Yes, on the main tourist route — with conditions.
On the route I travelled, from Yangon through Kalaw, Inle Lake and Bagan to Mandalay, daily life was calm and people were friendly. As a foreigner I was checked far more lightly than local people. At highway checkpoints I was asked three questions at most.
When I went, though, Myanmar was in an internal armed conflict, and some regions, including parts of Shan State, could close to foreigners. Check the latest news for every city on your list before you book, and travel with a confirmed hotel and a confirmed return ticket.
- Trip
- 9 days, 8 nights, late July 2026
- Route
- Yangon, Kalaw, Inle Lake, Bagan, Mandalay, back to Yangon
- My visa
- Through an authorised agency in Dhaka; it took 1–2 weeks
- My flights
- Thai Airways via Bangkok; no direct Dhaka–Yangon flight in July 2026
- Checkpoints
- Two on the Kalaw–Bagan road; three questions at most
- Social apps
- Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram blocked without a VPN in July 2026
- Money
- Bring cash; both my cards were declined
- Visa rules and prices
- They change. Check the embassy and official sources
01 — The journeyThe route I took
Myanmar is the nineteenth country on my map.
Before I went, almost everything I had heard about it was bad news: war, coups, refugees, a country you avoid.
I wanted to see what a normal day looks like for the people who live there. So I flew in from Dhaka through Bangkok and spent nine days moving north and back again.
Here is the order it happened in. Every stop has its own full episode on Unseen AFRICA, linked under each one.
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Yangon
The first thing that hits you, coming from Dhaka, is space. Wide roads, traffic that actually moves in lanes, clean pavements, and far fewer people than you expect in a city of millions.
I rode the local bus and the train, and ate breakfast where office workers eat. I went into homes, from the middle class to the riverside, and tried my luck with cash machines.
Episode 1: day one in Yangon · Episode 2: real life in Yangon
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Yangon to Kalaw by bus
Kalaw is an old British hill station, cooler and greener than the plains. I took a long-distance bus up and watched the plains give way to hills. In town I found a cheap hotel, halal food and a small Muslim community.
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The Pa-O hills: a village, a festival and the farms
From Kalaw I went by motorbike to a village of the Pa-O people, who live from farming and bamboo basket-weaving.
Then I was on a hillside packed with Pa-O families at their Rocket Festival. Home-made rockets are fired into the sky to call the rain.
Further south, around Pinlaung, I walked tomato, potato and bean terraces and a five-acre avocado and dragon-fruit farm. I asked farmers what they earn, and what it costs to get a crop to market.
Episode 4: village life · Episode 5: the rocket festival · Episode 6: farming in the hills
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Inle Lake
A whole society built on water. Houses on stilts, gardens that float, fishermen who row standing on one leg, and workshops weaving silk and hammering silver. On Inle the boat is the bus, the car and the delivery van.
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Kalaw to Bagan by public microbus
This was the day I was most nervous about: a bag full of cameras, a laptop and a drone, and a road with checkpoints. It turned out to be the easiest crossing of the trip. More on that below.
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Bagan
I hired an electric scooter, put thanaka on my face like everyone else, and rode between temples close to a thousand years old.
That morning a Shinbyu procession came down the road. Decorated elephants, horses and bullock carts were taking boys to become Buddhist novices, and the whole village walked with them.
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Mandalay
Mandalay was still marked by the March 2025 earthquake. I crossed Taungthaman Lake by boat to U Bein Bridge, met Muslim traders and ate in a Burmese halal restaurant.
Then, as a total stranger, I was invited to a local Muslim wedding laid out on the street. On the last day I followed the Irrawaddy to a fishing community and its huge fish market.
Episode 10: Muslim life in Mandalay · Episode 11: the wedding · Episode 12: the Irrawaddy
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Night bus back to Yangon, and home
A night coach brought me back to Yangon. I spent my last day with an Arakan Muslim community, then headed to the airport, and to the most stressful two hours of the trip.
Episode 13: Arakan Muslims in Yangon · Episode 14: the travel guide
02 — PaperworkThe Myanmar visa for Bangladeshi passport holders
This was the question I got most in the comments.
There is a Myanmar embassy in Dhaka. But when I applied, it didn't take tourist visa applications from walk-in tourists. Tourist visas went through a small number of travel agencies the embassy had authorised.
I gave the agency my documents. They came back with a sticker visa in my passport, issued in Dhaka.
- Time: it took one to two weeks, so don't leave it to the last minute.
- Documents: the agency told me exactly what they needed.
- Who I used: I got mine through Unipal Tourism in Banani, Dhaka, who were also organising group tours to Myanmar.
The process can change. Check with the Myanmar embassy in Dhaka or an authorised agency before you plan.
A confirmed, paid hotel booking and a confirmed return ticket. I was told Bangladeshis can get an extra question or two at immigration, so I had my answers and my paperwork ready. In the end nobody gave me any extra trouble, not at Yangon immigration coming in, and not leaving.
03 — Getting thereFlights from Dhaka, and when to go
When I went, in July 2026, there was no direct flight between Dhaka and Yangon.
I found two routes. I flew Thai Airways via Bangkok, both ways. When I booked, it was the cheaper of the two. The other was China Southern via China.
Routes and fares change, so check the airlines before you book.
The best months
October to February. I went in late July, in the middle of the monsoon, and Yangon reminded me of it constantly. The rain arrives without warning, hard, and then stops.
Yangon is close to the coast and humid. The temperature sat between the low 20s and low 30s °C while I was there. Mandalay is hotter and drier.
If you know Bangladesh's seasons, you already know Myanmar's. The winters and the monsoons feel almost the same.
04 — MoneyKyat, dollars, cards and where to change money
Myanmar's currency is the kyat. It's written K-Y-A-T, but you'll hear people say something closer to "chat".
The most useful thing I can tell you about money in Myanmar is this: bring cash, and change it downtown, not at the airport.
On the day I filmed, the money changers in downtown Yangon gave me noticeably more kyat for each dollar than the airport did.
The place I used was across the road from Junction City shopping mall. It's by the market locals still call Scott Market (Bogyoke Aung San Market).
Bring clean, new, large notes
The changers were strict. If a note was old, creased or marked, they offered much less, and I had to take it. Bring big denominations, as crisp as you can get.
Don't count on your card
I couldn't get US dollars before I left Dhaka, so I carried euros. By the last day they had run out.
I wanted to spend a few thousand taka on small things, so I tried my Visa debit card. Declined, for payment and at the ATM. A second card, issued in Mozambique, was declined too.
It may have been a problem with my cards rather than with Myanmar. The lesson is the same: work out what you'll spend and bring all of it in cash. I got stuck over a few thousand taka.
One thing that surprised me: QR-code payment was everywhere. I saw it at a restaurant in Yangon and even at a fuel pump in Mandalay.
05 — Staying connectedSIM cards, internet and the VPN problem
In July 2026, without a VPN, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger didn't work in Myanmar. None of the big American apps did.
And once the VPN was on, a network already slower than ours at home got slower again. Outside Yangon it was weaker still.
For a normal traveller it was fine. For me, uploading and downloading video every night, it hurt.
One lesson on SIM cards: buy yours in town, not at the airport counter. The airport counter quoted me several times what a SIM and data pack cost in town.
Most shops didn't ask for my passport at all. They sold me a SIM that was already registered. Hotel Wi-Fi was usable almost everywhere and good in the better hotels.
06 — Getting aroundTaxis, buses, night coaches and domestic flights
Transport was the one thing that cost me more in Myanmar than at home.
The buses, though, were excellent. Long-distance coaches were genuinely first class, and the highways were new and smooth.
| How I travelled | Where | How long it took |
|---|---|---|
| Long-distance bus | Yangon → Kalaw | A full day on the road |
| Public microbus | Kalaw → Bagan, ~250 km | 8 am to 4 pm |
| Night bus | Mandalay → Yangon | About 10 hours (left ~7 pm, in by ~6 am) |
The trade-off is simple. If you can afford the flight, take it on the long legs; by road, a transfer between two cities usually ate the whole day. If you're on a budget, take the night bus and save a hotel night.
Taxis in the cities
Taxis were the most common way to get around Yangon. I could tell them apart by the number plate: red plates were taxis, black plates private cars, and most taxis also said "City Taxi" on the side.
Where foreigners can and can't go
When I went, foreigners could travel outside Yangon to the main tourist cities: Bagan, Mandalay, and Heho for Inle Lake. But access to parts of Shan State, where Kalaw and Inle sit, was sometimes restricted because of the conflict there.
It was open when I went. Which areas are open changes, so check your government's travel advice before you build a route around it. The quickest way to Inle was a flight from Yangon to Heho.
07 — On the roadWhat actually happens at a Myanmar checkpoint
Before the Kalaw–Bagan trip, I had worked myself into a state about the checkpoints.
Highway police ran them on the roads between regions, and buses stopped at each one. Here is what happened.
As a foreigner, I showed my passport. The questions were three at most:
- Why have you come?
- Which city are you going to?
- Which hotel are you staying in?
That's it. I went through two checkpoints with a French tourist on the same bus. I opened my passport; the officer barely looked and said go. Same for him.
Local passengers were a different story. Their ID cards were checked carefully, one by one, and photographed. The government was watching movement between ethnic regions, and that attention fell on its own citizens, not on tourists.
“As a foreigner, you'll be asked three questions at most. That's it.”
08 — Bed and tableHotels and halal food in Myanmar
Sleeping and eating were the easy part of the trip.
Hotels
In most cities I found a very good hotel without trouble. Clean rooms, working Wi-Fi, hot water.
Halal food
Finding halal food was easier than I expected:
- Yangon — Muslim restaurants downtown, including Arakan restaurants.
- Mandalay — a real Muslim quarter, with halal Burmese restaurants, mosques and madrasas.
- Kalaw — I found a halal restaurant within hours of arriving.
- Bagan — I didn't find one. I ate at local and vegetarian restaurants instead.
09 — Must-seesWhere to go in Myanmar
If a friend asked me where to spend their days, this is what I'd say.
1. Inle Lake — go first
Fly from Yangon to Heho and go to Inle Lake. It is a different world.
Whole villages stand on stilts over the water, and crops grow on floating beds. Fishermen row standing on one leg, so their hands are free for the net. Spend a full day on the water, and visit a silk-weaving workshop and a silversmith.
2. Bagan — if you care about history
Bagan was the capital of the first great Burmese kingdom. Between the 11th and 13th centuries, its kings and nobles built thousands of Buddhist temples and pagodas across the plain.
More than two thousand still stand, and the area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Rent an electric scooter and get lost between them.
3. Mandalay — the last royal capital
Mandalay was the last royal capital of Burma before the British took it. King Mindon's palace compound is still there.
Just outside the city is U Bein Bridge: about 1.2 kilometres of teak, built around 1850. When I was there, it was still carrying people across Taungthaman Lake.
Then spend time in the city itself: the Muslim quarter, the riverside along the Irrawaddy, the markets.
4. Kalaw and the Pa-O villages — for real life
Want to see how people outside the cities live? Base yourself in Kalaw for a couple of days, and go out to the villages with a local guide. If your dates line up with a Pa-O festival, go.
5. Yangon — give it two days
Most people fly in and out of Yangon. Don't just pass through. Ride the local bus and train, walk downtown around Sule Pagoda, eat where the office workers eat, and change your money there.
10 — The scareTwo hours at Yangon airport after security found my drone
It was my last day. The series was filmed, I had my boarding pass and I'd cleared immigration.
At the final security check before the gate, my carry-on went through the scanner. An officer pulled it aside.
He opened it, found one camera, then another. Then he said a single word: "drone". His English didn't stretch much further.
I knew Myanmar had a lot of restrictions on drones. So I had packed only what I needed in the middle compartment: the body, the batteries and the controller. On arrival, nothing had been flagged. Now, leaving, the scanner had seen it.
They searched the bag and re-scanned it while I stood there. In the end I took the drone out myself, because the longer they had to look, the worse it would get.
Two or three officers gathered. They spoke in Burmese and made a phone call, probably to a superior.
Then they opened my passport to the photo page and laid my boarding pass next to it. They put the drone and the controller beside them, and photographed it all together. Twice. Then they told me to go.
I didn't feel like I could go. I went straight to the washroom and took the memory cards out of the drone and both cameras. I collected every spare card I had and put them all in my trouser pocket.
I hadn't filmed anything sensitive. I'd flown the drone in only two places, both with permission. But if someone came back and asked to see the footage, or told me to delete it, the whole trip would be gone. Everything I had spent on it from my own pocket, and fourteen episodes.
“I got on the plane, it took off, and only then did my mind settle.”
Drones were restricted in Myanmar when I went, and the rules can change. Check them before you travel. Carry written permission, fly only where you're allowed, and be ready to explain it at security, or leave it at home. Mine wasn't stopped on arrival. It was stopped on departure.
11 — ContextWhat the news shows, and what I saw on the street
I want to be careful here. I was a visitor for nine days on the tourist route.
What follows is what I saw and what people told me. It is not a complete picture of a complicated country.
The conflict
When I went, Myanmar was in an internal armed conflict that began after the military took power in 2021. It was fought between the army and several ethnic armed groups and resistance forces.
In the places I went, it didn't show. Markets were full, buses ran, people went to work, and I never felt I needed special precautions.
But the situation in a region can change overnight. That's why the first rule is: check the latest news for each city before you go.
The press
The local press didn't operate freely when I was there. Newspapers and TV went through official channels, and people couldn't say much against the government. People were warm with me, but some subjects simply didn't get discussed in the open.
Conscription
Locals told me that military service had become compulsory for their age group, roughly 18 to the early 30s. Those who didn't want to serve, they said, paid their community head a monthly fee. Those who couldn't pay had to go. (The military government activated its conscription law in February 2024.)
Muslims in Myanmar
I spent a lot of the series with Muslim communities in Mandalay and Yangon, and I was received everywhere with real warmth. People told me the hostility they felt was not aimed at all Muslims equally. The Arakan community felt it most.
In Yangon I met Arakan families who had lived in the city for 30 or nearly 50 years. They described themselves as Arakan rather than Rohingya. One man showed me that his ID card lists his ethnicity as "Bengali".
They spoke about restrictions on travel, passports and repairing mosques, and about relatives living in Rakhine. These are individual experiences. The full episode lets them speak for themselves.
One guide, and the rest
Of everyone I dealt with, one guide was rude and difficult. Everyone else was kind. If you book a guide, agree everything — the route, the hours, the price, what's included — 100% in advance, in writing.
12 — The lessonDon't save money in the wrong place
I've kept prices out of this guide. They change too fast. But one money lesson from this trip won't.
My trip covered flights via Bangkok, a full tour with a guide that I booked before I left, hotels, food and transport.
When we travel, we all look for the cheapest package. And the cheapest packages work like this: they drop you in a city, and you're on your own. Next day, the next city, on your own again. You see almost nothing of how people live.
Think about it this way. You're already spending a lot to visit a country. The little extra for a guide and real local experiences is the difference between feeling 2% of that country and 50% of it.
Cutting that last bit costs you most of what you went for.
13 — VerdictSo, should you go to Myanmar?
Before I went, I had heard almost nothing but negative things. What I found on the ground was the opposite.
To me, Myanmar was a tourist-friendly country. The biggest obstacle was that few people outside the tourist areas spoke English, and even that didn't really hold me back. Not once did a local leave me with a bad impression. Alhamdulillah.
A brother flying home with me had spent about 26 days in Myanmar on official work. He came away just as impressed.
My recommendation: go, but go prepared. Check the latest news for every city you plan to visit. Book a confirmed hotel and a return ticket. Bring cash. Get a VPN before you land. Leave the drone at home unless you have permission.
When I left, I saw no reason to panic about Myanmar. But nobody can promise what tomorrow brings in a country with an internal conflict, so keep an eye on it.
14 — ChecklistBefore you fly to Myanmar
Tick these off before you leave home.
- Check the current visa process with the Myanmar embassy in Dhaka. Mine went through an authorised agency and took one to two weeks.
- Book and pay for your hotels, and print the confirmations.
- Book a confirmed return ticket.
- Check the news and your government's travel advice for each city on your route, especially anything in Shan State.
- Bring enough cash for the whole trip in clean, new, large US dollar notes.
- Plan to change money downtown, not at the airport.
- Install and test a VPN before you leave home.
- Fix your guide's route, hours and price in writing.
- Leave the drone at home, or carry written permission.
- Download offline maps and a Burmese phrasebook — English is thin outside tourist areas.
- Pack for rain if you travel between June and September.
15 — WatchThe full travel guide, in Bangla
Everything above, in my own words and on location, filmed on my last day in Myanmar. 28 minutes, in Bangla.
Watch “মিয়ানমার কি সত্যিই নিরাপদ? ৯ দিনের বাস্তব অভিজ্ঞতা” on YouTube
16 — FAQQuestions people ask about travelling to Myanmar
Is Myanmar safe for tourists?
On the main tourist route — Yangon, Kalaw, Inle Lake, Bagan and Mandalay — it felt safe in late July 2026. Daily life was calm, people were friendly, and foreigners were checked far more lightly than locals. Myanmar was in an internal armed conflict, and some regions, including parts of Shan State, could close to foreigners at short notice. Check the latest news and your government's travel advice for each city before you book.
How do Bangladeshi passport holders get a Myanmar tourist visa?
In July 2026 the Myanmar embassy in Dhaka didn't take tourist visa applications from walk-in tourists. I applied through one of its authorised travel agencies, Unipal Tourism in Banani, which got a sticker visa issued in Dhaka in one to two weeks. The process can change, so check with the embassy or an authorised agency before you plan.
Is there a direct flight from Dhaka to Yangon?
Not at the time of my trip (July 2026). I flew Thai Airways via Bangkok, the cheaper of the two routes I found; the other was China Southern via China. Routes change, so check the airlines before you book.
How much does a trip to Myanmar cost from Bangladesh?
Prices and exchange rates change, so I've left the figures out. My nine-day trip covered flights via Bangkok, a guided tour booked in advance, hotels, food and transport. Sleeping and eating were the easy part; transport cost me more than at home. Check current fares and hotel rates before you budget.
What is the best time to visit Myanmar?
October to February. I went in late July, during the monsoon, when Yangon gets heavy rain without warning. Mandalay is hotter and drier than Yangon.
Do foreign debit cards and ATMs work in Myanmar?
Don't rely on them. On my last day, my Visa debit card and a second card issued in Mozambique were both declined, for payments and for cash withdrawals. Bring enough cash for the whole trip in large, clean, new US dollar notes — old or marked notes get a much worse rate.
Where should I change money in Myanmar?
Downtown, not at the airport. On the day I filmed in July 2026, money changers in downtown Yangon, opposite Junction City near Bogyoke (Scott) Market, gave me noticeably more kyat per dollar than the airport. Rates move quickly, so compare before you change.
Do Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram work in Myanmar?
Not without a VPN when I was there in July 2026. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger were all blocked, and a VPN made the already slow mobile network slower. Buy your SIM in town: the airport counter quoted me several times the town price.
Can I find halal food in Myanmar?
Yes. Yangon, Mandalay and Kalaw all have Muslim-run halal restaurants. In Bagan I didn't find one, and ate at local and vegetarian restaurants instead.
What happens at highway checkpoints in Myanmar?
Highway police stop buses between regions. Foreigners show their passport and are asked three questions at most: why you're travelling, where you're going and which hotel you're staying in. At two checkpoints the officers barely looked at my passport or a French tourist's, while local passengers' ID cards were checked closely and photographed.
Can I take a drone to Myanmar?
Drones were restricted when I went, and the rules can change. Check them before you travel, and carry written permission or leave it at home. Mine wasn't flagged on arrival but was found at the final security check at Yangon airport on the way out; officers photographed it with my passport and boarding pass, made a phone call, and let me board.
How many days do you need in Myanmar?
Nine days was enough for Yangon, Kalaw and the Pa-O villages, Inle Lake, Bagan and Mandalay — but only because my tour was booked in advance. Road transfers between cities can take a full day, so add a buffer day or fly the longest legs.
17 — The seriesAll fourteen Myanmar episodes
The series passed 3.3 million views in its first seven weeks.
Here is the whole journey, in order, on Unseen AFRICA, published between 17 August and 3 October 2026.
0141:56Myanmar during wartime: what I saw on day oneYangon · 17 Aug 2026
0225:25What is real life like in Yangon?Yangon · 23 Aug 2026
0333:39By bus from Yangon to Kalawমিয়ানমারের বাসে কালাওয়ের পথেKalaw · 26 Aug 2026
0425:51Village life: from Kalaw to a Pa-O villageমিয়ানমারের গ্রামীণ জীবন কেমন?Shan State · 28 Aug 2026
0527:03Rockets for rain: the Pa-O Rocket Festivalবৃষ্টির জন্য আকাশে রকেট!Shan State · 31 Aug 2026
0629:48How farmers live in the hills of Shan Stateমিয়ানমারের পাহাড়ে কৃষকদের জীবনPinlaung · 2 Sep 2026
0739:36Inle Lake: houses on water, life on boatsপানির ওপর ঘরবাড়ি, নৌকাতেই চলে পুরো জীবন!Inle Lake · 7 Sep 2026
0830:02Kalaw to Bagan: what happens at checkpointsচেকপোস্টে আসলে কী হয়?Kalaw → Bagan · 14 Sep 2026
0945:21Behind the pagodas: 900-year-old Baganমিয়ানমারে প্যাগোডার আড়ালে!Bagan · 16 Sep 2026
1034:17Looking for Myanmar's Muslims: Mandalay and halal foodমিয়ানমারে মুসলিমদের খোঁজেMandalay · 21 Sep 2026
1130:43Inside Mandalay's Muslim quarter, and a weddingমায়ানমারের মুসলিম পাড়াMandalay · 25 Sep 2026
1230:57Life along the Irrawaddy Riverমিয়ানমারে নদী নির্ভর ঘর-সংসারMandalay · 27 Sep 2026
1325:53How Arakan Muslims live in Yangonমিয়ানমারে আরাকান মুসলিমরাYangon · 29 Sep 2026
1428:02Is Myanmar really safe? The travel guideমিয়ানমার কি সত্যিই নিরাপদ?Yangon airport · 3 Oct 2026
Saif Afrisian
I'm a Bangladeshi travel filmmaker. I make long-form travel documentaries in Bangla on Unseen AFRICA.
I have filmed in 20 countries across Africa and Asia, from Kenya, Uganda and Malawi to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. By October 2026 my work reached 1.7 million followers, and it has been featured on Bangladeshi national television, including Somoy TV and Ekattor TV.