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An update from Evaneos
Burma

The different means of transport in Myanmar

On your trip to Myanmar you will discover the joys of local transportation for your different journeys. Get ready for a typical and authentic experience.

In town

With the exception of Yangon, which is very sprawling, you will often be able to go about on foot in all the towns in the country. Otherwise, you will discover in the course of your trip to Myanmar many often typical and authentic ways to get around.

First, the taxi. Take note that these last do not have counters and that you have to haggle and agree on the price before climbing in. To get around quicker and avoid traffic jams you can opt for a motorcycle taxi.

In Yangon you can also use the city buses. You will already have to know your way around the city well or get help from someone to know which one to catch and where to get down. Not always very straight forward. The van-taxi is the equivalent in smaller. For a more typical ride, you can also get in a horse drawn carriage or a carrier bicycle. For these two last means of transportation, put your haggling skills on display and do not climb aboard without having fixed a price first.

A side-car ride

Between two towns

In Myanmar , instead of measuring distance in miles, the journey between two towns is counted in hours.

Generally, buses are incredibly slow and very uncomfortable. Of recent, there are some more comfortable night buses that connect the more touristic towns.

The train can also be of interest as it has undergone considerable modernisation. The journeys remain slow but relatively comfortable. In short, you need to not be in a hurry.

To waste the least amount of time on the road, favour the countless collective taxis, vans or even the private car just for you. In this case, you will not be authorised to drive it yourself and will have to hire the services of a driver as well.

Depending on the season, it is also possible to navigate on Irrawaddy River. If you wish to waste as little time as possible, the ideal thing is to take the plane. There are four different companies in Myanmar , but as far as possible, avoid Myanmar Airways which has a very bad reputation.

David Debrincat
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