In Myanmar, every month (based on the Myanmar calendar) has at least one festival.Myanmar calendar starts Tagoo (April) and serial Myanmar months are:

1. Tagoo  (April)
2. Kason  (May)
3. Nayone (June)
4. Waso   (July)
5. Wagaung (August)
6. Tawthalin (September)
7. Thadingyut (October)
8. Tasaungmone (November)
9. Natdaw    (December)
10. Pyatho      (January)
11. Tabodwe   (February)
12. Tabbaung  (March)

Thingyan Festival ( Place: Throughtout Myanmar Time: April )
Thingyan festival, celebrated over three or four days around the middle of the month, is a joyous and exceedingly wet occasion. Since ancient reign of Myanmar Kings, celebrate the Water Festival till now and Myanmar National Sacrosanct Flower “Padauk” blooms only in this month. The festival is held prior to Myanmar New Year in order to cleanse away evil deeds of the past year with water.

Kasone Watering Festival ( Place: Throughout Myanmar Time: May )
This festival is water pouring ceremony at the foot of which Bodhi Tree during the hot season. This has become an integral part of Myanmar culture and on every full-moon day of Kason, Buddhist people hold a grand procession to the pagodas to pour scented water.

Taungbyone Nat PweFestival(Place: Taungbyone (Mandalay) Time: August )
This festival is held for 3 days and is the major gathering spot for two important “Nat” spiritual. The people from all over Myanmar, comes to this special festival and offer their donations and enjoy themselves with the blessings of the two spirits each year. They pray for prosperity, Fame and luck for the next coming year.

YadanaGu Nat Pwe Festival( Palace: Amarapura (Mandalay) Time: October )
This is known as mother of TaunbyoneFestival . It is the most enjoyable festival because of its rowing boat trip to the site a cross a nearby lake.

Thadingyut Light Festival ( Place: Throughtout Myanmar Time: October )
To mark the end of the Buddhist lent, and the Anniversary of Bddha’s Return from his celestial abode. So throughout the country are illuminations three days festival with colorful light. And also pay thanks and homage to parents, teachers and elders, asking pardon for whatever misdeeds they might have committed.

PaungdawOo Pagoda Festival ( Place: Inle Lake Time: October )
PaungdawOo Pagoda festival is taken, the 4 Buddha Statues from PhaungDawOo Pagoda around the lake on a golden gilded Karaweik royal barge, from one village to another. It is held for 18 days usually falls in October. Amazing leg- rowing boat races are held throughout the festival and it is a time of great pleasure for both residents and guests.

Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda Festival ( Place: Kyaikhto Pagoda-Mon State Time: October )
Celebrate on the full moon day of Thadingyut, locals offer 9000 candles and 9000 flowers that are ceremoniously lit at midnight to the Buddha. Next morning rice, sweets and others snacks are offered.

Elephant Dance Festival ( Place: Kyaukse – Mandalay Time: October )
The Elephant Dance Festival is a unique event celebrates each year at Kyaukse, near Mandalay. A huge but light elephant figure is made with bamboo and paper. Two men take their place inside the figure and dance in rhythm.People from far and near come to Kyaukse for this Festival.

Hot Air Balloon Festival ( Place: Taunggyi Time: November )
On this special occasion, people enjoy fun and merriment by holding firework-launching competitions. The firework is in the form of rockets. There is also hot balloons competitions on the day and night occasions. Day balloons are usually in the form of Pagodas, and animals such as elephant, dragon or ducks while the night balloons usually in the shape of rugby ball, huge elongated paper balls with small lighted multicolored paper lanterns hung around their sides and balloons would sing along fireworks and fire sticks which are set off mid-air fireworks.

Ananda Pagoda Festival ( Place: Bagan Time: January )
This festival is sanctified for the Ananda temple. On the full moon day, bowls filled with crops are offered to Buddhist monks. People from the Bagan area come in caravans of bullock carts in the pagoda compound, camp under the shady trees for the duration of the festival. Many vendors and shops sell traditional Myanmar foods and snacks.

Naga Festival ( Place: Sagaing Region Time: January )
The Naga are from Chin State but this festival place falls in the Sagaing Region. They pray for abundant crops and domestic animals and to have good weather. The Naga people wear bright and exotic traditional clothing and celebrate with rice wine, roasted meat and tribal dances accompanies by the loud beating of drums.

Mahamuni Festival ( Place: Mandalay Time: February
This Festival usually celebrates for 2 days. Contest to make glutinous rice, are held on the pagoda's platform. During this festivalmore than thousandof people from all over the country make the pilgrimage to the Mahamuni Pagoda. Many vendors sell local products and foods.

Kekku Pagoda Festival ( Place: Taunggyi Time:March )
The festival normally begins two or three days in advance of the full moon but be sure to arrive before dawn on the full moon day. In festival the native Pa-O peoples dressed in their traditional black outfits, gaily decorated trays bearing for morning food offering is carried out.

Pindaya Pagoda Festival ( Place: Pindaya – Shan State Time: March )
The festival starts seven days before the full moon day and thousands of devotees come from villages around the Pindaya area to the cave. A kind of Pagoda mall is set up at the food of the hill, under big shady Banyan trees to sell local products. All different of tribes in this area with colorful costumes participate.

Myanmar’s Climate can be described as tropical monsoon climate. It is characterized by strong monsoon influences, has a considerable amount of sun, a high rate of rainfall, and high humidity that makes it sometimes feel quite uncomfortable. The annual average temperature ranges from 22 degrees Celcius (72° Fahrenheit) to 27 degrees Celcius (81° Fahrenheit) year-round. 

There are three distinct seasons in Myanmar: The cold and dry season, from November to February, with average monthly temperatures of between 20°C and 24°C. The hot-dry season from March to April with average monthly temperatures between 30°C and 35°C. The wet season between May and October with average temperature between 25°C and 30°C. Annual rainfall in the delta region is approximately 2,500 millimetres (Yangon 2700 mm), while average annual rainfall in the Dry Zone is less than 1,000 millimetres (Mandalay 840 mm), the coastal regions receiving over 5,000 millimetres of rain annually.

Myanmar, a republic in South-East Asia, bounded on the north by Tibet Autonomous Region of China; on the east by China, Laos, and Thailand; on the south by the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal; and on the west by the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, and India. It is officially known as the Union of Myanmar. The coastal region is known as Lower Myanmar, while the interior region is known as Upper Myanmar. The total area of the country is 676,552 square km (261,218 square miles).

A horseshoe-shaped mountain complex and the valley of the Ayarwaddy (Irrawaddy) River system are the dominant topographical features of Myanmar. The mountains of the northern margin rise to 5881 meters (19,296 ft) atop Hkakabo Razi, the highest peak in Southeast Asia. The two other mountain systems have northern to southern axes. The Arakan Yoma range, with peaks reaching more than 2740 meters (about 9000 ft), forms a barrier between Myanmar and the subcontinent of India. The Bilauktaung range, the southern extension of the Shan Plateau, lies along the boundary between southwestern Thailand and southeastern Lower Myanmar. The Shan Plateau, originating in China, has an average elevation of about 910 meters (about 3000 ft).

Generally narrow and elongated in the interior, the central lowlands attain a width of about 320km (about 200 miles) across the Ayarwaddy-Sittaung delta. The delta plains, extremely fertile and economically the most important section of the country, cover an area of about 46,620 sq. km (18,000 sq. ml.). Both the Arakan (in the northwest) and the Tenasserim (in the southwest) coasts of myanmar are rocky and fringed with islands. The country has a number of excellent natural harbours.

Myanmar is an all year round destination. Hilly regions in the north and northeast enjoy cool temperate weather. Rainfall is also very low in central regions the rainy season.

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar has a population of over 60 million. The major racial groups are Bamar, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Mon, Rakhine and Shan. The people are called Myanmar.

Over 80 percent of Myanmar embraces are Theravada Buddhism. There are Christians, Muslims, Hindus and some animists.

Banks : 09:30 – 15:00 Mon – Fri
Offices : 09:30 – 16:30 Mon – Fri

10US Dollars for departure at the international gateways.

The local currency is the “Kyat” which is divided into 100 pyas. Kyat notes are issued in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 45, 50, 90, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 5000 and 10000.

061209-N-8148A-067 Camp Patriot, Kuwait (Dec. 9, 2006) - A customs border clearance agent assigned to Navy Customs Battalion Romeo keeps record of each inspection. Navy Customs Battalion Romeo, comprised of more than 450 reservists, was mobilized, trained, equipped and deployed by the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group and is an operational force under the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kitt Amaritnant (RELEASED)

Foreign currencies (above USD 2000), jewellery, cameras and electronic goods must be declared to the customs at the Airport. Exports of antiques and archaeologically valuable items are prohibited.

Ministry of Health has been implementing better health care management system and the international health regulation for the support of health tourism. There are points of entry health services at the international airports and passengers are requested to fill in the health declaration form.

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Foreign Exchange Certificate, issued for the convenience of visitors, is accepted by hotels, airlines, travel agencies, taxis, restaurants and convenient for entrance fees to pagodas, museums, parks, etc. FECs are issued in US $1,$5, $10 and $20 denominations and it can be exchanged at Yangon International Airport.

Myanmar has a long history and its greatness dates back to the early 11th Century when King Anawrahta unified the country and founded the First Myanmar Empire in Bagan more than 20 years before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The Bagan Empire encompassed the areas of the present day Myanmar and the entire Menam Valley in Thailand and lasted two centuries. The Second Myanmar Empire was founded in 16th Century by King Bayinnaung styled Branginoco by the Portuguese. King Alaungpaya founded the last Myanmar Dynasty in 1752 and it was during the zenith of this Empire that the British moved into Myanmar Wars in 1825. During The Second World War, Myanmar was occupied by the Japanese from 1942 till the return of the Allied Forces in 1945. Myanmar becomes a sovereign independent state in January 1948 after more than 100 years of colonial administration.

Myanmar lies on the crossroad of two of the world’s great civilizations – China and India – but its culture is neither that of India nor that of China exclusively, but a blend of both interspersed with Myanmar native traits and characteristics. Buddhism has great influence on daily life of the Myanmar. The people have preserved the traditions of close family ties, respect for the elders, reverence for Buddhism and simple native dress. Myanmars are contented and cheerful even in the face of adversities and known for their simple hospitality and friendliness.

Predominantly Myanmar (Bamar) and ethnic minorities speaking Chin, Kachin, Kayin, Shan and other 135 hill-tribe dialects and also Cantonese, Mandarin, Hindustani, Urdu spoken Chinese and Indian Immigrants. Being once a British colony English is also widely spoken.