Myanmar Travel, Ltd.

Various tour companies seemed to have cookie-cutter-type tours to Myanmar, and the dates didn’t work out for my wife and me. However, Myriam Grest at Myanmar Travel, Ltd. (No. 50. Part 4, 27 Ward, Rose Park Garden 2, North Dagon Township, Yangon, Myanmar; phone/fax +951 8010960, e-mail myriamgrest@gmail.com) offered customized tours, and we found her experience plus years of living in Yangon to be invaluable in fashioning a trip for us.

She arranged a 12-day/11-night custom tour, Dec. 11-23, 2011, for which the two of us paid $1,870 per person. We had a guide, drivers, food and three in-country flights to avoid awful roads. Everything was well done, including modifications to the itinerary to suit our desires.

The itinerary included the typical tourist spots, and the timing of events was great, even emphasizing our desire to wander through villages in lesser-known areas. Surprising to us was the relatively high quality of the hotels she found for us.

Our guide, James, was outstanding. It was particularly great spending an evening with him and his wife, mother-in-law and two friends at his Yangon home.

Be aware that the increasing number of tours to Myanmar is placing a strain on the supply of hotel rooms. Try to make reservations months in advance and expect somewhat higher rates. We made ours four months in advance, but Myriam says that starting six months early is now best, if possible, during the high season between October and March.

I am extremely enthusiastic about Myanmar Travel’s performance in planning and executing our tour.

KURT PANY
Tempe, AZ