Myanmar, which is located in Southeast Asia, is a suitable choice for anyone who would like to enjoy a peaceful atmosphere and escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. This country is regarded as the "Land of Buddha" with a variety of ancient temples, pagodas, and stupas, making a deep impression on any tourist who used to set foot on.

This post will write about many things you need to know about Myanmar if you have an intension to travel to this charming country. Let's find out these things with Handspan Travel Indochina!

Best time to visit Myanmar

One of the most important things you need to know when traveling to any destination is the most ideal time to visit it. Myanmar is one of the countries located in the tropical monsoon climate area with three seasons which are cool season, hot season, and rainy season.

The cool season is from November to February of the next year. This is the best time to travel to Myanmar due to its mild and cool climate with a temperature of around 20 Celsius degree to 24 Celsius degree. At this time, the air is dry, pleasant and the temperature difference between daytime and nighttime is low, convenient to visit different destinations and transfer among destinations.

Going to travel to Myanmar, you should avoid the hot season which is from March to May. The temperature in this season rises significantly, reaches up to 35 Celsius Degree in average, the air is intensely hot and dry and it is not suitable for visiting any part of Myanmar except for some of the destination in higher altitude with lower average temperature such as Inle Lake in the Shan State.

The rainy season lasts from June to October with an average temperature of 25 Celsius degree. In the rainy season, the rainfall is high and continual, especially in Yangon. However, although Yangon shows a lot of effect during this time, Bagan and Mandalay have a little amount of rain. These two places have similar weather conditions in which the temperature is high even in the cool season and not experience intensely rain even in the peak of the season. Therefore, if you want to avoid the crowd, the rain, and the intense sunlight, you can choose this time to travel to Bagan, Mandalay, and the surrounding areas of these two destinations.

Myanmar's festival

If you want to discover the culture of Myanmar, you should choose a time in which festivals occur. Myanmar is the home to Buddhists with many religious monuments found on roads, towns, and villages; therefore, most of the festivals in this country are associated with temples and pagodas. They are held to wash away the sins, the bad luck happening in life. You can witness a festival in any season, any month you visit Myanmar. Below are some of the festivals you may not miss and should take into consideration when you have the intension to visit the country.

• Thingyan festival
• Ananda Pagoda Festival in Bagan
• Kachin Manaw Festival in Kachin State
• Naga New Year Festival in Sagaing
• Shwedagon Pagoda Festival in Yangoon
• ThadingYut festival
• Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda festival in the Inle Lake

One of the most famous and biggest festivals in Myanmar is the Thingyan festival, held in April for several days. Joining this festival, you will have a chance to see local people gathering together, visiting pagodas, temples, and monasteries and playing traditional games. Moreover, at this festival, people will throw water to each other using pipes or buckets, under traditional music and dancing. This is one of the festivals you cannot miss when visiting Myanmar in April.

If you would like to experience different festivals in different places at one time, visiting Myanmar in January is a suitable choice for you. In January, there are three popular festivals held, which are the Ananda Pagoda Festival in Bagan, Kachin Manaw Festival in Kachin State, and the Naga New Year Festival in Sagaing. You will catch up with the people dancing, playing traditional sports with colorful clothes and enjoy the local food in these festivals.

In February, there are also lots of ceremonies, however, if you travel this time, you should not miss the Shwedagon Pagoda Festival in Yangoon lasted for half of a month. It is one of Myanmar's featured festivals which is inaugurated by a long line of people in traditional costumes and walking barefoot around the pagoda. Let's come and enjoy the atmosphere by yourself!

Traveling to Myanmar from October to December, there are also some memorable festivals. You can join the ThadingYut festival to witness a countless number of lanterns or lights or immerse yourself in the paper balloons over the sky at the balloon festival. Besides, experiencing the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda festival in the Inle Lake with images of Buddha and boat races is also an unforgettable experience.

Please find information regarding the BIG 4 destinations in Myanmar HERE.