The Ultimate Travel Guide to Myanmar: History & Attractions

The ancient temple plains of Bagan with 2,000 pagodas glowing at sunrise, the serene leg-rowing fishermen of Inle Lake, and Mandalay's golden monasteries make Myanmar one of Asia's most visually stunning destinations.

A Glimpse into History

Myanmar's recorded history begins with the Pyu city-states of the Irrawaddy Valley around the 2nd century BC — among Southeast Asia's earliest urban civilisations, trading with India and China and adopting Theravada Buddhism. The first Burmese Empire was founded at Bagan in 849 AD, reaching its zenith under King Anawrahta (1044–77), who unified Burma and established Theravada Buddhism as the state religion. The Bagan plain was filled with over 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas, and monasteries during the next two centuries — 2,200 survive today in one of Asia's most extraordinary archaeological landscapes. The Mongol invasions of 1277–87 devastated Bagan, fragmenting Burma into competing kingdoms until the Toungoo Dynasty reunified it in the 16th century, briefly controlling the largest empire in Southeast Asian history. British colonisation came in three stages (1824, 1852, 1885), incorporating Burma into British India and systematically dismantling the monarchy and monkhood's political authority. Japanese occupation (1942–45) and post-independence civil wars between ethnic armies, communists, and the Burman-dominated military have defined modern Myanmar. The military (Tatmadaw) seized power in a coup in 1962, and its brutal suppression of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising killed thousands. Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi's long house arrest (1989–2010) became a global symbol of peaceful resistance. Democratic elections in 2015 and 2020 brought the NLD to power, but the 2021 military coup reversed those gains and has brought widespread civil conflict.

Top Attractions in Myanmar

Bagan Temple Plains

The plains of Bagan — 2,200 Buddhist temples, pagodas, and monasteries spreading across 50 sq km of dusty semi-desert in the Irrawaddy Valley — constitute one of the greatest archaeological sites on earth. Hot air balloon rides at dawn over the red-brick temples emerging from morning mist, sunset from Shwesandaw Pagoda watching the bats emerge in clouds, and E-bike exploration between temples are the iconic Bagan experiences.

Inle Lake

The leg-rowing fishermen of Inle Lake — who balance on one leg on the stern while rowing with the other, leaving both hands free to cast their conical nets — are one of Asia's most iconic images. The lake's floating gardens, stilted villages, five-day rotating markets, silk-weaving workshops, and ancient stupas rising from the water create a way of life seemingly unchanged for centuries.

Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

The most sacred Buddhist site in Myanmar — a 99-metre golden stupa said to enshrine eight hairs of the Buddha, built over 2,500 years ago and rebuilt/gilded repeatedly since — is covered in an estimated 27 metric tonnes of gold leaf and topped by 7,000 diamonds and 2,000 rubies. Visiting at dusk when the setting sun ignites the gold against a blue sky and monks chant in the surrounding shrines is profoundly moving.

Mandalay Hill & Royal Palace

Myanmar's second city and the last royal capital is dominated by Mandalay Hill — a 240-metre ascent past pagodas, shrines, and monks to a panoramic view over the city and Irrawaddy River. The Royal Palace (1857) — a teak-walled compound with golden spires and a moat — was almost entirely destroyed by WWII bombing and rebuilt in concrete in the 1990s, though the reconstructed grandeur remains impressive.