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Myanmar
adventure
travel,
mountain, trekking
& islands
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We offer
individual
trips into
the north,
the tribal
areas in
east
and west and
elsewhere,
tell us
where you
want to go
via contact. |
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This are mainly trips into the mountains and visiting the island world of the Myeik Archipelago in the south to say hello to the sea gypsies and enjoy pristine island beaches.
Interesting destinations
are not
only in
the north, or
south of the country,
there are plenty other destination, one is the area
around the border to India in the north west where
Naga and Chin people have their remote villages.
Also the biggest
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National Park and
wildlife reserve, Alaungtaw Kathapa is there, close
to Monywa. Plenty of rough rides are waiting, so
saddle your horse or maybe mule.
The old Burmese
outdoor vacation
has evolved into
adventure trips, ecotourism and nature-based travel.
It means old stuff, new marketing, a new trend are eco tours into the
wilderness.
If you like river rafting, waterfalls and great nature
a trip to
Umphang,
very close to the Thailand
border south of
Mae Sot could be
excellent option when
you don't like this Myanmar visa proceedings and at
this border region almost all the people working in
the tour business are Karen.
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Spending time in a
natural Burmese outdoor setting or participate in
adventurous activities is not a new idea, its going
on since at least when the English started to
conquer the country and brought with them scientists,
botanists
and nature
lover, that
means only
the names
have
changed. If
someone
feels this
is too
remote
Thailand travel
could be combined with a Burma trip.
Travel to Myanmar
needs some
preparation and a insurance, don't forget this. |
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Nevertheless, the
creative marketing power behind private travel &
tourism groups has pushed outdoor recreation into
the consumer consciousness. The many facets of
including the dynamics of the tour market in Asia,
the motivations for trips, beside of the continuous
requests from different groups not to travel to the
country, which has stopped now.
People make holidays for
fun and entertainment and to get away from the
stress of work and the tedium of daily life. The
desire to do something healthy or to add to one's
self-image also may be motivating factors. Vacation
often include all of these travel motivations,
but thrill seeking plays a unique and important
role. If you want to find some |
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interesting city life you are
also at the destination. Hunting with |
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Salone or
sea gypsies,
are the peopl living
in the island world of the eastern
Andaman Sea.
They are collecting
amber and pearls, go fishing with
the harpoon and hunting with dogs on
the islands. |
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Northern trekking
in the country is
probably the best for people who
already have been anywhere and need
this special kick to have been in
unexplored territory. This ia
something really new by any means.
In this areas the last time
foreigners were seen was during
English colonial times. |
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Mountain
trips
into the extensions
of the Tibetan Himalayas are real
trekking, the best is to so this
via a guided tour since there is no
infrastructure.
Someone must know the
route, prepare some food, set uo the
camp and be there when something
goes wrong and because of the remote
location plenty of things can go
wrong. They also know where are
shelter for the night, since
there are no monasteries it's
difficult to find a place to stay. |
High Mountains of Kachin State |
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Tour pictures
of exotic places at
remote corners in Asia are real "eye
candy" just look at this perfect
shapes in the island world of the Myeik or Mergui
Archipelago with over 800 islands,
great people, the Salone Sea Gypsies
and more. |
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Chin Pictures
The Chin are in a remote
corner of the country
towards the border with
India. From a tourist
point of view the most
interesting is their new
year festival for which
several agent in Yangon
and Mandalay offer
package tours. The
problem is when trying
to book a tour they
never respond. |
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Naga Adventure |
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Son areas. This is
almost real untouched "green" and
includes one of the
best waterfall in Asia,
actually there are many
in the limestone stone
hills along the Thailand
Myanmar border.
Here are plenty of
great outdoor trip waiting but all remote areas are quite difficult to access, there are also
stunning waterfalls and other beautiful nature
spots, a top spot is
Alaungtaw Kathapa
wildlife reserve west of Monywa. |
Another one
is
Hukaung Valley Tiger Reserve,
picture right in
Myitkyina, Kachin State.
This is the world's largest tiger reserve.
Estimates are that 35 kinds of mammals such
as tiger, bear, leopard, elephant and other
species are around plus about 370 types of
birds and 13,500 plant species.
There are
around 50 tigers left in the jungle, the
biggest danger is poaching to sell the
animals to Chinese middlemen who bring the
"active" parts over the border.
The
activities during a trip are as broad as the
imagination allows. Virtually
anything that is done outside
conceivably might be part of
great holidays.
Activities on land,
like exploring the old temple and
pagoda city of Bagan, where
you get a feeling to be Indiana Jones
, on water, like on a leg rower
tour on Lake Inle, in the
pristine waters of the
Myeik - Mergui archipelago or in the air,
like hot air ballooning in Bagan
provide things to see and do for
nature-based travelers.
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At the
Hukaung Valley Tiger Reserve |
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A Burmese adventure tour
around the eastern
border is a very similar nature pattern in
Thailand's Kanchanaburi province, Mae Sot and Mae
Hong |
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Ecotourism activities on your
trip are often a combination of
low impact outdoor recreation
activities and intense
educational experiences in
natural and ecology.
Some ecotourism includes service
projects designed to benefit the
environment being visited.
Sometimes a distinction is made
between "hard" and "soft"
adventure trips, this are
those with low levels of risk
usually sold by a tour operator
to different kinds of groups.
These trips are usually suitable for family
involvement and offer an
introduction to new and unique
activities. Examples might be
whitewater rafting or hot air
ballooning with a commercial
outfitter.
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By contrast, hard
adventure trips
require real skills in dangerous
situations and the target is
mostly climbing and trekking the
mountains of the north
which are extensions of the
Tibetan Himalayas.
Participants usually join
together because of an intense
interest in some activity
outside the confines of
commercial interests. Examples
might be a climb in the
Himalayas, rafting wild rivers
or exploring the Myeik or Mergui
archipelago in the south.
From
elephant trekking in the
jungle, camping on islands, whitewater rafting in
the wild rivers and more, outdoor
recreation activities are nearly
numberless. |
Myanmar
adventure travel Kachin
State |
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The idea of ecotourism
is
certainly somehow romantic since
in most places no
foreigners have been there since
British colonial times. Images
of exotic locations, great
weather, emerald waters of the
Andaman Sea, liveaboard scuba
diving trips cross the mind.
Exotic locations are
not so far away and not
difficult to get to. Due to the
division in monsoon time and off monsoon time the weather is usually very predictable. |
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Hkakabo Razi Peak in
Kachin State
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Extremes in cold,
heat, and
especially rain
can bring discomfort and misery
to many vacationers, but is very
predictable due to the well
known weather patterns. It is useful to make a
good travel insurance since
exciting activities can be
turned by injury or sickness
into tough situations.
Aside of being the biggest
country in South East Asia it's
also the country in this region
with ice and snow, glaciers and
the biggest mountain which is
Mt. Hkakabo Razi South East Asia's highest
peak at 5,900.Burma
is the only country in
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Southern
and
northern
Myanmar
Most activities require no
specialized gear as you can see
it in the pictures here.
A good
lightweight rucksack filled with
what someone needs for the
period of time, photo and video
equipment are basics, let the
travel agent
do the rest, they know how to
handle the environment
and you pay for it, they will
take care of you.
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Trekking tour north of
Putao
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The only thing
you should bring with you is a
very good filled wallet and some
basic good health conditions to
make sure that you don't
collapse after a few few hours.
A major issue in ecotourism that of sustainable
development. Whether this relationship
develops in a good way for everyone is a
matter of debate, but the theory
that nature-based tourism ought to be
developed in a way so that the natural
and cultural environment will endure is
intuitively appealing. |
Tour operator preparing food
at camp |
In the rural and developing areas of
the country, nature-based tourism
provide an important economic support.
This often function
often as
the only economic sector
to get real cash to the
people in this
regions.
Since tourism is labor
intensive and creates a high numbers of
small businesses, it can be an excellent
economic development tool. Rural and
developing areas often contain the best
settings for travel
and ecotourism.
The tour operators
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and outdoor specialists
for your vacation are equally
important to ecotourism
operators' success.
Specialized skills and
ecological
knowledge such as
whitewater rafting, bird
watching, do the right
trekking path.
Mountain
Tours
are booming even beside
all of this political
problems brought in
mainly by the US and
England, that means
-among others- this is a Credit Card free
country, only dollars and euro in cash
are accepted, don't take other stuff
with you, they don't want it or change
it only to a very unfavorable exchange
rate. The best is take lots of small
dollar bills with you and before you
travel upcountry go to the Bogyoke
Market in Yangon to change
enough dollars into kyats,
you cant change money
upcountry, unless for
very unfavorable rates,
read more. |
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A good place to start is Yangon (once called
Rangoon), which assimilates you into
the countries every day life, one of this is
no or very limited electricity.
Don't use the train unless you are a
masochist. Some days in Yangon can
acclimate you to the
strange sights and
sounds and
prepare you for your travel. One
thing you should know is that crimes
against tourists are almost not
existent. Taxi drivers are honest if
you negotiate the price first.
Be extremely careful
when eating food
at roadside stalls, eat
only in the hotel you are or at
bigger restaurant. If you go on
a trekking tour over some days the tour
operator will bring the necessary
infrastructure including
food with. |
Street
food prepared in Yangon |
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Drink only bottled
water and avoid ice, listen to the the natives
when they tell you shouldn't do certain things.
The providers of
trips, like
Myanmar Explore, follow the realities
of travel. The best time to visit is
November through April, before the
monsoons in June, July, August and
September. |
A Myanmar pilgrim
destination
is
Kyaiktyio |
Actually at certain places such
as
Kyaiktyio,
which is one of the top pilgrim destination in the country,
they even take care of this
completely, if you cant handle to
walk the steep road up to summit
of the Pagoda Complex,
they carry you up in the sedan.
4 guys usually do a good job to
lift you up. it costs some money
but you have a lot of fun.
When in
Yangon and you ask yourself what to do, a excellent idea is a
day trip, or maybe 2 days, which is a kind of
adventure trip by itself. Its about
140km from Yangon via Bago to the
east and after southwards.
Even if
you are not a Buddhist and just do
it for fun without pilgrim in mind,
its worth is. This trip opens up
spectacular insights into the
countryside and Buddhist mind. |
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The nature is
a typical factors that
motivate people to take a tour to the
remote areas of our planet.
A typical
destination is Chin State, one
branch of the Chin tribe are the
Naga, they have great tribal
tattoo as you can see in the
pictures including scull
tattoo's. There is no
need for any special gear or tourism
fashion gears just the
usual backpacking stuff, the
other will be supplied by your
guides or local tour operator.
If you want to go on a mountain tour it naturally
needs some more extra gear for this get in touch
with.
People are asking
why is travel important, the
answer is it expands your mind,
to see totally different things
with your own eyes is a very
educational process, not this
half hour stuff from the TV
screen with some commercials in
between. This might
produce some nice pictures, but
this is flat one dimensional
experience.
Discovering
the jungle or maybe a wild bird
tour in the upper reaches of
Kachin State or just simple
trekking into the wilderness of Nagaland,
this are kinds of great tourism activity. There is no need
to consider eating ethics to much just look
how the others are doing it and
follow.
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