MyanmarJourneys

‘The wish to travel seems to me characteristically human: the desire to move, to satisfy your curiosity or ease your fears, to change the circumstances of your life, to be a stranger, to make a friend, to experience an exotic landscape, to risk the unknown.’

Paul Theroux

Whether viewing it from the skies in a hot air balloon, on a cruise ship along the Ayeyarwaddy, or on four wheels, two wheels, rails or your own two feet, the mountains, the jungle, the rivers and the plains of the Myanmar landscape strike an impression like no other.

Sampan Travel curate luxury vacations through this landscape: along the Bay of Bengal, adventure trips through the mountains, and tours with enough temples and intrique to exhaust the most ravenous culture vulture. Our luxury travel itineraries include cruising along the Ayeyarwaddy, dining in the finest restaurants, and reclining at resorts on Ngapali Bay. Not forgetting this country's greatest attribute, all Sampan journeys place engaging with the people of Myanmar at the forefront. Guests will have the chance to eat and stay with hospitable villagers, meet the owners and proprietors of shops, restaurants, and small enterprises, sit down with venerable monks and nuns, and perhaps try the hugely popular chinlone football with local lads.

At Sampan Travel, to ensure that the Myanmar holidays we offer are as comfortable and as captivating as possible, we build up strong relationships with our partners and suppliers, and work closely with our clients to create itineraries that fulfil all their hopes and expectations of the country.

Those who are embarking upon their first trip to the country and are not sure where to go in Myanmar should consider our Essential Journeys which cover the “Grand Four” of Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Inle Lake. Those keen to step off the track well beaten can browse our Expansive Journeys which as well as covering the Grand Four incorporate the Lost City of Mrauk U in Rakhine State and the colonial towns and unsullied islands of the south. Guests who have already visited Myanmar can look at our Discovery Journeys which take travellers up the rugged Chin Hills, into the Golden Triangle and to Kayah State, dubbed ‘Southeast Asia’s last frontier’.

When visiting Myanmar, our guests can be accompanied by guides throughout their journey, only at certain destinations and transit points, or not at all, allowing you to discover the country on your own terms.

Everyone visiting Myanmar will want something slightly different; some would rather lie on a beach in luxury holiday destinations instead of going hiking; others will wish to forego the towns and cities to spend more time surrounded by nature. This is why we create Tailor-Made Journeys to suit the desires of our guests.

If your ideal trip to Myanmar differs only slightly from one of our suggested journeys, you can simply let us know which one you are interested in and how you would like to tweak it. Alternatively, if you are looking for something quite different or an amalgamation of a couple of our template itineraries you can contact one of our operatives directly.

Finding environmentally sustainable transport options is a hard task for any tour operator that wants to conduct responsible travel. We attempt to offer transportation that causes little damage to the environment while at the same time not losing quality. However, if you are happy to sacrifice a little comfort in order to travel more sustainably (eg. taking a bus or coach instead of a car) please tell your Sampan travel consultant and we can try to accommodate this.You can read more about Sampan's Responsible Travel here.