Burma/Myanmar

cson

So will have 4/5 days on a backpacking trip to give to Burma & I'm wondering if its worth it; basically the plan is below...

Fly Bangkok to Mandalay early morning Day 1
2 nights Mandalay Day 2
Boat to Bagan Day 3
2 nights Bagan Day 4
Fly back to Mandalay Day 5
Fly Mandalay to Chiang Mai same day Day 5

Flights/Accom/Transfers etc are working out to be circa €375

Is it worth it?

It'll be July so bear in mind no hot air balloons for us in Bagan.

Alternative is stay an extra few days in the Thai Islands & do Full Moon again (slightly older this time @ 27 though!)

Epitome of a travelling "two roads diverged" decision :pac:

Naid23

Burma is an amazing country so i would definitely say do that over the full moon parties.

Mandalay is great with plenty to do. Guest house i stayed in organised for my friend and I to do a motorbike tour with 2 local drivers and it was amazing. The teak bridge really is stunning especially at sunset.

2/3 full days in Mandalay should be plenty of time - As for Bagan, i was there in the low season we managed to see everything we wanted in a day. Gorgeous place but alot of the temples would be quite similar. I preferred the smaller temples as they had some amazing artwork compared to the larger temples which would be similar enough to ones you'd see in Thailand.

If you looking for a pub/party atmosphere then you wont really find it in Burma.
I would go back in a heartbeat if i could and hope to in the near future.
Happy travels!

Todd Gack

I'd also say go for it, I did similar to your plan in about the same timeframe but went to Yangon rather than back to Mandalay. There wasn't a boat at the time due to the dry season so I bussed it. Bus picked me up at the hotel in Mandalay and dropped me off at the next one in Bagan (about 5 hours) which was handy and a bit of a timesaver too. I also found a day in Bagan was enough, low season so few tourists about. Rented an e bike from the hotel for the day, it's basically an electric moped and great for getting around at your own time and pace. The temples individually aren't particularly interesting, it's only when you get to the top of one you get the full panorama and appreciation for it.

I quite liked Yangon even though it is just a big SE Asian city albeit a little more laid back. The Shwedagon Pagoda is impressive and close to downtown. There are overnight buses from Bagan too. Didn't take one myself but I believe there is a VIP one that has fully reclining seats

Naid23

[QUOTE=I quite liked Yangon even though it is just a big SE Asian city albeit a little more laid back. The Shwedagon Pagoda is impressive and close to downtown. There are overnight buses from Bagan too. Didn't take one myself but I believe there is a VIP one that has fully reclining seats[/QUOTE]

Yangon is really nice, Lovely walking round there. I did go on the VIP buses mentioned above and have to say they were nicer then 90% of the buses i got anywhere else in Asia. Plus the night buses save travelling time.

cson

Is it worth getting the boat from Mandalay to Bagan or is it a waste of time?