Burma Travel Culture & Business Information

Burma girl is a well know expression not only since Kipling, also today Burma has lots of very pretty girls, most of the time wrapped up in long costumes and traditional longiys.

Burmese days are usually hot as it is normal in a tropical region but in the north of the country glaciers and snow cover the mountains bringing a very divers weather pattern.

It is not advisable to visit Burma during the monsoon season it rains everyday there is constant flooding in particular in the Irrawaddy Delta and all hotel at the beaches are closed down.

Burma or Myanmar

is the largest country in Southeast Asia.

Burma is about 2000 km (1300 miles) from the lofty mountains of the Burmese Himalayas in the north to the tropical waters of the Andaman Sea at Kawthaung , the former Victoria Point. opposite Ranong in Thailand

From east to west Burma is about 900 km (570 miles) from the Naaf river on the Bangladesh border to the Mekong river at the border to Laos.

A horseshoe of mountains extending from the Himalayas forms the natural mountain border of Burma with Bangladesh and India in the west, with China in the north and northeast, and with Laos and Thailand in the east and southeast.

Mount Hkakabo Razi (5885 meters or 19296 ft.), is the highest peak in Burma and South East Asia, lies in Naungmong township, Kachin State, at the very north of Burma. The snow peaks of the northern Burmese mountains would be a ideal place to ski, they have been explored by several British adventurer, the military and botanists during Anglo Burmese or colonial times.

Where the three borders of China, India and Burma meet is the famous Diphu Pass, a strategic important point. Mountain streams from these slopes flow south to make the twin-rivulets Meikha and Malikha, which later conjoin (just above the Kachin capital Myitkyina) to form the Irrawaddy Burma River.

From north to south, three Burmese mountain systems with tropical jungle and Burmese teak dominates the geography. On the west side its the Arakan or Rakhine Yoma, on the east side the Bago Yoma and further north the Shan Plateau with the beautiful Burma Inle Lake.

The mountain ranges divide Burma into three parallel river valleys, the Burmese Irrawaddy, the Sittang and the Thanlwin River. The blue mountains also form the natural border to southern Thailand all the way down to Kawthaung.

At all this places you will find nice Burma people as you can see in the Burma photos, videos and other picture.

The Irrawaddy valley is more or less Burma proper. The great Burmese Irrawaddy River river flows through three different climatic region of Burma - : the Kachin heights in the temperate north, through the dry belt that starts at the old capital Mandalay to the ancient Pyu capital Pyi (Prome) and empty the brown waters through the flat river delta around the former Burma capital Rangoon into the Andaman Sea.

On a Rangoon road are many markets, also with vegetables, meat, seafood and crab.

The landscape of Burma is very divers, from the snow capped mountains of the Burma Himalaya, pristine beaches all along the west coast and on the over 800 islands in the Andaman Sea, most islands are concentrated in the Mergui or Myeik Archipelago.

Plus the lowland plains with the famous pagoda city of Bagan, Mandalay and plenty of other ancient cities indicating a glorious past with great images and panoramas of ancient Asia a culture still untainted by western images.

When traveling to Burma there are a couple of must visit places such as Bagan, Mandalay, Inle Lake, Mrauk U at Rakhine or Arakan state. Plus Mount Popa, the abode of the nats, Pindaya Caves, the golden rock pagoda at Kyaiktiyo, Monywa and the former capital Rangoon.

Burma is also home to two of the largest pagoda and temple areas in the world: Bagan is in central Burma and Mrauk U is close to the northwestern border to Bangladesh.

Bagan was an ancient capital of Burma between 1044 and 1287 AD. Today Bagan is the most popular travel destination in the country, more than 2000 temples and pagodas are still around and a lot of them are either restored or still in good conditions.

Mount Popa with 1518 meters in central Burma, very close to Bagan is an extinct volcano with a Monastery and pagodas built on the top, the best view is from another close by hill  Its a real landmark in the central Burma plains.

Further east are the Pindaya Caves on the Shan plateau close to Lake Inle. Limestone caves in the hills are home to thousands of 6000 Buddha images, statues and sculptures.

Not far away is the famous Inle Lake with floating villages, monasteries, floating gardens and the "leg rower". Inle lake is at 700 meters above seas level and home of the Pa-O tribe and the Intha, the Intha migrated from Mon State to this area a couple of hundred years ago.

Another landmark of Burma is the Kyaiktiyo pagoda. It sits upon a huge rock which is covered by gold leafs the male pilgrims glue onto the rock, women's are not allowed to come to near to the rock and pagoda. Legend tells that the balance of the pagoda on the rock is held because of a precisely placed Buddha hair.

The Irrawaddy River comes down from the Burma Himalayas and empties the brown water via the Irrawaddy Delta into the Andaman Sea around Rangoon and west of Rangoon.

Mandalay was the last Capitol Kingdom of the Burma Kingdom before the English conquered Burma. Now the city remains the cultural center of Burma and offers tourists a trip back in time........ by the river water buffalo teams can still be seen bringing in logs! A boat trip up the Irrawaddy also reveals an insightful look into village life.