Transport in Myanmar

We already discussed about the flight, the accommodations, now let's speak about the transport.

As you can imagine, the transport infrastructure in Myanmar is not as developed as in Europe and North America. Still the following transportation are available:

• Train
• Bus
• Boat
• Scooter
• Taxi
• Collective taxi (or pick up)

 All long distance trains and buses are better booked at least 1 day in advance.

Train

During our trip, we didn't take the train, given the bad reviews from fellow backpackers. Train are very slow, you never know when you will arrive at destination. It is also not comfortable at all, with bumpy cars, no air conditioning... In a country where 30C is a normal temperature in December, you don't want to cook in the train.

Reservation is done at the train station, and for upper class you will have a seat reserved; but still the comfort will be very limited.

If you really feel like an adventurer, why not give it a try?

Bus

Bus are rather cheap, reliable and much more comfortable. It was our main way of transport to travel from city to city.

All buses must be booked at least 1 day in advance. I emphasize it once again given that we have heard some stories of backpackers that could not get on a bus. On the bus, the seat is booked and filled up quite rapidly.

Booking can be done from the hotel at no or limited extra charge. Usually the hotel staff is quite friendly and will help you out for many things. You pay them directly and will confirm the booking for you.

Most of the time, you will have to catch a cab to go to the bus station, as it is located outside the city.

Yangon - Mandalay

We opted for a VIP night coach leaving Yangon at 10pm and arriving at Mandalay at 7am. A VIP bus (or 2+1 seats bus) is the most comfortable one and offer the following services:

• 3 seats per row, large seats
• Seat you can recline quite a lot
• Blanket provided
• Individual entertainment system
• Bottle of water and can
• Some snacks
• Toothbrush and paste

I have to say, that I was able to sleep and rest during the journey. Unfortunately, the bus still stops every 2 hours to change drivers. There is also a longer stop after 4 hours for toilet and light meal at designated area (not included in the cost).

The journey costs 24 USD per person and I think it was really worth it.

Bagan - Kalaw

We took a second bus between Bagan and Kalaw. Again, it was a night bus but opposite to the first one, it was not a fully comfortable bus. Hence, it was a bit cheaper at 12 USD for a 8 hours journey.
I remember that we arrived at Kalaw a bit before 2am in the morning.

The journey was fine, in a normal coach without reclining seat. Fortunately, it wasn't full otherwise, people even seat in the alley as there is an extra seat per row (5 in total). The bus also stop quite frequently to pick up additional passengers.  

Inle Lake - Yangon

The last bus we took was between Nyaungshwe and Yangon. Price was 27 USD for a VIP bus. There was a pick up service from the hotel in a collective bus to get to the bus station.
We left around 7pm and arrived around 7am. The journey was quite comfortable and we didn't feel too tired the next morning.

Boat

Mandalay - Bagan

There are 2 types of boats, a slow and a fast one. The slow one take more than a day to cruise the river, the latter takes a good 8 hours. It is more expensive 40 USD, and relatively more comfortable with the air conditioning on the lower and upper deck.

We were fairly disappointed by this journey as the boat is still slow, there are only tourists, it is expensive, and although the landscape is nice it doesn't justify the price tag.

Inside the boat, there is nothing to do, just sitting inside during peak sun time in order to avoid some sun burns and cool down with the air conditioning. The seating is not that comfy either.

There is always the possibility to buy a lunch and / or a drink. Beer was at 2000 and water a 1000 MMK (usual price 300). As you can see, prices are made for tourists.

Taxi

In Yangon, there are a lot of taxi, white car with a driver but no taximeter. So, always agree on a price before boarding the car. Usually the price tag is fair to travel around the city. The maximum we paid was to get to the bus station at 10pm: 10 000 MMK.

Scooter

Mandalay is the city of the scooter, they travel around the city from the morning to the evening. It is a convenient transportation mode, fast, reliable and cheap, although there is only 1 passenger at the time.

Scooter taxi do not offer any helmet, so your head is naked and you'd better not fall down as it can be pretty bad. Fortunately, scooter drivers are quite good, we didn't feel unsafe on any of them.

One night we order 2 scooters to go back to the guesthouse, the cost was 2000 MMK.