cart ride to Old Bagan area to see the remaining temples / pagodas which we missed the day before @ 12,000 k for half a day (actually between 1030 am - 2.30 pm).
- Mt Poppa sunset tour 3.00 pm onward. we found out that we were sharing the same cab with 2 other people then.
- other expenses: lunch @ Nyaung U (cant recall $), dinner near hostel @ 4,300 kyat per pax, including a bottle of local beer.

30th Dec (Bagan - Inle (Nyangshwe / NS))
- so, we found that the 'minibus' quoted is actually a van, packed with passengers. not so comfy if u asked me (but during the purchasing of the tix, they stressed that it is the same 'minibus' similarly to those we took from Mandalay to Bagan. hmmm). along the way, they ll pick up passengers as it went along. journey was quite long, approx 9 hours IIRC. but they do sent you to your desired guest house and etc. along the way, they will stop for lunch, toilet break and etc. some guest who depart for Kalaw will be dropped 1st, before NS (the town beside Inle Lake). Kalaw to NS is approx 1.5 hours IIRC). i assume most of these guys will then do the 3D2N trekking to Inle, which we do not have time for it.. darn!)
- before entering NS the 'minibus' will stop at the local office which all foreigners will have to get down to pay the 13,500 kyat Inle Zone fee.
- other expenses: lunch during the 'minibus' lunch break @ 2,000 kyat

my take on Bagan, and some advice (i ges!):
- Bagan is bloody beautiful, especially during the sunrise and sunset
- those who want to take the hot air baloon, do book & enquire online before your trip! we were disappointed becuz it was fully booked thru out the dates we were there. its quite expensive tho. no worries about the safety, we heard and read that they r manned by very experience ppl
- for me, 2 full days is enough. with the e-bike and a map, just go get lost. i ges 2 full days can pretty much cover lots area, including those bigger temples and popular ones
- wake up early! this is because you can avoid the crowd which normally start their tour after breakfast
- ebike vs bicycle : we were advice e-bike is the best.
- sunscreen! it will be hot during mid day til 3 - 4 pm eventho december is their 'winter' season
- Bagan is dusty. wear face mask if u need to. we din la. bring wet wipes oso if u think u need em.
- slippers! IMO, opt for this as you will need to be barefoot masuk each ruins / temple. dont worry, nobody will steal your slippers. if want, bring it along in a bag and put it in ur bag lor. not much of climbing, except the sunset viewing temple
- wear appropriately : no sleeveless t shirts, and short pants must be covering beyond the knees. this is pretty much applicable for all temples / pagodas in Myanmar
- sunset viewing : get there earlier! it was crowded at the place we chose view the sunset. there are many places to do that (do check online or with your guesthouse / hotel) but we opted for the most popular 1 since we were near that temple nearing to sunset time approx 5pm. i cant recall the name of the temple tho
- it is cold at night (in Mandalay as well) during December. nice and chilly, but do bring a jacket if you need to
- Bagan is famous for lacquerware (as we were told). the horse cart driver did brought us to 1, and we bought some. interesting to know how it is made as well.

more on Inle Lake later...

This post has been edited by cradle0fFilth: Jan 11 2016, 12:52 AM

30th Dec (Bagan - Inle Lake / Nyangshwe or NS)
- ... cont from above
- checked in @ Nawng Kham - The Little Inn in the town - south west of the NS market (most people stays at NS town as it has cheaper accommodation and near to the lake) in the late evening. we paid approx RM 330 for 3 nights for a double room (twin bed). pretty basic room with fan, without aircon (you dont need 1). garden setting. walking distance to restaurants (aplenty!), mini markets, laundry, tour agency and the jetty (for long boat ride to the lake). very frenly and extremely helpful staff. no complains at all, eventho the unit we got was the older unit. breakfast included, of cuz
- after dinner, booked our long boat ride thru the guest house (we din go around the jetty to enquire - as suggested by TripAdvisor as we were tired after a long ride (my post above). we paid 20,000 kyat for the long boat for a whole day, including Indein ruins and sunset viewing at the lake (we din nego much). we asked about the itinerary, and the receptionist patiently explained to us according to the map hung on the wall. the long boat driver is 1 of their family members it seems. i ges it doesnt matter, the rate quoted is approx those comments i read in TripAdvisor.
- we also enquired about the express bus between Inle lake / NS to Yangon as again, we afraid it will be sold out due to high season. oh well, again JJ Express was sold out, thus we booked the ELITE express bus @ 20,000 kyat per pax (MORE ON THIS LATER ON)
- other expenses : dinner (local noodles + coffee + dessert) - 6,000 kyat per pax, we bought some Snickers choc bars for the boat trip pasal afraid might get hungry during the boat ride at the mini market nearby - 900 kyat each.

31st Dec (Inle Lake / NS)
- since the boat is ours for the day, we went out approx 9 plus am. life jacket and thick blanket is provided (it is cold during the morning and evening) and came back after 530 pm IIRC (after the sunset)
- 1st stop, some mainstream market (cant recall the name), which everyone goes to (std unless u request otherwise? not sure). upon arrival, there are already hundreds of long boats parked beside the market. i guess most tourist make this their 1st stop in the morning huh. since there are many stalls selling souvenirs, i would suggest to do some bargain hunting here. after that, we proceed some villages, some garden, some weaving factory, Inthar Heritage House (booked early if you want to have lunch here. it is extremely popular! we failed to get any seats), lunch, some important temple (cant recall the name) and then Indein ruins follow by sunset on the lake. lunch is not included in the long boat fee.. (we went to a restaurant on route to that temple and paid approx 3,000 kyat per pax for local food). we aint sure where to makan, thus the driver brought us to a restaurant not far from the temple (since its on the way). my suggestion is have a few recommended restaurant of your choices and inform the driver so that he can tell you which is feasible according to the itinerary. the lake is indeed bloody big
- we planned to do a day trek on the next day to the near by mountain, which we were recommended to seek for a guide at the tour agency just few blocks away. upon checking out the itinerary, we decided to take it. we paid approx 12,000 kyat per person (we din nego). according to them, its a private guide tour and the guide is English speaking as well. the shop does laundry as well at the rate of 2,000 kyat per kg. since it is close to our guest house, we din bother checking the price at other laundry (mostly situated near the market area according to the receptionist), we saja drop our laundry that night expecting to pick it up right after our trekking activity the next day
- other expenses : dinner @ NS town - 4,000 kyat + 7,000 kyat per pax including local wine & beer

1st Jan (Inle / NS)
- we started our day trek pretty late around 9.30 am
- itinerary include a uber cool cave temple, some villages, some viewing point over looking the town at the mountain, passed many gardens and more villages, lunch @ a local village house (damn paiseh, we got the whole dining room by ourselves while the family members and guides waited downstairs! =O), pass a dam and lastly passing thru a vineyard enroute to Red Mountain Vinery. here, you get the best freaking view of the town and lake! we sampai early, so we just chill and do the wine tasting @ 3,000 kyat per set (4 type of wine) while waiting for the sun goes down. its cool that we arrived early as it is very popular. after the sunset, we walked back to the town (approx 1 hour via the main road as it is dark after 6 pm).
- other expenses : dinner @ One Owl Grill off the main road - 7,000 kyat per pax (recommended)

2nd (Inle / NS - Yangon)
- the bus ticket include picking u up to to their office at the main road. waited for awhile, but eventually left Inle / NS around 930 am. the ELITE bus (based on the 1 i sat) is comfy with recliner seats and has huge leg space. it is 4 seater across express bus (compare to the popular JJ Express of 3 seater across, i think (?)). during the ride, they ll give u a bottle of mineral water, a box of confectionery & wet wipes. the journey was approx 9 hours (IIRC) with multiple stops for lunch and toilet breaks. oh ya, did i mentioned every seat has it's personal touch screen multimedia display? but the movies / music selection is ok saja la..
- we arrived at Aung Mingalar bus station quite late in the evening (approx 730+ pm IIRC). Once sampai, there will be lots cab waiting for u. nego well to get to the your desired hotel / hostel.
- other expenses : lunch at somewhere between Inle / NS to Yangon - 2,000 kyat per pax for local food

more on Yangon later...

very detail and informative.. thank you so much.. will be heading myanmar some where mid of the year.. will definitely refer back to your post.. thanks..

Very informative, thanks

Wait, still need to pay entrance for mingun eventhough u already bought mandalay zone admission?

How much total damage for 11 days all in?

This post has been edited by gaeria84: Jan 11 2016, 05:13 PM

sorry been bz

@gaeria,

approx 300 USD for all expenses during that many days in Myanmar, excluding flights and accommodation. there's approx 20,000+ kyat left which we changed em back to USD at YGN IA (refer to my post below)

nope, not included. Mingun has it's diff 'tourist zone fee'. the Mandalay zone fee covers few other places, but not Mingun. i think wikitravel Mandalay has the list.

This post has been edited by cradle0fFilth: Jan 18 2016, 09:34 PM

so, lets continue..

2nd Jan (Inle - Yangon)
- cont from above
- we reached the Aung Mingalar bus station after a long trip, around 730 - 8pm. But the bus was kinda comfy, and they made several stops for toilet breaks and stretch ur legs etc. Upon reaching the bus station, there will be many touts around asking where's the hotel u wana go etc. we picked 1 after nego, 4,000 kyat and told him to bring us to our intended hostel. But sadly, it took us almost an hour to reach the hostel as he is not familiar with the place (he did mentioned he knew after asking him several times before that, plus we gave him the address and etc). the hostel we were in is near he famous Shwedagon Pagoda, which is mid point to downtown. Thus, for those who plan to stay at downtown (Sule Pagoda and its vicinity), do check TripAdvisor for latest info on the pricing
- the hostel didnt disappoint (no 1 in TA!). very clean and helpful staff. toilet was awesome, comes with rain shower and toilet amenities like soap / shampoo dispenser. but hmm, the location wise, nothing much. some great restaurants within 20 - 30 minutes walk (so is the pagoda), nil nightlife going on nearby unless taking a cab to elsewhere..

p/s: all hostel we stayed had free towels, unlike many hostels i stayed which required us to 'rent' or etc

3rd Jan (Yangon)
- cab to Yangon downtown (alighted at Sule Pagoda) for 3,000 kyat (so, perhaps if you are traveling from Airport or the main bus station to Yangon downtown (both are nearby according to the map) should be approx 7,000 - 8000 kyat?)
- did the walking tour around Yangon downtown (map and info can is easily available via lonely planet).
note: Sule Pagoda was under renovation (it was covered) during then. but it is still open to the public (we didnt plan to go in anyway)
- did the Shwedagon Pago in the evening (we were advice to go during the evening (sunset time) as the sunlight hitting the huge pagoda is the highlight!). now, the entrance fee is 8,000 kyat. we took the southern entrance i think (which has escalator) cuz it is the nearest entrance relative to where we were walking from. once you reach the ticket office, i was asked to purchase a longyi as i am wearing a short pants (but it was covering my knees) @ 5,000 kyat (well, plan to get 1 to bring home anyway, so i didnt reli reject the ticket counter). but i do noticed that many tourist has their short pants on and etc, thus i assume that some entrances (there's 4 in total) are not so 'pushy' as compare to the 1 we went with

p/s: all hostels seems to have lonely planets, local guides (in english) which you can borrow for the day while you roam around!

4th Jan (Yangon - KL)
- cab to see Aung San Syu Khi's house @ 3,000 kyat each way (i didnt follow. But it seems the best view was from the west side of the lake according to the picture i saw la. the main entrance was just the gate, cant see much)
- cab to airport (arranged via our hostel) @ 7,000 kyat. we left early as we were afraid there will be traffic jam due to rush hour
- Yangon International Airport : nothin much going on as expected. there's 1 or 2 restaurants before going into the departure hall, and 2 or 3 (cafes) near the terminal after checking in (with free wifi). There's some souvenirs shop as expected. Most importantly, change those remaining kyat back to USD there! apart from the smaller notes (100, 200, or maybe 500 kyat), they ll accept em and give you back in USD. again, not much difference among the available money changers / banks, so just pick 1 on the go.

well, that's it! i hope my trip review do help those who are going soon. do let me know la if you need more info etc and i ll try to recall back.

Myanmar is awesome. i bloody love both Bagan and Inle. Would love to stay another week or so longer to check out the the Gokteik viaduct train ride (Mandalay to Hsipaw), Golden Rock (can do 1 day trip from Yangon), Ngapali beaches / Mrauk U ruins in the west, 3D2N trek from Kalaw to Inle... but we just cant fit them all in our 12 days itinerary.

Anyway, cheers

Great and very detailed review.

I can't decide where to stay in Bagan. New Bagan or Nyaung U?
How far are they apart to the pagodas for sunrise/sunset?

Hey guys, any suggestion on best place to stay in Mandalay and Yangon? (Affordable, and must be clean)

Also, best way to travel Mandalay -> Yangon. I'm going end of feb and these are the only things left to be decided.

IMO, by bus
if via flying, it will be quite expensive

Aite, thanks man

myanmar... the killer country...

what u mean by the killer country

dont you know they kill their own citizens (rohigya)

Went to Myanmar for 3 weeks about two months ago, still having nostalgia
Will post the itinerary when it's ready

Here's a teaser (sort of )


This post has been edited by gaeria84: Mar 8 2016, 09:55 PM