The COVID-19 Southeast Asia reopening show has another episode in the works. This Sunday, 15 May, Myanmar — or, if you’re an historian, Burma — is restarting its tourist e-visa website. The link for the tourist e-visa application can be found here.
Having been shut since March 2020 due to the pandemic, the Myanmar government only allowed scheduled international flights to resume on 17 April.
According to the Associated Press, visitors will be required to have a vaccination certificate, a PCR test pre-departure, travel insurance, and take a rapid antigen test after arrival. Yeesh.
I happened to visit Myanmar in April 2009, traveling from Yangon to Mandalay, and finally Nyaung U (famous for its swathes of Buddhist stupas in an area called Bagan). The country has some hospitable folks ,and delicious underrated food in the vein of tea leaf salads, turmeric rice and dried fish, and lots of curries.
Also, even though many ATMs now accept foreign credit cards, I would still strongly recommend taking the newest and most pristine dollars with you. Unless you’re exclusively staying and dining at Western chains, it’s all about the kyat, Myanmar’s currency.
As always, if you ever have travel questions/tips, please leave them in the comments below.
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