Myanmar offers a unique and rewarding travel experience, especially when you prioritise ethical and responsible tourism. Beyond the iconic temples and landscapes, there’s a chance to connect with local communities and support their livelihoods. Here are five extraordinary experiences that showcase the beauty of Myanmar while contributing positively to the people and places you visit.
Goat Herding in Bagan
The dry zone of central Myanmar covers over 54,000 km. Goats are a critical livestock species in the dry zone, often kept by poorer and landless households. In particular, they are an important agricultural activity for women.
At dawn in Bagan, take part in Sampan’s goat herding journey. Set off from a goat herding village alongside the herders and adult goats on their daily morning walk amongst the temples of Bagan.
Enjoy the changing hues of colour as the sun rises higher and chat away with the goatherds. Learn what it is like living amongst the splendid ruins of Burma most majestic kingdom. Beautiful, of course. But life is also difficult in Myanmar’s dry zone. Decreasing forest cover and soil erosion places communities at greater risk of localized flash floods during times of heavy rain. This is just one problem the people here have to live with …
Birdwatching in Kalaw
Rise early morning in Kalaw for a trekking and bird watching expedition to Yay Aye Lake with our bird specialist and trekking guide.
Lots can be spotted in Kalaw. The brazen Common Hoopoe with its flamboyant crown Scarlet Minivets; the Green Magpie with a thick black stripe over is eyes like a bandit; a Crested Goshawk with the indignant expression common to raptors. The Wedge-Tailed Green Pigeon. Red-Billed Blue Magpie. Burmese Shrike. Bronzed Drongo …
Enjoy your packed breakfast while peering through your binos. Once you have had your full, continue on through the old Kalaw forest. Trek further to Myin Daik village for lunch. Return back to Kalaw by car.
Lunch with the Pa’O
Travel from Kalaw to a nearby Pa’O village. This journey will take about 30 minutes by car (but it can also be done on mountain bike or by trekking!) Upon arrival, explore the village. If you wish you can crack open a beer at our special viewpoint, gazing out over the patchwork of fields that make up Shan State. You can also walk down to the river and see the Pa’O people tending to the fields themselves.
Enjoy a home-cooked lunch of Pa’O cuisine. Expect lots of fresh veggies and tender chicken curries! Allow yourself some time to digest after lunch over some local green tea. You then have the option of returning by Kalaw to car. But why not jump on a bicycle and cycle down the hill to Inle Lake?
(Since the terrible flooding in Shan State, our partners have been in a sore situation. They would much appreciate what added income they can generate through some responsible tourism!)
General Aung San
Yangon is thick with history. Visit the house where General Aung San – Burmese revolutionary and independence hero – lived after WWII as he negotiated terms of succession with British Prime Minister Atlee.
As a fervently politicized student activist, Aung San assisted the Japanese with their invasion of British Burma in 1941.
Later disillusioned with the country’s new oppressors, at the head of the newly formed Burma Independence Army Aung San changed sides and begun aiding the British in their recapture of the country.
In July 1947, just months before the country gained its independence, at the age of 32 Aung San was assassinated alongside half his cabinet, leaving behind his wife, two young sons, and daughter. This happened in the Secretariat, which can – and must! – also be visited.
(All this is covered in Sampan’s 11-day Beyond the Chindwin tour, exploring WWII in Burma.)
The Karen Quarter
Explore Yangon’s Karen Quarter and learn about the history, culture and politics of one of Myanmar’s most important and influential ethnic groups. Volunteers from a local Karen Church will tell you about their faith and you will be offered a bowl of Karen mohinga while listening to the story of one Karen family in their ancestral home.
Our expert guides will lead you through narrow alleyways and into Church grounds as they weave the story of the Karen. Hear about the impact of early American missionaries and the role of the Karen during the Second World War. Our guides will explore the roots of Karen nationalism that culminated in the Battle of Insein in 1949. Hear about Burma’s “four foot General” and the Karen insurgency since.
Written by Bertie Alexander, founder and MD of Sampan Travel. For enquires about the tours, contact Sampan at [email protected]
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